Category: Top National News

The National Appraisal Volume continued it downward slide into September dropping 2.72% for the week beginning Aug. 30.

Evans Bancorp in Hamburg, N.Y., has agreed to pay $825,000 to settle a lawsuit that accused the company of mortgage redlining.

In the wake of an unprecedented U.S. housing bust that evolved into a global financial crisis, the business of bundling home loans that aren’t backed by the American government into bonds that can be sold to investors has all but disappeared.

Mortgage applications for new home purchases decreased by 6% in August from July, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Builder Application Survey.

There’s a big reason to believe that the U.S. economy will be able to withstand the start of the Fed tightening cycle: There’s still plenty of pent up activity in the housing sector.

Mortgage rates were little changed ahead of the Federal Reserve’s key rate decision next week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday.

Prices for imported goods fell in August, posting their largest drop since January, a sign that the strong dollar and ongoing weakness in oil prices are keeping inflation at bay. Import prices fell 1.8% in August, the Labor Department said Thursday.

The U.S. labor market appeared to gain momentum in early September as fewer Americans filed for weekly unemployment benefits, but weak inflation pressures may complicate the Federal Reserve’s decision whether to raise interest rates.

The Mortgage Banjers Association launched a set of guidelines to educate consumers, lenders and their business partners about the new Know Before You Owe or TILE-RESPA Integrated Disclosure regulations that go into effect on October 3.

Total volume fell 6.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending September 4 versus the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.