Topic: Mortgage Banking and Services

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Top 10 cities where house prices are rising

House prices continue to fall nationwide, but here and there they’ve begun to turn up as Americans return to the housing market. Which 10 metropolitan areas have seen the biggest increase in the past year? The winners, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), include a state capital, a furniture-making center, and a resort that was once America’s foreclosure capital. Can you guess who they are?
What can be done to create jobs? Six leading ideas.

The job market has shown some very welcome signs of improvement lately, but it still has a long way to go before approaching something Americans would call normal. Here’s a look at some of the proposed solutions out there.
How the tea party can 'agree' with Occupy movement's demands

Given the somewhat amorphous slogans of the Occupy Wall Street movement, members of the tea party may be wondering if they should join the fray. University of Denver law professor Robert Hardaway suggests how the tea party might “agree” with five of the Occupy movement's top demands – in its own way:
Steve Jobs: One of the greatest business leaders?

Steve Jobs was certainly a CEO deserving of his renown, but was he the best?
Gas prices and five other liabilities for Obama in 2012

“Yes We Can” was so 2008. Now President Obama is the incumbent, with a record to defend. More than whom the Republicans nominate to run against him in 2012, how voters perceive Mr. Obama’s accomplishments and liabilities – two highly subjective categories, at times overlapping – will determine whether he gets four more years. Here are his top six liabilities, including still-high gas prices:

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Paper Economy
Mortgage rates tumble to record lows. Again.

The average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage declined 2 basis points to 3.81 percent  since last week, the lowest value on on record for this MBA series, while the purchase application volume declined 0.6 percent, and the refinance application declined 1.5 percent over the same period.
Mortgage rates fall to new records

Mortgage rates for 30-year loan now stand at 3.78 percent. Fixed mortgage rates for 15-year loans are unchanged at 3.04 percent, a record low.
Paper Economy
Home prices increase

In March, home prices increased 1.78 percent since February, rising 2.69 percent above the level seen in March 2011.
Paper Economy
Mortgage rates slide to record lows

Mortgage rates continue to drop well below 4 percent. The average rate for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage declined 2 basis points to 3.83 percent since last week, the lowest value on on record for this MBA series. The purchase application volume declined 3.0 percent and the refinance application increased 5.6 percent over the same period.
Fixed mortgages: new lows for 15-, 30-year loans

Fixed mortgages for 30-year loan dips to 3.79 percent; 15-year loan averages. 3.04 percent. But record low rates on fixed mortgages have not ignited home sales.
The New Economy
Foreclosures down, short sales up. Are banks getting smart?

Foreclosures are down to their lowest levels in nearly five years. One reason: Lenders are increasingly using short sales, instead.
Paper Economy
Mortgage rates inch down to 3.91 percent

The average rate for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage declined 1 basis point to 3.91 percent since last week while the purchase application volume increased 3.4 percent and the refinance application increased 1.3 percent over the same period.
Mortgage rates hit new lows

Mortgage rates for a 30-year fixed loan falls to record 3.84 percent. Mortgage rates for 15-year fixed loan now stands at a new record low: 3.07 percent.
Paper Economy
Mortgage rates stay under four percent

The average rate for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage  went unchanged at 3.92 percent since last week, while the purchase application volume increased 2.9 percent and the refinance application declined 0.7 percent over the same period.
Paper Economy
30-year mortgage rates fall to 3.92 percent

The average rate for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage (from FHA and conforming GSE data) declined 2 basis points to 3.92 percent since last week while the purchase application volume increased 2.7 percent  and the refinance application declined 5.6 percent over the same period.
Paper Economy
Mortgage rates fall below 4 percent. Again.

The average rate for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage declined 4 basis points to 3.94 percent since last week while the purchase application volume declined a notable 11.2 percent and the refinance application umped 13.5 percent over the same period.
Mortgage rates fall: 15-year loan hits record low

Mortgage rates for a fixed 30-year loan drop to 3.88, just shy of record. Fifteen-year fixed mortgage rates fall to record low 3.11 percent.
30-year mortgage rate under 4 percent

30-year mortgage rates fall slightly to an average 3.98 percent, near record low of 3.87 percent that 30-year mortgages hit in February.
Mortgage deal: Banks impeded probe, HUD says

Mortgage deal has forced banks to pay $25 billion, mostly to current and former homeowners. But in the run-up to the mortgage deal, banks delayed handing over foreclosure documents and prevented federal investigators from interviewing employees, the Department of Housing and Urban Development says.
Mortgage rates dip again. 15-year loan hits new low.

Mortgage rates for 30-year fixed loan falls to 3.88 percent; 15-year fixed mortgage rates now average 3.13 percent.
30-year mortgage rate falls to 3.9 percent

30-year mortgage rate falls again to near-record lows. Fixed 30-year mortgage rates have stayed below 4 percent for 13 weeks in a row.
Top 10 cities where house prices are rising

House prices continue to fall nationwide, but here and there they’ve begun to turn up as Americans return to the housing market. Which 10 metropolitan areas have seen the biggest increase in the past year? The winners, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), include a state capital, a furniture-making center, and a resort that was once America’s foreclosure capital. Can you guess who they are?
30-year mortgage rate rises, still under 4 percent

30-year mortgage rate averages 3.95 percent. It marks the 12th consecutive week the 30-year mortgage rate stayed below 4 percent.
Paper Economy
Home prices increase

Nationally, home prices increased 0.71 percent since November but declined 1.32 percent  below the level seen in December 2010.
30-year mortgage rates stay at record low

30-year mortgage rates average 3.87 percent for the third week in a row. That's the lowest for 30-year mortgage rates since the 1950s, when the long-term loans became popular.
Foreclosure deal close in several key states

Foreclosure deal adopted in more than 40 US states would force mortgage lenders to reduce loans for about 1 million households. Two key states, New York and California, are close to adopting the foreclosure deal.
The Simple Dollar
Banks are not your friends

Financial institutions do  not give you money because they want your dreams to come true. They give you money for their own gain. Here are the best ways to reduce your reliance on these businesses.
Mortgage rates: new record lows. Again.

Mortgage rates drop to 3.87 percent for a fixed 30-year loan; 15-year fixed mortgage rates fall to 3.14 percent. That's the lowest in more than a half century of data.
Mitt Romney wins big in Florida primary, retakes lead for nomination (+video)

Early reports in the Florida primary show that Mitt Romney has a double-digit lead on Newt Gingrich. Romney's organization and improved debate performances appeared to be decisive.
A CEO as US president? America is not a business, Mitt Romney.

Romney was a one-term governor, but he is surely the 24-carat chief executive officer. There are huge differences in skills required to be a successful CEO and a president of the United States. Presidents, for example, have to make life-and-death decisions that go beyond spreadsheets.