Tue, Apr 6 2010, 8:22 AM
The dollar is stronger but equity futures and commodity prices are each trading lower. The economic docket is empty this morning but in the afternoon ...
Tue, Apr 6 2010, 2:23 PM
Consumers are still committed to owning a home, but are showing increased cautiousness, regardless of whether they rent, own their homes outright or h...
Mon, Apr 5 2010, 8:34 AM
The Dow closed last Thursday at an 18-month high, and with equity investors now able to react to Friday’s nonfarm payrolls report, the market should o...
Mon, Apr 5 2010, 1:42 PM
The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in February, rose 8.2 percent to 97.6 from a downwardly revised 90...
Fri, Apr 2 2010, 11:13 AM
The Inspector General in charge of monitoring the TARP program has issued the first in a series of audits of the HAMP program. The report finds that ...
Fri, Apr 2 2010, 8:19 AM
After months of waiting for the Employment Report to indicate labor growth in the economy, it looks like it will finally happen … on a day when equity...
Thu, Apr 1 2010, 11:11 AM
Total construction spending fell for a fourth straight month in February to the slowest pace since November 2002. While I do not doubt that constructi...
Thu, Apr 1 2010, 10:54 AM
Freddie Mac's February Volume Summary, released on Thursday, shows that the value of both the corporations total portfolio and its investments portfol...
Thu, Apr 1 2010, 8:17 AM
On the first day of Q2 2010, equity futures in the US are looking for a sharply higher open after investor sentiment was boosted by positive data in A...
Thu, Apr 1 2010, 4:49 PM
The goal of the Federal Reserve's agency MBS program was to provide support to mortgage and housing markets and to foster improved conditions in finan...
Wed, Mar 31 2010, 11:29 AM
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced over $49 million in grants to state level public housing agencies to use in an ongoing p...
Wed, Mar 31 2010, 10:40 AM
Fannie Mae's mortgage investment portfolio shrank for the second straight month in February. This will not last much longer though. On Februrary 10, ...
Wed, Mar 31 2010, 7:53 AM
Markets are flat to roughly lower as cautious investors await the results of the ADP private employment report and a key index of the services and man...
Wed, Mar 31 2010, 7:27 AM
The reality of a purchase driven housing market is setting in as the refinance index failed to make much progress in Q1 2010 even as mortgage rates he...
Tue, Mar 30 2010, 8:26 AM
After volatile trading that ended positive yesterday, markets are looking for further gains this morning ahead of key housing data. 90 minutes before ...
Tue, Mar 30 2010, 4:44 PM
David M.Blitzer, Chairman of the Index Committee at Standard & Poor’s, communicated the findings of the report quite well. “The report is mixed. While...
Mon, Mar 29 2010, 8:21 AM
90 minutes before the opening bell sounds to begin a holiday-shortened week, equity futures are sharply upwards. The Dow looks to open 52 points highe...
Mon, Mar 29 2010, 3:58 PM
Today, adding to the first Housing Finance Agency Innovation Fund for the Hardest Hit Housing Markets (the "HFA Hardest Hit Fund"), the Obama Administ...
Mon, Mar 29 2010, 3:54 PM
The OCC/OTS metrics report for the last quarter of 2009 confirms the continued increase in delinquent loans but notes that servicers have expanded ret...
Fri, Mar 26 2010, 12:50 PM
Today, as part of its ongoing commitment to continuously improve housing relief efforts, the Obama Administration announced adjustments to the Home Af...
Fri, Mar 26 2010, 11:10 AM
"The near- to mid-term outlook for the broader housing sector continues to be negative, with the main driver the ongoing economic pressure on homeowne...
Fri, Mar 26 2010, 11:03 AM
HUD announced today that Recovery Act funds have allowed state and local housing agencies to improve or renovate 150,000 low-income housing units whil...
Fri, Mar 26 2010, 8:09 AM
Equity futures are pointing upwards after it was announced that European Union leaders came up with a rescue package for Greece.
According to the ...
Thu, Mar 25 2010, 12:26 PM
Ben Bernanke is sitting before the House Financial Services Committee, sharing his "official" thoughts on the Fed's exit strategy. Most of his testimo...
Thu, Mar 25 2010, 8:09 AM
Equity and commodity prices are looking upwards this morning ahead of weekly labor data. 90 minutes before the opening bell, Dow futures are trading 3...
