FHFA: Final Strategic Plan for FY 2018-2022 Released
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today released the FHFA Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2018-2022, which reflects the Agency’s priorities as regulator of the Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBanks) and as regulator and conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises). Last year FHFA requested input on the draft Agency strategic plan from Members…
HUD: Wholesale Review of Manufactured Housing Rules Announced
Public comment sought in effort to identify regulations that stifle affordable housing and job creation The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced a top-to-bottom review of its manufactured housing rules as part of a broader effort to identify regulations that may be ineffective, overly burdensome, or excessively costly given the critical…
FHFA: Index Shows Mortgage Rates Increased in December 2017
Nationally, interest rates on conventional purchase-money mortgages increased from November to December, 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 4.08 percent for loans closed in late December, up 3 basis points from 4.05 percent in November….
FHFA: House Price Index Up 0.4 Percent in November 2017
U.S. house prices rose in November, up 0.4 percent from the previous month, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) seasonally adjusted monthly House Price Index (HPI). The previously reported 0.5 percent increase in October was revised upward to 0.6 percent. The FHFA monthly HPI is calculated using home sales price information from mortgages…
CFPB: Looking for a Loan? Find Out How to Know Before You Owe
Many people rely on loans to pay for college, buy a car, or become a homeowner. Taking out a loan can feel overwhelming and can significantly affect your financial future. When you’re taking out a big loan, you have many options and sometimes they can be confusing. That’s why we offer Know Before You Owe,…
Federal Reserve: From Income to Consumption Inequality? Looking through the Lens of Motor Vehicle Purchases
Wendy Dunn and Maria D. Tito1 Rising income inequality in the United States over the past several decades has been well documented in the economics literature.2 Recent studies have also looked at the dispersion in consumption, since it more accurately captures disparities in economic well-being. Here, however, the findings are mixed–while some authors find the…
ABA: Report Shows Consumer Delinquencies Mixed in Third Quarter
The delinquency picture was mixed in last year’s third quarter, as delinquencies in closed-end loans (like personal or auto loans) rose while delinquencies in key open-end loans (like credit cards) fell, according to results from the latest American Bankers Association Consumer Credit Delinquency Bulletin. Overall, delinquencies fell in 5 and rose in 5 of the…
Federal Reserve: Recent Trends in Small Business Lending and the Community Reinvestment Act
Tim Dore and Traci Mach In this note, we analyze data on small business loan originations collected under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) to document heterogeneity in the recovery in small business lending since the financial crisis. Small business loan originations by CRA respondents declined significantly between 2007 and 2010 and, by 2016, have only…