Axios, Feb. 17, 2021–Courtenay BrownRetail sales jumped 5.3% last month — blowing past the 1.2% increase anticipated by economists, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday.https://www.axios.com/january-retail-sales-39168f85-9100-4f53-b202-a10b4c62379b.html
Category: Top National News
Millions of Jobs Probably Aren’t Coming Back, Even after the Pandemic Ends
Washington Post, Feb. 17, 2021–Heather LongMillions of jobs that have been shortchanged or wiped out entirely by the coronavirus pandemic are unlikely to come back, economists warn, setting up a …
Eugene Ludwig to Step Down as Promontory CEO
American Banker, Feb. 17, 2021–Brendan Pedersen (subscription)The former comptroller of the currency, who founded the consulting firm known for its roster of ex-regulators, will hand over leadership of day-to-day activities …
Bay Area Exodus Leading Edge of Pandemic Housing Reshuffle
Reuters, Feb. 17, 2021–Howard SchneiderData from high-tech sources like cellphone location trackers to old-school change-of-address forms have started to put some scale around the reversal of fortune the City by …
Fed Officials Saw Easy-Money Policies Remaining in Place
Wall Street Journal, Feb. 17, 2021–Paul Kiernan (subscription)Minutes of the Fed’s Jan. 26-27 meeting, released Wednesday, showed policy makers expected that the federal stimulus package approved in December and progress …
Americans’ Mortgage Debt Increased to $10T in Q4
HousingWire, Feb. 17, 2020–James KleimannOverall household debt increased by $206 billion in the fourth quarter of 2020 to $14.56 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The …
MBA’s Charmaine Brown to Kick-Off Day One #HousingDC21 Discussion on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Baytown Sun (Texas), Feb. 17, 2021Housing Finance Strategies President Faith Schwartz today announced that Charmaine Brown, the Mortgage Bankers Association Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion will kick-off Day One …
President Biden’s Foreclosure Extension Met with Mixed Reactions
National Mortgage Professional, Feb. 17, 2021–Navi PersaudMortgage Bankers Association’s president and CEO Bob Broeksmit issued a comment championing President Biden’s mortgage relief extension.https://nationalmortgageprofessional.com/news/76400/president-bidens-foreclosure-extension-mixed-reactions
California Cities Rethink the Single-Family Neighborhood
KQED Radio, Feb. 17, 2021–Erin BaldassariMore than a century ago, Berkeley, Calif., pioneered rules prohibiting affordable, multifamily housing from certain areas. Now it’s one of a handful of cities in …
Mortgage Demand Falls Further as Rates Rise at the Fastest Pace in Months
CNBC, Feb. 17, 2021–Diana OlickTotal mortgage application volume fell 5.1% last week from the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index.https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/17/mortgage-demand-falls-further-as-rates-rise-.html