Economy

Uncertainty about the economy and inflation drove the increase

The U.S. economy stalled in recent weeks, with hiring and inflation slowing and access to credit narrowing, the Federal Reserve said in its survey of regional business contacts.

Several of our best of the best share how they were able to keep their pipelines active when industry-wide volume was well below record levels the year before.

U.S. homebuilder sentiment rose for a fourth month in April as limited resale inventory helped drive demand for new houses, suggesting the residential real estate market is slowly recovering.

The new regulations take effect in July and come after the agency issued new equitable housing goals days earlier.

Banks could be in for a long, slow trickle of bank failures and consolidation in the coming months and years, particularly if inflation persists and interest rates keep rising. A downturn in commercial real estate could add to banks' problems.

Two housing-policy experts whose previous recommendations have been closely followed by the Biden administration are defending the Federal Home Loan Banks, raising the stakes in a debate over whether a major overhaul is needed.

The Federal Home Loan Bank system issued $37 billion in debt in the last week of March, a sharp drop-off from the $304 billion two weeks earlier, according to a person familiar with the matter.

While they see a meager gain of just 1.2% in 2024, the recovery will pick up steam in the following three years, when prices are forecast to increase 4% annually, a Pulsenomics survey found.

But a monthly increase in housing costs nationwide to start 2023 may point to a bottoming out of prices in many areas, CoreLogic said.

The personal consumption expenditures price index rose 0.3% in February, the Commerce Department said.

The Richmond Fed president said he is poised to continue fighting inflation, and supported the decision to raise interest rates by 25 basis points in March.

However, the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield pushed back up 15 basis points from a week ago as the markets settle following the recent bank failures.

The year-over-year drop in January stemmed primarily from loans where a payment had not been made in at least 120 days but shorter-term arrears were higher during the same period.

Home prices nationally fell 0.2% from December, according to seasonally adjusted data from S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller.

Fewer than 200 staffers were offered different roles in other parts of the company while a handful, including some loan officers, were let go.

The economic situation is more like what happened during the mid-'80s thrift crisis than the 2008 downturn, said Chief Economist Doug Duncan.

Bond market investors continue to drive down the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield, even after short-term rates were boosted 25 basis points on Wednesday.

More hikes are likely as the Board is confident its bid to quell inflation won't deepen a nascent banking crisis.

The Toms River-based lender was supposedly having liquidity issues, according to unconfirmed reports.