FHFA: U.S. House Prices Rise 1.1 Percent in Second Quarter 2018
U.S. house prices rose 1.1 percent in the second quarter of 2018 according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI). House prices rose 6.5 percent from the second quarter of 2017 to the second quarter of 2018. FHFA’s seasonally adjusted monthly index for June was up 0.2 percent from May. The…
Federal Reserve: FEDS Notes | The Branch Puzzle: Why Are There Still Bank Branches?
Elliot Anenberg, Andrew C. Chang, Serafin Grundl, Kevin B. Moore, and Richard Windle* We provide evidence that the persistence of the large number of local bank branches across the country may be due to the fact that both depositors and small businesses continue to value local bank branches. Read the Full Article.
HUD and Census Bureau: Residential Construction Activity Report for July 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 July 2018. Building Permits: Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in July were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,311,000. This is 1.5 percent (±1.3 percent) above the revised…
FHFA: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Refinance Volume Down in Second Quarter 2018
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today reported that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac completed 299,466 refinances in the second quarter of 2018, compared with 356,002 in the first quarter. FHFA’s second quarter Refinance Report also shows that 2,973 loans were refinanced through the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), bringing the total number of HARP…
Federal Reserve: FEDS Notes | Are Income and Credit Scores Highly Correlated?
Are Income and Credit Scores Highly Correlated? Rachael Beer, Felicia Ionescu, and Geng Li1 1. Introduction Credit scores, a numerical indicator constructed to predict borrowers’ credit risk, represent a crucial element of a person’s financial life and are used extensively in loan underwriting and pricing. On average, consumers with higher credit scores tend to have…
Census Bureau: Computer and Internet Use in the United States
The report titled “Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2016” looks at access to computers and broadband internet subscriptions nationwide. Differences can be seen by demographic, social and geographic characteristics across the digital divide between those who have and those who lack access to computers and the internet. This report examines key trends…
CDFI Fund: Application Demand for 2018 Round of NMTC Program Released
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) announced today that it received a total of 214 applications under the 2018 round of the New Markets Tax Credit Program (NMTC Program). The NMTC Program advances economic development in economically distressed communities by making tax credit allocations available to Community Development…
FHFA: Index Shows Mortgage Rates Increased in June 2018
Nationally, interest rates on conventional purchase-money mortgages increased from May to June, 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 4.59 percent for loans closed in late June, up 2 basis points from 4.57 percent in May. The…
Federal Reserve: Board Launches Consumer Compliance Supervision Bulletin
The Federal Reserve Board on Thursday launched the Consumer Compliance Supervision Bulletin–a new publication that will provide bankers and others interested in consumer protection with high-level summaries of pertinent supervisory issues. The Bulletin complements other Federal Reserve System outreach programs for banking organizations, such as the Consumer Compliance Outlook publication and its companion webinar series,…
ABA: Report Shows Credit Card Market Moderated in First Quarter 2018
Credit card use moderated in the first quarter of 2018, according to the American Bankers Association’s latest quarterly Credit Card Market Monitor. Compared to the previous quarter, purchase volumes fell 4-6 percent across risk tiers. On a year-over-year basis, purchase volumes rose across risk tiers, led by an 8.9 percent increase for super-prime accounts and…