Archive for January, 2009

Treasury to Infuse 23 Smaller Banks with Fresh Capital

Tuesday, January 27th, 2009

The Treasury Department announced it would infuse $386 million into 23 banks across the nation as part of its Capital Purchase Program (CPP) on Tuesday. The plan will put capital directly "into healthy, viable banks with the goal of increasing the...(read more)

Treasury’s Geithner Announces New Rules for Economic Stabilization Act

Tuesday, January 27th, 2009

Wasting no time in his new position at the U.S. Treasury, Secretary Timothy Geithner announced "several key reforms" to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (EESA) on Tuesday. Citing "President Barack Obama's firm commitment to...(read more)

S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index Declines by 18.2% in November

Tuesday, January 27th, 2009

The S&P Case-Shiller home price index fell in line with expectations in November as the 20-city composite index posted a decline of 18.18% to a reading of 154.59. Economists had forecast a 18.40% drop. The three-month annualized rate of decline was...(read more)

Timothy Geithner Confirmed as Treasury Secretary

Monday, January 26th, 2009

Timothy Geithner was confirmed as U.S. Treasury secretary by the Senate Monday night. Despite outbursts of Republican opposition throughout the day from Senators, including Oklahoma's James Inhofe and South Dakota Senator John Thune, Geithner's...(read more)

Foreclosures Give Boost to Existing Home Sales

Monday, January 26th, 2009

The housing market performed miserably in 2008, but the final month of the year showed an upside surprise in sales of previously-owned homes against expectations of a third consecutive monthly decline. The pace of existing home sales jumped 6.5% in December...(read more)

Pace of U.S. Existing Home Sales Rises 6.5% to 4.74 Million Units in December

Monday, January 26th, 2009

The pace of sales for existing homes in the United States came in much better than market expectations in December, according to an industry survey released Monday. Existing home sales rose to an annualized pace of 4.74 million units in December, marking...(read more)

Geithner Seeks “Sweeping Changes” of Financial Regulation

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

The Obama administration's Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner is calling for " sweeping changes " to the regulatory structure overseeing the financial system. "We are going to need sweeping changes, in regulatory policy,...(read more)

Senate Panel Backs Geithner’s Nomination for Treasury Secretary

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

After grilling Timothy Geithner throughout the day on Wednesday, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee voted 18-5 in favour of his nomination to become Secretary of the Treasury. His full confirmation from the Senate is expected next week. Geithner, 47, will...(read more)

Mortgage Rates End 11 Week Slide

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

Freddie Mac released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey for the week ended January 22 on Thursday morning. For the first time since the week ended October 30, rates were on the increase. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) carried an...(read more)

MBA Mortgage Applications Move Lower in Week Ending January 16

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

Weekly mortgage applications in the United States fell in the week ending Jan. 16, according to data released from the Mortgage Bankers' Association (MBA) on Thursday, which reported a 9.8% week-over-week decrease in applications. In the previous...(read more)