Research

ABA: Bank Economists Forecast Recession Risks Decline as Inflation Continues to Moderate

The U.S. economy is progressing along a soft-landing path, according to the latest forecast of the American Bankers Association’s Economic Advisory Committee. Recession risks have diminished, inflation continues to moderate, and employment gains remain robust. A gentle easing cycle by the Federal Reserve will start around mid-year, facilitating trend-like GDP growth, according to the group….

Census Bureau: Business Ecosystem Technology Modernization Effort Announced

At the U.S. Census Bureau, we understand the critical role that technology talent plays in addressing our greatest mission challenges and advancing our capabilities to serve the evolving needs of today’s data users. Our commitment to excellence in data collection, analysis and dissemination requires us to continuously grow and develop our current technology teams, while…

FHFA: House Price Index Down 0.1 Percent in January 2024; Up 6.3 Percent from Last Year

U.S. house prices fell in January, down 0.1 percent from December, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) seasonally adjusted monthly House Price Index (HPI®). House prices rose 6.3 percent from January 2023 to January 2024. The previously reported 0.1 percent price increase in December remained unchanged. For the nine census divisions, seasonally adjusted monthly price changes from…

HUD and Census Bureau: New Residential Sales Report Released for February 2024

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 February 2024: New Home SalesSales of new single‐family houses in February 2024 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 662,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau…

FHFA: Fourth Quarter 2023 Foreclosure Prevention and Refinance Report Released

More than 6.9 million troubled homeowners assisted during conservatorships The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today released its fourth quarter 2023 Foreclosure Prevention and Refinance Report. The report shows that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) completed 43,903 foreclosure prevention actions during the quarter, raising the total number of homeowners who have been helped…

FHFA: Q4 2023 Uniform Appraisal Dataset Aggregate Statistics with New Variables Released

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today published its 2023 fourth-quarter data for the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) Aggregate Statistics. The Data File and Dashboards also include new property characteristics and a new statistic. “As FHFA works to deter appraisal bias, responsibly modernize the appraisal process, and address valuation challenges in rural areas, today’s dataset…

Census Bureau: Household Pulse Survey Phase 4.0 Monthly Data Released

The U.S. Census Bureau today released new data from phase 4.0 of the experimental Household Pulse Survey (HPS). The HPS is an effort by the Census Bureau and other federal statistical agencies to measure how emergent issues are impacting U.S. households from a social and economic perspective. Topics for phase 4.0 include employment status, spending, food security, housing,…

ABA: Report Finds Farm Bank Lending Increased to $110 Billion in 2023

Banks reported holding over 1.1 million small farm loans worth $70 billion Amid elevated production costs, commodity price volatility and a return to pre-pandemic levels of direct government payments, agricultural loan demand increased in 2023 and agricultural lending by U.S. farm banks grew 6.7% to $110.0 billion, according the American Bankers Association’s annual Farm Bank…

ABA: Consumer Survey Data Unveiled on Debit Cards, Overdraft and Other Banking Issues

In the wake of the Federal Reserve’s recent proposal to further lower the price cap on the debit interchange merchants pay to process debit card transactions, a new survey conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the American Bankers Association finds that consumers are happy with their debit cards and think the government should leave…

OCC: Mortgage Performance Reported for Fourth Quarter 2023

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) reported on the performance of first-lien mortgages in the federal banking system during the fourth quarter of 2023. The OCC Mortgage Metrics Report, Fourth Quarter 2023 showed that 97.2 percent of mortgages included in the report were current and performing at the end of the quarter, an increase…