The yield curve--technically a reference to the full spectrum of Treasury yields versus duration/maturities (i.e. 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 30 years), but often simply assumed to be the 2yr vs 10yr curve--has been a topic of increasing interest lately.  B... (read more)

The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices for February continue to show a slowdown in home price gains on a year-over-year basis although all of the monthly changes were higher than in January. The U.S. National Home Price Index, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, reported a 4.0% annual gain in February, down from 4.2% in the previous month. The index... (read more)

CoreLogic says that, while the incidence of mortgage fraud has remained relatively stable in recent quarters, income fraud remains a growing problem. The company's National Mortgage Application Fraud Risk Index increased only slightly in the first quarter of 2019 from the end of 2018 and is at 152. This is a 6 percent increase year over year from 144 in the ... (read more)

Pending home sales posted a second solid performance in 2019 , with home purchase contract signings in March recovering from their slight dip in February. However, the National Association of Realtors® (NAR's) Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) continues to lag in its year-over-year numbers. The PHSI posted a 3.8 percent increase in March to a reading of 10... (read more)

Freddie Mac's April economic forecast focuses on interest rates and their impact on housing as the company's Economic & Housing Research Group revises several of its earlier predictions. The report notes that mortgage interest rates, which started to ease in November, saw a drastic decline at the end of March and have remained near the same level since t... (read more)

Well, we’ve sailed through another perfectly good month. Wasn’t it just New Years? There are plenty of interesting things going on in residential lending. How about, “Still Renting? You’ve dreamed of owning your own home. We can make that dream come true! What's been holding you back? Don't have money for the down payment saved up? Th... (read more)