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…
FDIC: Share of U.S. Households without a Bank Account Continues to Drop
Unbanked Rate Declines to 6.5 Percent in 2017 For the third consecutive survey period, the number of U.S. households without a bank account fell, according to the results of the 2017 biennial National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households released today by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). “The good news is that our nation’s…
ABA: Survey Shows Americans Highly Satisfied with their Bank, Trust Banks the Most to Keep Information Secure
Nearly 9 in 10 Americans with a bank account (86 percent) say they are “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with their primary bank, and 94 percent rate their bank’s customer service as “excellent,” “very good” or “good,” according to a new survey conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the American Bankers Association. Unveiled today at…
HUD and Census Bureau: Report of Residential Construction Activity 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 construction statistics for September 2018. Building Permits: Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in September were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,241,000. This is 0.6 percent (±1.2 percent)* below the revised…
ABA: Survey Shows Online, Mobile Are Most Popular Banking Channels, Branches Remain Popular
Nearly three-quarters of Americans (72 percent) are now choosing to most often access their bank accounts via online and mobile platforms, according to a recent survey conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the American Bankers Association. The number of those who identified online banking via laptop or PC as their top option rose to…
SBA: Small Business Lending Momentum Continues in FY18
SBA FY18 total loan volume reaches more than $30 billion with more than 72,000 approved loans The U.S. Small Business Administration announced FY18 lending numbers showing that it guaranteed over $30 billion to small businesses that otherwise would not have had access to capital. “We are providing tools, resources and access to capital for America’s…