Archive for December, 2008

Long Term Rate Hits Four-Year Low

Thursday, December 11th, 2008

Long term mortgage interest rates fell again during the week ended December 11 according to the Primary Mortgage Market Survey conducted each week by Freddie Mac. Short term rates bumped up slightly. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 5.47...(read more)

Credit Card Companies Add to Economic Woes

Thursday, December 11th, 2008

Millions of Americans are being sandbagged yet again by consequences arising from the banking crisis. For the last six months or so, lenders have been wrecking havoc on many of their customers by reducing credit limits , increasing prevailing interest...(read more)

RealtyTrac Says U.S. Foreclosures Fell in November

Thursday, December 11th, 2008

Foreclosure rates continued to decline in November but remain elevated, according to a survey by RealtyTrac, which saw a 7% decrease in U.S. foreclosures activity from October to November. Compared to twelve months ago, foreclosure activity is higher...(read more)

GMAC Fails to Become Bank Holding Company

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008

General Motors was dealt another blow on Wednesday with its financing arm GMAC failing to meet the capital requirements to become a bank holding company . As a consequence, the firm will not be able to tap funding from the Treasury, one of GM's major...(read more)

MBA Mortgage Applications Pull Back in Week Ending December 5

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008

Weekly mortgage applications in the United States pulled back in the week ending Dec. 5, according to data released from the Mortgage Bankers' Association (MBA) on Wednesday, which reported a 7.1% week-over-week fall in applications. In the previous...(read more)

Small Loss in Pending Home Sales Somewhat Encouraging, Economists Say

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008

Economists had mixed reactions about the housing market following the release of some October data showing that while fewer people planned to purchase an existing home compared to the previous month, the decline was not as great as expected my markets...(read more)

Renters aren’t Immune from Foreclosure Woes

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008

Starting way back in 2006 with the publication of John Talbot's book Sell Now we have been advised by a lot of experts that this is a good time to be a renter rather than a homeowner. Well, maybe not so much. Newspapers throughout the nation are reporting...(read more)

Pending Home Sales Tumble Below Forecasts in October

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008

An index looking at pending transactions for the sale of existing homes eased against a deteriorating economic backdrop but remain in a stable range, according to an industry group on Tuesday. U.S. pending home sales tumbled by less than expectations...(read more)

Preview: Pending Home Sales to Confirm Fourth-Quarter Gloom

Monday, December 8th, 2008

October and November were two of the worst months in the U.S. recession that began in December 2007, so as more data continues to pile in, it should come as no surprise that markets have low expectations for the results. Tuesday's look at the housing...(read more)

Consumer Credit Declines as Borrowing for Autos Slows

Friday, December 5th, 2008

More evidence that consumers are having a difficult time obtaining credit was released by the Federal Reserve on Friday. For the second time in three months, consumer credit declined compared to the previous year, and interest rates for car loans rose...(read more)