News / Features
Freddie Mac has finalized requirements on a new “Standard Modification,” a loan modification program for delinquent homeowners who did not meet requirements for the government’s Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). Officially launching in January, the new program will
The Market Composite Index, a study of mortgage loan application volume that is compiled by the Mortgage Bankers Association, rose 6.3 percent last week, bouncing back from a disappointing 4.9 percent decline the week before. Despite historically-low interest
September is the National Association of Realtor’s “Realtor Safety Month,” and to coincide with the month, real estate website AgentGenius conducted surveys and interviews to assess Realtor safety in 2011. The site’s findings were both frightening and educational. Andrew
Homeowners affected by the Chinese drywall class-action suit against Banner Supply Co. are now able to opt out of the suit and file separate lawsuits if they choose to do so. Between 2004 and 2008 many U.S. contractors and
Continuing in its goal of creating universal lending documents for the mortgage industry, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has begun a fourth round of product testing this week, focusing on two different loans that appear on the same
According to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), the major delinquency rates for multifamily units fell in four of the five major investor groups, which includes FDIC-insured banks, life insurance providers, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The rates
According to analysts at Barclays, a global financial services provider, the new housing plans recently announced by President Obama amount to a revamp of the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), not an all-out expansion. Fears over the President’s comments
National price gains were up 4 percent in Clear Capital’s latest Home Data Index, a monthly report that analyzes housing data in the West, Midwest, Northeast and the South. All four sectors of the market showed quarter-over-quarter price gains, with the
New historically-low interest rates, positive builders indexes, and speculation and analysis of President Barack Obama’s housing policies were some of the top national stories this week on Chicago Agent magazine’s
Federal loan limits are set to decline on Oct. 1, and New York Congressman Gary Ackerman, along with 36 other lawmakers, is lobbying to stop that from
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) launched the First American Improving Market Index (IMI) today to track metropolitan regions showing significant signs of growth. This comes as good news to a housing industry that has become accustomed to
In a much-touted speech on the economy last night, President Barack Obama largely skipped the topic of housing, opting instead to comment what many had predicted: that the White House was looking to revise its “Home Affordable Refinance Program” to
The Multifamily Production Index (MPI), a statistic compiled by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) that measures multifamily unit construction, increased for the fourth consecutive quarter, another sign that the multifamily market is
So much for history – after reaching 50-year lows on Aug. 18, the 30-year FRM from Freddie Mac has hit a new historical low, this time reaching 4.12
President Obama is scheduled to address the nation tonight on the economy, and the real estate industry is filled with anticipation – apprehension, even – on what the President will say about housing, if anything at
MyGreenBuildings, a Sarasota, Fl.-based green builder, is one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S., and it is looking with licensing its successful business model to companies across the
