ECONOMY

 

Bloomberg
Home-price increases in 20 U.S. cities hold steady in April

Home prices in 20 U.S. cities rose at a steady pace in April from a year earlier, a sign demand for residential real estate remains solid enough to support both buyers and sellers, data from New York-based S&P/Case-Shiller showed Tuesday.

HousingWire
Freddie Mac: Low interest rates help keep housing on track

Low mortgage rates are helping the housing market stay on track despite the rising home prices, according to Freddie Mac's Outlook for June.

Barron's
The housing market: No bubble, no bust

The housing market is finally advancing at a walk after inching forward at a crawl. But given the way housing overheated in 2006 and 2007, be thankful the walk hasn't turned into a sprint.

 

The Washington Post
Americans are paying more to live in the very places they once abandoned

America's urban downtowns were neglected for decades, abandoned for newer malls in the suburbs and bigger homes on the edge of town. The construction of new highways helped speed their decline. And rising crime nearly killed them.

 

MarketWatch
Pending home sales skid in May

A gauge of pending home sales slid 3.7% in May, a step back following several months of strong sales.

 

The Wall Street Journal
Today's renters really are worse off than their parents

It's not just your imagination. It is a lot harder to afford an apartment today than it was for your parents' generation.

 

Mortgage News Daily
Boomers' big impact on housing market

Baby Boomers, even as they age, continue to have an outsized impact on the housing market.  Freddie Mac recently conducted a large survey of those over age 55 to find out their housing perceptions and preferences.  The first data released from the survey dealt with responses from homeowners while a second analysis concentrated on those renting their homes.

Construction Dive
Redfin: Housing demand slips as buyers struggle to find available properties

The latest Redfin Housing Demand Index fell 5.3% in May to 114, the sixth month of consecutive declines.

 

HOUSING FINANCE

 

MarketWatch
Most mortgages sold by the government remain delinquent, FHFA says

More than three-quarters of the delinquent mortgages Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have sold since 2014 are still delinquent today, according to a new report.

 

The Wall Street Journal
FHA revises troubled-loan program, aiming to keep borrowers in homes

The Obama administration is making changes to a program that sells distressed mortgages to investors that will make it easier for borrowers to stay in their homes but could also cost taxpayers money. (Subscription may be required.)

 

Bloomberg
Fannie-Freddie would be lender-owned insurers in DeMarco's plan

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would be put through receivership and turned into lender-owned insurers under a housing-finance overhaul plan co-authored by the companies' former regulator.

 

The Washington Post
Groups say Fannie and Freddie are gouging home buyers with add-on fees

Think of them as backroom surcharges that increase what you pay when you get a conventional home mortgage. They can also kill your loan application and make purchasing a house or condo much more difficult.

 

National Mortgage News
FHFA seeks comments on front-end risk Transfer deals for Fannie, Freddie

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is soliciting industry input on how to improve Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's credit risk transfer transactions, for the first time considering front-end transactions rather than back-end deals. (Subscription may be required.)

 

MORTGAGE NEWS

 

The Wall Street Journal
U.S. homeowners could gain from Brexit vote

Britain's decision to leave the European Union could benefit a group thousands of miles away: U.S. homeowners. (Subscription may be required.)

 

The Wall Street Journal
Mortgage rates: How low can they go?

Mortgage rates are falling. And, thanks to Brexit, they may have further to fall. The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury has fallen fast and far in the wake of the U.K.'s vote late last week to leave the European Union. On Tuesday, it was around 1.46%. Before the vote it was 1.74%.

 

MarketWatch
Yes, Brexit will help you refi, but upheaval may not be good for housing market

The morning after the United Kingdom voted to exit the European Union is turning out to be tough for markets. But one group stands to benefit: U.S. homeowners and those who want to buy.

HousingWire

 

Housing Wire

Quicken Loans now offering 1% down mortgages

While megabanks like Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and JPMorgan Chase grabbed the headlines earlier this year by separately announcing plans to offer mortgages that only require a 3% down payment from the borrower, there is another major lender that is quietly requiring even less from borrowers.