Archive for December, 2008

Interest Rates Continue Downward Drift

Wednesday, December 31st, 2008

Interest rates continued their slow but steady decent during the week ended December 31 according to results of the Primary Mortgage Market Survey released by Freddie Mac Wednesday morning. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) hit yet another historic...(read more)

MBA Mortgage Applications Flat in Week Ending Dec. 26

Wednesday, December 31st, 2008

Weekly mortgage applications in the United States were flat in the week ending Dec. 26, according to data released from the Mortgage Bankers' Association (MBA) on Wednesday. In the previous week, applications rose by 48.0%. The portion of fixed-rate...(read more)

U.S. Facing Crisis Without All Necessary Tools, Treasury’s Paulson Says

Wednesday, December 31st, 2008

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said the government has had to face the current financial crisis without all the means to do so effectively, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. "We're dealing with something that is really historic and we...(read more)

Case-Shiller Home Price Index Declines Annualized 18% in October

Tuesday, December 30th, 2008

U.S. house prices in November are down 18.0% compared to a year ago, according to the S&P Case-Shiller U.S. home price index, with the 20-city composite index falling to a reading of 158.16. Economists had expected the index to post a year-over-year...(read more)

GMAC Gets Bank Holding Company Status, and Potential Access to TARP

Friday, December 26th, 2008

After months of failed attempts, General Motors' financing arm, GMAC , was granted bank holding status from the Federal Reserve on Dec. 24 in a move that will allow the struggling firm to access funds from the Treasury's Troubled Asset Relief...(read more)

Long Term Mortgage Rates Hit All-Time Low

Wednesday, December 24th, 2008

Mortgage rates fell for the 8 th straight week in the week ended December 24, establishing a new low for Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 5.14 percent with 0.8 point, down from last week...(read more)

MBA Mortgage Applications Jump in Week Ending December 19

Wednesday, December 24th, 2008

Weekly mortgage applications in the United States rose in the week ending Dec. 19, according to data released from the Mortgage Bankers' Association (MBA) on Wednesday, which reported a 48.0% week-over-week increase in applications. In the previous...(read more)

New Home Sales Fall Less than Expected in November Due to Revisions

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

New home sales in the U.S. fell less than expected in November on the back of a downward revision to the previous month, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. Meanwhile, the median sale price rose to $220,400. New home sales fell to an annualized...(read more)

House Prices Continue to Contract in October, Says FHFA

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

U.S. house prices continued to decline in October, according to data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency ( FHFA ), which recorded a 1.1% drop for the month. The fall was slightly better than economists' expectations for a 1.3% decline, and the...(read more)

Pace of Existing Home Sales Falls 8.6% to 4.49 Million Units in November

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

The pace of sales for existing homes in the United States weakened much more than market expectations in November, according to an industry survey released Tuesday. U.S. existing home sales fell to an annualized pace of 4.49 million units in November...(read more)