Archive for December, 2008

Credit Limits: It’s Not What You Do; It’s Where You Do It

Monday, December 22nd, 2008

Remember a week or so ago a story about how credit card issuers and home equity lenders are cutting back on credit lines even to good customers and/or dramatically raising interest rates? Well, there is a new wrinkle. The Atlanta Journal Constitution...(read more)

Treasury Secretary Asks Congress for Second Half of TARP

Friday, December 19th, 2008

With the U.S. government promising a total of $17.4 billion to General Motors and Chrysler, U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has officially requested the second half of the $700 billion TARP funds from the U.S. Congress. The move comes despite a...(read more)

GM and Chrysler to Receive $13.4 Billion from Washington

Friday, December 19th, 2008

After a gruelling several weeks, the U.S. government announced Friday it will extend short-term funding to General Motors and Chrysler , allotting $13.4 billion in immediate funding to the two automakers and an additional $4.0 billion contingent on the...(read more)

MBA Reports Commercial/Multifamily Mortgage Debt Drops in Q3

Thursday, December 18th, 2008

Mortgage debt in commercial/multifamily dwellings dropped 0.1% in the third quarter to 3.44 trillion, according to a Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)examination of the Federal Reserve Board Flow of Funds data. Commercial/multifamily mortgage outstanding...(read more)

Commercial Real Estate Market Investment on Hold as Bank Lending Dries Up

Wednesday, December 17th, 2008

Investments in commercial real estate in the U.S. have all but stalled as bank lending for commercial real estate has dried up, according to the National Association of Realtors ( NAR ). "Although access to residential mortgages has improved, the...(read more)

MBA Mortgage Applications Move Higher in Week Ending December 12

Wednesday, December 17th, 2008

Weekly mortgage applications in the United States rose in the week ending Dec. 12, according to data released from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) on Wednesday, which reported a 2.9% week-over-week increase in applications. In the previous week...(read more)

Plans to Build New Homes Plunge 18.9% to Record Low

Tuesday, December 16th, 2008

Plans for constructing new homes in the United States fell to its lowest level on record in November, as the annualized pace of building plans dropped well beyond expectations with a near-20% decline in a single month. U.S. housing starts plummeted to...(read more)

NAHB Builder Confidence Remains at Record Low in December

Monday, December 15th, 2008

Confidence amongst homebuilders failed to improve in December, after plummeting to a new all-time low in November. Though the headline result remained the same, two of the three components reported more pessimistic results than in November. Issued by...(read more)

Fannie Mae to Halt Tenant Evictions

Monday, December 15th, 2008

As a follow-up to a story we published last week regarding the eviction of renters from foreclosed homes , we are happy to now report that Fannie Mae has become the first lender to review and reverse its eviction policies. Many big lenders immediately...(read more)

Treasury Considers Using TARP to Bail Out U.S. Automakers

Friday, December 12th, 2008

In a statement released on Friday, the U.S. Treasury said it "stands ready" to prevent the failure of automakers and is prepared to help the Big Three until Congress reconvenes in January. The headline came just minutes after White House Press...(read more)