Mortgages

July's low mortgage rate environment encouraged new homebuyers to overcome their fears about the direction of the economy that kept them out of the market in June, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Sentiment among homebuilders rose in August to match its 2019 high as mortgage rates tumbled, though a weaker outlook signaled concern that any gains will be temporary as investors fret about an economic downturn.

Sales activity in the metro Atlanta housing market has chilled this summer, but prices continue to rise steadily, according to a report released this week.

Mortgage rates remained unchanged this past week even with all of the upheaval in the bond markets that pushed long-term Treasury yields down, according to Freddie Mac.

The majority of young adults and consumers in coastal housing markets claim climate change will affect their homes or communities, which could influence where they consider buying a house, according to Zillow.

Massachusetts home sale agreements shot up 9% in July, compared to a year ago, and the median price of a single-family home put under agreement last month rose to almost $440,000.

Mortgage activity fell at the start of the year, but lower mortgage rates are boosting refinance volume, and Generation Z is starting to creep into the housing market, according to TransUnion.

The company withdrew an earlier bid to become an ILC after regulators identified problems with its application. It is seeking a Nevada bank charter because it wants to add deposit management services and expand into small-business lending.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development will remove some barriers to government-insured condominium lending next month, including a post-crisis measure housing industry groups have long complained about.

Angel Oak is now offering mortgage brokers and correspondent loan sellers a prequalification tool to determine borrower eligibility for non-qualified mortgages.

The U.S. government bond market sounded alarms Wednesday as investors fleeing riskier assets drove the 30-year bond's yield to a record low and the 10-year yield fell below the two-year for the first time since 2007.

While last week's large drop in interest rates sparked a surge in refinance activity, purchase mortgage application volume increased for the first time in over a month, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Bucking a national trend, the Tampa Bay area saw an increase in new foreclosure filings in the first half of the year.

Builders in Oakland are on course to create more new housing units than San Francisco this year, a notable role reversal for a city that has long produced far less residential development than its wealthier and more bustling neighbor across the bay.

There's a silver lining to the recent economic turbulence: Mortgage rates have tumbled in recent weeks, triggering a rush to refinance and a race to the closing table for many Twin Citians.

A more sustainable approach to home flipping is a responsible one that benefits not just real estate investors, but also the neighborhood, local economy and even the eventual resident.

With bidding wars subsiding, new-home sales prices dropped, causing the largest decline in new construction since 2013, according to Redfin.

The mortgage delinquency rate sits at its lowest point in over 20 years after descending annually for 17 straight months through May, according to CoreLogic. But a broader look at this year's figures could signal a shift in the narrative.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's corporate debt ratings shouldn't be downgraded in the near term as a result of the Treasury Department's to-be-released government-sponsored enterprise reform plan, Fitch Ratings said.

The monthly volume of new mortgage securities insured by Ginnie Mae remained higher than it has been in more than two years in July, rising slightly on a consecutive-month basis.