First time claims for unemployment insurance were unchanged at 351,000 for the week ended February 18, following upward adjustments for numbers recorded the previous week which represented a four-year record low. The U.S. Continue Reading: Initial Claims Flat While Continuing Claims Fall Lower … [Read more...]
Mortgage Rates Remain Unchanged Still Below the Four Percent Mark
February 9, 2012 by
Freddie Mac has released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS), showing most average mortgage rates inching higher on January's positive employment data, as the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.87 percent with an average 0.8 point for the week ending Feb. 9, 2012, … [Read more...]
Housing Plays Small Part as Economy Adds 243K Jobs
February 3, 2012 by
A still-brittle economic recovery picked up steam in January as the private sector added 243,000 jobs, driving unemployment figures to lows not seen in three years. The Labor Department said that the national unemployment rate fell to 8.3 percent, also signaling a fifth straight month for declines … [Read more...]
New-Home Sales Hit All-Time Lows in 2011
January 26, 2012 by
New-home sales crawled to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 307,000 in December despite modest signs of recovery. The Commerce Department said Thursady that new-home sales fell 2.2 percent below expectations from November, which held that homebuyers would pick up a seasonally adjusted 314,000 … [Read more...]
FOMC to Maintain Low Interest Rates Until 2014
January 26, 2012 by
Members of the Federal Open Market Committee decided Wednesday to keep interest rates between 0 percent and .25 percent until 2014, even while the economy steadily improves. Visit site: FOMC to Maintain Low Interest Rates Until 2014 … [Read more...]
Home Sales, Housing Markets Will Lift in 2012: Fannie Mae
January 13, 2012 by
The economy will drift upward in 2012 as incremental changes take place in the housing market, with a divisive and uncertain policy environment the darkest cloud on the horizon, Fannie Mae said in an economic outlook Friday. Doug Duncan, VP and chief economist with Fannie, offered up the outlook … [Read more...]
Obama Praises, Meets With Cordray, CFPB Staff
January 6, 2012 by
President Barack Obama stopped by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau earlier Friday to welcome the staff and new director Richard Cordray. View post: Obama Praises, Meets With Cordray, CFPB Staff … [Read more...]