On the heels of Fitch Ratings downgrading the GSEs’ senior unsecured debt ratings to 'AA+' from 'AAA,’ Freddie Mac reports the fixed-rate mortgage climbed nine basis points week-over-week, inching closer to the 7%-mark.
Most Recent Articles
Once Among the Nation’s Hottest Housing Markets, Austin Is Now the Slowest
Redfin reports unsustainable price growth in recent years along with a homebuilding boom have left Austin with more sellers than buyers. That means the buyers who are in the market can take their...
For-Sale Homes Offering Buyers More Options & Leverage in These Metros
While the number of homes for sale in the U.S. continued to inch upward in January, offering homebuyers more options and leverage, some 46 of the nation's largest housing markets logged annual...
Many Homeowners with Elevated Mortgage Rates Would Benefit from Refinancing
With around 20% of American borrowers having mortgages with rates exceeding 6%, if the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage lowered to 6%, millions of current homeowners could profit from...
Legal League Webinar: CAFMV in Practice: Insights, Outcomes, and Ongoing Challenges
You can join mortgage industry leaders on Tuesday, Feb. 10, for a practical discussion on the real-world implementation and impact of the CAFMV initiative, presented by Five Star’s Legal...
Housing Unaffordability Hits Record Highs as Share of Cost-Burdened Households Increases
Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies reported that in 2024, the number of cost-burdened households reached record-high levels due to persistent housing affordability issues, leaving...
Apartment Rents Drop to the Lowest Level in Four Years
According to a new report by Apartment List, apartment rents have continued their slide into the new year, as fresh supply makes its way through the market and landlords seek to gain pricing power...
President States Federal Reserve is ‘In Theory’ Independent as He Pushes for Rate Cuts
President Donald Trump told Tom Llamas of NBC News that Kevin Warsh would not have been his pick to be Fed Chair has Warsh expressed a desire to raise interest rates. The post...
Homebuilders Propose Up to 1M ‘Trump Homes’ as Affordable Housing Alternative
U.S. homebuilders are working on a proposal to build up to a million "Trump Homes" that would help address the ongoing nationwide affordability crisis, giving aspiring homebuyers more...
Impact of Proposed Mortgage Plan Might be Opposite of President’s Intent, Economists Say
The potential $200 billion mortgage bond purchase plan by President Trump to reduce nationwide mortgage rates has fueled a heated debate, with experts warning that its advantages may be fleeting...
Looming Housing Bill Vote Would Tackle Housing Affordability Crisis
House Republicans are looking ahead to next week's possible vote on the Housing for the 21st Century Act, part of Congress's efforts to enact legislation combating the housing affordability...
Trump: DOJ Should Continue Investigation of Fed Chair Powell ‘To The End’
U.S. Attorney for Washington Jeanine Pirro should “take it to the end and see,” President Donald Trump said in the Oval Office, but U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., has said he will oppose any new...
Fed’s Miran Resigns as Top White House Economist
Stephen Miran was appointed to a seat on the Fed's seven-member Board of Governors in September after Adriana Kugler, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, resigned. The post Fed’s...
Lone Star State Housing Affordability Slips as Costs Outpace Income Growth
According to the Texas Tribune, the U.S. Census Bureau has reported that it’s now more expensive to live in the Lone Star State, despite incomes and education increasing among Texans, all the...
Federal Housing Chief Signals Administration May Skip Fannie, Freddie IPOs
President Donald Trump will make the final decision on whether an IPO will be issued for Fannie Mae and Freddie, but Bill Pulte’s comments denote a recent shift in how Trump administration...
Homeowner Equity Eases Slightly as Housing Market Stabilizes
New ATTOM data shows the share of equity-rich homes dipped to 44.6% in Q4 2025, signaling a gradual normalization of homeowner equity after years of rapid price gains while underwater mortgage...
Could 2026 Be the Beginning of the End for Property Taxes?
State lawmakers have attempted property tax reform, capping increases, compressing rates, and carving out relief for the most burdened of homeowners for decades. This year, however, at least five...
IBM Exec: Trump’s Fed Pick Will ‘Overhaul’ Central Bank While Bringing Crisis Expertise
During an interview, IBM Vice Chair Gary Cohn pointed to Fed Chair nominee Kevin Warsh’s hands-on role during the 2008 financial crisis and his plans to return the central bank to traditional...
Foreclosure Auction Volume Jumps to Nearly Six-Year High
According to new data from Auction.com, pricing signals were mixed, with buyers paying slightly more relative to estimated value at foreclosure auction. However, seller asking prices rose faster...
Single-Family Rentals Lose Ground as Renters Seek Affordability
A surge in apartment construction during and after the pandemic has shifted the rental landscape, leaving single-family homes at their lowest share of the rental market since at least 2011, Redfin...
Survey: Incomes, Mortgage Rates Cited as Top Homeownership Barriers
More than 90% of Americans say housing affordability is a problem, with most pointing to wages that haven’t kept pace with home prices and persistently high mortgage rates as the biggest obstacles...