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December 2009 - Posts
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Fannie, Freddie Proving Too Big to Shrink ABC News | December 31, 2009 The government's Christmas Eve pledge of unlimited financial aid to mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is aimed at making sure the housing market doesn't take another Read More...
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Mortgage Rates Up for 5th Week BankRate.com | December 31, 2009 It was the best of years, it was the worst of years. The year 2009 will be remembered for having the lowest mortgage rates in generations, even as the government worked like the dickens to Read More...
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Fragile Recovery on the Horizon for Housing National Public Radio | December 31, 2009 Housing has been an albatross around the economy's neck, dragging it down over the past couple of years. Although there are still some big problems, there also are Read More...
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Published in http://www.realtor.org/research/reinsights/marketintelligence by Jessica Lautz, NAR Research The National Association of REALTORS® surveys home buyers and sellers annually to gather detailed information about the home buying and selling Read More...
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Published http://www.realtor.org/research/reinsights/economistcommentary By Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist, NAR Research Let's first turn to the terrific news regarding the housing stimulus. Earlier this month, the U.S. Congress overwhelmingly passed Read More...
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RPT-US Mortgage Industry Grapples with New Disclosures Reuters | December 22, 2009 The biggest changes to home loan disclosures since the 1970s are around the corner and many in the industry are warning that misunderstandings will create a logjam of confusion Read More...
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Home Sales Likely Rose Again in November The Associated Press | December 22, 2009 Home resales are expected to have risen to their highest level in nearly three years in November, as an extraordinary level of federal support has pulled the housing market Read More...
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Down-Payment Standards Eased The Wall Street Journal | December 21, 2009 Some mortgage insurers and lenders are beginning to relax their down-payment requirements, in a sign of increased confidence in the housing market. Read More...
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Housing Starts Rise Less Than Expected Reuters | December 16, 2009 New housing starts rose but were lower than expected in November as construction activity for single family dwellings increased only marginally, a government report showed on Wednesday Read More...
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Mortgage Applications Rose Slightly Last Week: MBA The Wall Street Journal | December 16, 2009 Applications for mortgages rose a seasonally adjusted 0.3% last week compared with the week before, as rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages increased, the Read More...
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Obama Calls on Banks to Ramp Up Lending The Washington Post | December 15, 2009 President Obama exhorted the nation's biggest banks on Monday to make "extraordinary" efforts to increase lending, even as some of those firms are racing to Read More...
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Fannie, Freddie Overseer Said to Consider Seeking More U.S. Aid Bloomberg | December 15, 2009 Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's federal regulator is renegotiating the companies' financing plan with the U.S. Treasury Department and may seek an increase Read More...
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Published Monday, December 14, 2009 Hot Sheet, News Report for Brokers and Agents, Maryland Association of Realtors RESPA RULES EFFECTIVE January 1, 2010 --the following components of the new RESPA Rule will be go into effect: Good Faith Estimate: The Read More...
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6 Questions to Ask About Title Insurance Bankrate.com | December 14, 2009 When you buy or refinance a home, you have a lot of things on your mind. Chances are, title insurance isn't one of them. Jeremy Yohe, ALTA's Director of Communications, Read More...
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Can Home Market Bounce Back Without More Help? USA Today | December 14, 2009 Although the housing market has shown signs of improvement lately, the recovery may not be on firm ground. The year is ending on a brighter note than it began, but economists Read More...
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U.S. House Rejects Mortgage "Cramdown" Measure Reuters | December 11, 2009 In a win for the banking industry, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on Friday to reject a measure that would have allowed bankruptcy judges to change the terms Read More...
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Mortgage Rates Bounce Off Record Lows Inman News | December 11, 2009 Rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages bounced back from last week's record lows, averaging 4.81 percent with an average of 0.7 point, Freddie Mac said in releasing the results of Read More...
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House Steps Closer to Passing Financial Regulation Overhaul The Washington Post | December 11, 2009 House lawmakers on Thursday night inched closer to approving a sweeping overhaul of the nation's financial regulatory system, adopting last-minute Read More...
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Wells Fargo Offers Mortgage Relief to Struggling Homeowners Bloomberg | December 10, 2009 Wells Fargo & Co., the bank that gained a portfolio of option adjustable-rate mortgages when it bought Wachovia Corp. last year, cut the principal for delinquent Read More...
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Obama to Call on Bank Chiefs to Boost Lending The Washington Post | December 10, 2009 President Obama is summoning the chiefs of a dozen big banks to a White House meeting Monday to press them to do more for the economy, even as many of the firms are Read More...
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Lawmakers Growing Frustrated with Mortgage-Relief Failures The Washington Post | December 10, 2009 Most of the struggling homeowners who have enrolled in the Obama administration's marquee mortgage-relief program still haven't proved they qualify Read More...
