Housing markets

Affordability improved for a fourth straight month, but questions remain about whether recent trends will bring a significant number of buyers into the housing market.

Rising property values continue to buffer mortgagors against negative equity situations, Corelogic said.

Purchases managed a small rise, but refinance activity held steady, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

About 85% of U.S. homeowners have interest rates below 6%, while a little over 50% of homeowners have a rate below 4%, Redfin's report said.

While the total dollar volume of apartment originations fell last year, the number of companies making loans increased from 2022, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

The Treasury, CFPB and Federal Trade Commission are joining forces to warn consumers about predatory practices in financing solar energy panels.

The country's renter population is dramatically outpacing the growth in homeowner households due to a multifamily construction boom that's limited price gains.

Moderating price growth and higher wages are leading to affordability relief, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Hugh Frater was one of four appointed to the Bipartisan Policy Center board, along with former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, a co-chair of its Housing Council.

Declining refinance activity offset the growth in government-backed purchases, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

The bank acquired these business purpose non-qualified mortgage loans originated by Civic Financial Services in the PacWest Bancorp deal.

A decline in interest rates during the first quarter drove a Freddie Mac indicator higher for the first time since mid-2023, while a leading investment firm announced a deal aimed at boosting originations for government-sponsored enterprise financing.

Homeowners responded to moderating interest rates and brought in significantly more refinance volume, with Department of Veterans Affairs numbers more than doubling from the prior week.

Rate locks have increased every month this year, but May's pace came in more subdued than early-year numbers, according to Mortgage Capital Trading.

A Fannie Mae survey-high 86% of prospective buyers said it was a bad time to buy a home in May.

Despite the surge of inventory, the number of available homes is still below pre-pandemic levels, while price movements show wide regional variations, ICE Mortgage Technology said.

Fannie Mae economists suggest home sales will remain resilient amid anticipated dips in both home loan volume and consumer spending.

Compared to a year ago, investors bought a greater number of properties and made up a larger share of overall purchases, returning to the market faster than individual buyers, according to Redfin.

Price growth is decelerating but still driving historic home equity gains for owners and widening the gap between the haves and have-nots in housing, ICE finds.

The Midwest was the main driver of the increase in pending sales, with a 10.6% jump, while contract signings in the South edged up 1.1%.