Thu, Mar 25 2010, 4:59 PM
For the second to last time, the Federal Reserve today reported on their weekly purchases of agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS). Obviously everyo...
Thu, Mar 25 2010, 2:50 PM
"We have come up with some interesting ideas ... to enable some additional people to participate in this program, who may be unemployed or who need pr...
Wed, Mar 24 2010, 10:56 AM
Bank of America has announced a new program that will assist delinquent borrowers by reducing principal balances in a two step process. Eligible borr...
Wed, Mar 24 2010, 10:53 AM
The Federal Housing Finance Agency reports that home prices dropped 0.6 percent in January from December figures. Those December figures were also re...
Wed, Mar 24 2010, 8:18 AM
The US dollar is strengthening and equity futures are sharply lower this morning ahead of key housing and durable goods data. Yesterday the Dow streng...
Wed, Mar 24 2010, 3:17 PM
Treasury Secretary Geithner, and others testified before the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday. The crux of the hearing depended on who w...
Tue, Mar 23 2010, 10:13 AM
Existing-home sales declined slightly in February, with modest gains in the Northeast and Midwest offset by softer sales in the South and West. This i...
Tue, Mar 23 2010, 8:33 AM
After a sharply lower open yesterday, stocks edged forward in the first hour and continued a steady climb throughout the day to end roughly 0.50% high...
Tue, Mar 23 2010, 5:15 PM
The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing today to discuss the future of Housing Finance- What Should the New System Be Able to Do? So mu...
Mon, Mar 22 2010, 8:58 AM
Financial markets don’t seem pleased by the $940 billion healthcare bill. One morning after the House of Representatives passed the President’s initia...
Mon, Mar 22 2010, 3:04 PM
Fannie Mae has offered its servicers a second method of moving distressed borrowers into permanent HAMP loan modifications. The Alt Mod program is de...
Fri, Mar 19 2010, 8:27 AM
Stocks are mixed after yesterday’s mixed session. A lack of significant data on today’s schedule implies trading could be light, but headlines should ...
Fri, Mar 19 2010, 3:34 PM
Recapping The Week That Was in Housing: Fed Meeting, Builder Confidence, Housing Starts, Building Permits, Financial Reform, Loan Demand, Interest Ra...
Thu, Mar 18 2010, 10:55 AM
Fannie Mae has lowered many of its earlier projections for first quarter residential investment based on lagging home sales in January and February; b...
Thu, Mar 18 2010, 8:19 AM
The day ahead offers several fresh data points and a range of speakers from the Federal Reserve. Traders are being cautious as equity prices are sligh...
Thu, Mar 18 2010, 5:03 PM
Don't expect an extension of the MBS program on April 1. If anything, the Fed will let the market function on its own and evaluate progress. If the la...
Wed, Mar 17 2010, 10:56 AM
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending March 12, 2010. When the Fed announc...
Wed, Mar 17 2010, 8:02 AM
Despite yesterday’s news that housing starts fell nearly 6% in February, stock markets managed to move upwards yesterday and this morning that upward ...
Tue, Mar 16 2010, 12:09 PM
Those parties who have so far weighed in with reactions to the financial reform legislation proposed by Senator Dodd have pretty much said what they m...
Tue, Mar 16 2010, 10:49 AM
On the eve of the second anniversary of the Bear Stearns collapse, Senator Christopher Dodd released a bill designed to reform much of the financial s...
Tue, Mar 16 2010, 8:11 AM
The dollar is weaker and equities look to open higher as investors await the afternoon policy statement from the Federal Reserve Board.
Two hours b...
Mon, Mar 15 2010, 8:01 AM
Equity markets are mostly lower across the globe Monday, leading US stocks to open sharply lower ahead of a moderately busy schedule.
Two hours bef...
Mon, Mar 15 2010, 3:17 PM
In March, Builder confidence lost the small amount of progress seen in February, falling two points to 15 where the index sat in January. The NAHB c...
Mon, Mar 15 2010, 2:40 PM
Treasury and HUD are reporting that the number of homeowners who have converted to a permanent loan modification status under the Making Home Affordab...
Fri, Mar 12 2010, 12:51 PM
Fitch Ratings is warning that the expiring homebuyer tax credits, the end of the Fed's MBS Purchase Program, and the growing maturity of various gover...