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New Numbers: Is Housing Bouncing Back? ABC News | December 9, 2009 A new report that shows a large drop in home and condominium listings in the nation's biggest metropolitan areas is fueling speculation the housing market could be on the cusp of a Read More...
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US Mortgage Applications Driven Up by Refinancings Reuters | December 9, 2009 Demand for U.S. home loans rose to the highest level in about two months, mainly from borrowers locking in low mortgage rates by refinancing, the Mortgage Bankers Association Read More...
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Harvard Economist Predicts Prices Will Stay Low Edward Glaeser believes cities with vibrant economies, such as Atlanta, Dallas, and Houston, will survive the housing meltdown and won't see huge price declines. Read More...
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Predictions on Future Mortgage Rates Experts say that mortgage rates will likely stay low, even if the Federal Reserve stops its mortgage-backed securities purchasing program in March 2010. (National Association of Realtors) Read More...
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New Home Sales Rise in October U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development reported a 6.2 percent increase in new home sales from September to October. Read More...
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Nine Consecutive Gains for Pending Home Sales The Index increased 3.7 percent in September, and the rise from a year ago is the biggest annual increase ever recorded. (National Association of Realtors) Read More...
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Banks Borrow Slightly Less From Fed Over Past Week The Associated Press | December 4, 2009 Banks borrowed slightly less from the Federal Reserve's emergency lending program over the past week. Banks' use of the program has been declining for the Read More...
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Bank Bailouts Appear to be Paying Off The Los Angeles Times | December 4, 2009 The U.S. gets billions back as Wall Street rebounds. But critics say the TARP fund will still end up in the red. Read More...
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Foreclosure Fight Gets Personal The Boston Herald | December 4, 2009 Freddie Mac is its taking anti-foreclosure efforts to the front doors of homeowners who've fallen behind on mortgages. The home-loan giant recently hired consulting firm Titanium Read More...
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Unemployment Rate Falls to 10 Percent The Washington Post | December 4, 2009 11,000 American jobs lost in November Read More...
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Mortgage Applications Edge Higher as Rates Hit 6 Month High Reuters | December 2, 2009 U.S. mortgage applications nudged higher last week, data from an industry group reported on Wednesday, as consumers showed a subdued reaction to the lowest interest Read More...
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Pending Sales of U.S. Existing Homes Rose in October Bloomberg | December 2, 2009 The number of contracts to buy U.S. previously owned homes unexpectedly rose in October as consumers rushed to take advantage of a tax credit that was due to expire. s of Read More...
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Guidelines Aim to Ease Short Sales The Wall Street Journal | December 1, 2009 The Obama administration laid out final guidelines on Monday that should make it easier for some financially troubled borrowers to sell their homes. The guidelines are designed Read More...
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U.S. Steps Up Pressure on Lenders to Modify More Mortgages The Washington Post | December 1, 2009 The Obama administration on Monday promised tougher scrutiny of lenders participating in its marquee foreclosure-prevention effort and threatened to penalize Read More...
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Practitioners and consumers have many of the same questions about where housing is headed. Here are a few answers provided by industry experts. http://go-to.realtor.org/r/NS2XEL/MS74W/QNUEMH/DT7OG/2775D/XL/t/ Read More...
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http://go-to.realtor.org/r/NS2XEL/MS74W/QNUEMH/DT7OG/HRFQR/XL/t/ Read More...
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Buyers are likely to have many questions about their eligibility for the extended and expanded tax credits. Here are some key features. http://go-to.realtor.org/r/NS2XEL/MS74W/QNUEMH/DT7OG/8KD5I/XL/t/ Read More...
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Locations with many employment opportunities and stable home prices are faring the best in the economic downturn. http://go-to.realtor.org/r/NS2XEL/MS74W/QNUEMH/DT7OG/E998D/XL/t/ Read More...
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New research from the First American CoreLogic reveals that 5.3 million U.S. households hold mortgages that are at least 20 percent higher than the value of their home. http://go-to.realtor.org/r/NS2XEL/MS74W/QNUEMH/DT7OG/QHBT3/XL/t/ Read More...
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Existing-home sales are up and inventories are down, thanks in large part to the home buyer tax credit. http://go-to.realtor.org/r/NS2XEL/MS74W/QNUEMH/DT7OG/W00V7/XL/t/ Read More...
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Citi Calls for More Mortgage-Principal Forgiveness The Wall Street Journal | November 25, 2009 As unemployment rises, more borrowers need principal forgiveness on their mortgages, not just restructured loans, Citigroup Inc.'s mortgage chief said. Read More...
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Home Sales Rebound to Early-2007 Level The Washington Post | November 24, 2009 Economists and policymakers got what they were looking for Monday: a clear uptick in the housing market. The catch is, few believe it's sustainable. Read More...
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