FHFA: Index Shows Mortgage Rates Increased in January 2018
Nationally, interest rates on conventional purchase-money mortgages increased from December to January, 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 4.12 percent for loans closed in late January, up 4 basis points from 4.08 percent in December….
SBA: Office of the National Ombudsman Releases Annual Report on Small Business Issues
The Office of the National Ombudsman at the U.S. Small Business Administration recently released its annual report to the 115th Congress, rating federal agencies’ responsiveness to the regulatory enforcement issues small businesses faced during fiscal year 2016. Created by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act in 1996, the Office of the National Ombudsman works…
HUD and Census Bureau: Residential Construction Activity Report January 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 January 2018. Building Permits: Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in January were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,396,000. This is 7.4 percent (±1.2 percent) above the revised…
FHFA: Refinance Volume Increases in Fourth Quarter 2017
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today reported that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac completed more than 446,295 refinances in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared with 362,934 in the third quarter. FHFA’s fourth quarter Refinance Report also shows that 6,309 loans were refinanced through the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), bringing the total number…
Census Bureau: New Census Bureau Data Repository Launched
A new U.S. Census Bureau data repository has been launched as a result of key recommendations made by the 2017 “Report of the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking,” in conjunction with the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). The repository, hosted by the ICPSR, improves transparency by establishing a searchable inventory, through which the…
Census Bureau: Census Response Outreach Area Mapper Web Application Released
Today, the U.S. Census Bureau released the Response Outreach Area Mapper (ROAM) web application. This interactive map makes it easier to identify areas that typically have low response rates for censuses and surveys. Community planners and local officials can use this information to plan, focus and allocate resources for encouraging response to the 2020 Census….
SBA: U.S. Census Bureau to Conduct New Business Survey, Combine and Replace Previous Surveys
The U.S. Census Bureau plans to conduct a new business survey, the Annual Business Survey, which will combine and replace previous Census surveys: the five-year Survey of Business Owners, the Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs, and the Business R & D and Innovation for Microbusinesses survey. The Census Bureau expects the proposed changes will streamline costs,…
Census Bureau: 44 Percent of Custodial Parents Receive the Full Amount of Child Support
Approximately two-thirds (69.3 percent) of custodial parents who were due child support received some payments from noncustodial parents, while only 43.5 percent reported receiving the full amount of child support due. This latest information comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2015 report. The report includes demographic and…
CFPB: Latest List of Consumer Reporting Companies Available
You may know that your credit record affects your ability to get an affordable loan, a job, an apartment, or many other essentials of daily life. But, do you know where and how to actually request your credit report and what you can do once you order your consumer reports? Over the past few years,…
ABA Report Shows Credit Card Market Continued to Expand in Third Quarter
The credit card market continued to expand in the third quarter of 2017 as monthly purchase volumes edged up across risk tiers, according to the American Bankers Association’s latest quarterly Credit Card Market Monitor. On an annual basis, purchase volumes rose 3.3 percent for prime accounts and 4.3 percent for super-prime accounts, but fell 3.9…