CFPB: Build a Brighter Future by Saving at Tax Time
Saving money is not always easy, but having some savings provides people with the security needed to withstand economic shocks and plan for their future. Many people save automatically through a workplace retirement plan or by directly depositing money out of each paycheck into a savings account. But according to the Pew Charitable Trusts, more than…
FEMA: President Trump Approves Major Disaster Declaration for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to supplement Commonwealth and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by Super Typhoon Yutu beginning on October 24, 2018, and continuing. The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in…
FEMA: Three More North Carolina Counties Added for Disaster Assistance
Residents and business owners in Chatham, Durham and Guilford counties may now apply for disaster assistance for uninsured and underinsured damage and losses resulting from Hurricane Florence. “The addition of three more counties to the disaster declaration will help more North Carolinians get their lives back on track after Hurricane Florence,” said Gov. Roy Cooper. To…
FEMA: Survivors in Seven Additional Georgia Counties May Apply for Disaster Assistance
Homeowners, renters and business owners in seven additional Georgia counties are now eligible to apply for federal disaster assistance due to losses from Hurricane Michael. President Donald Trump amended a major disaster declaration on Oct. 25, for the State of Georgia to include Calhoun, Clay, Laurens, Randolph, Sumter, Tift and Turner counties. Baker, Crisp, Decatur,…
FEMA: Public Assistance Available for Five More Counties in North Carolina
Five more North Carolina counties affected by Hurricane Florence are now eligible to apply for federal assistance to help pay for the cost of debris removal, emergency protective measures and permanent repair work to damaged infrastructure. FEMA announced that state and local government agencies in Alamance, Madison, Polk, Rowan and Tyrrell counties may be eligible…
FHFA: Indices Show Little Movement in Mortgage Rates in September 2018
Nationally, interest rates on conventional purchase-money mortgages were nearly flat from August to September, according to several indices of new mortgage contracts. The National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders Index was 4.62 percent for loans closed in late September, down 1 basis point from 4.63 percent in August….
ABA: Report Shows Credit Card Market Expanded in Second Quarter 2018
Credit card use picked up in the second quarter of 2018, according to the American Bankers Association’s latest quarterly Credit Card Market Monitor. Compared to a year ago, super-prime accounts increased 9.2 percent and prime accounts rose 6.6 percent, both record highs. Meanwhile, subprime purchase volumes expanded at a much slower pace (+3.0 percent) on…
HUD and Census Bureau: New Residential Sales Report for September 2018
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential sales statistics for September 2018: New Home Sales Sales of new single-family houses in September 2018 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 553,000. This is 5.5 percent (±12.1 percent)* below the revised August…
FHFA: House Price Index Up 0.3 Percent in August 2018
U.S. house prices rose in August, up 0.3 percent from the previous month, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) seasonally adjusted monthly House Price Index (HPI). The previously reported 0.2 percent increase in July was revised upward to 0.4 percent. The FHFA monthly HPI is calculated using home sales price information from mortgages…