Mortgage credit availability hit its highest level in three years last month, driven by a significant growth in conventional mortgages. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s Mortgage Credit Availability Index increased 2.3% to 106.8 in October, marking the fourth consecutive month of growth, following marginal gains of 0.2%, 0.1% and 0.4%, respectively. The score is also up […]
Mortgage credit availability hits 3-year high Read More »
Home prices continue to rise across the country, despite the market tilting in favor buyers. The national median single-family existing-home price increased 1.7% year over year to $426,800 in the third quarter, the same annual growth rate as the second quarter, an analysis by the National Association of Realtors found. “Home sales have struggled to
Home prices trend up despite little seller leverage Read More »
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced a December vacant-loan auction for properties secured by Home Equity Conversion mortgages. HVLS 2026-1 goes on sale on Dec. 9 and consists of first liens secured by Federal Housing Administration-backed HECMs, where borrowers and their spouses are deceased. Total unpaid balance for the pool of loans
HUD opens bidding for latest vacant-loan sale Read More »
Housing discrimination complaints were close to their two-decade high in 2024, alarming advocates concerned about a pull-back in enforcement, the National Fair Housing Alliance said. Its 2025 Fair Housing Trends Report found 32,321 discrimination complaints were filed in the prior year. While this was lower than the 34,150 complaints received for 2023, it is still
Fair housing complaints stay near historic peak in 2024 Read More »
The median age of first-time homebuyers in the US has climbed to a record of 40 as soaring prices and mortgage rates over the last few years delay homeownership for millions of Americans. The age at which people purchase their first home has climbed rapidly since 2021, when the median was 33, according to a
US median first-time homebuyer age now at record-high of 40 Read More »
In the time since Vic Lombardo became president of mortgage services at Remax Holdings over two months ago, the company has “taken a new view of the mortgage opportunity,” Eric Carlson, CEO, said in the third quarter earnings call. Among the units under Lombardo’s purview are Motto Mortgage, which offers mortgage broker franchises, and Wemlo,
Remax resets mortgage strategy under new division leader Read More »
John Bell III, the former executive director for loan guaranty service at the Department of Veterans Affairs, has died. His passing was noted in a Facebook post by Rick Bettencourt, president of Veterans Mortgage Brokers, Danvers, Massachusetts. “For the last 10 years John has been a Titan in the VA home loan world,” Bettencourt, who
John Bell III, former VA mortgage program executive, dies Read More »
After hurricanes in Florida, floods in Texas and wildfires in California plagued the United States this year, homeownership worries Americans, a survey released Wednesday showed. More than two-thirds of Americans believe homeownership is riskier now than it was 10 years ago due to climate change and natural disasters, according to a survey conducted by Clever
Climate change increasingly worries potential homebuyers Read More »
Florida and California, two states hit hard by natural disasters, lead the nation in non-renewal rates of homeowners insurance policies last year, a Weiss Ratings study found. Weiss looked at National Association of Insurance Commissioners data for 2024 and also did a comparison with 2018 in 15 disaster-prone states. Which states had the highest share
Home insurers drop California, Florida policies at high rate Read More »
Pending sales of existing US homes stalled in September, suggesting anxiety about the job market kept potential buyers sidelined despite a welcome easing in mortgage rates. An index of contract signings held at 74.8 after climbing a revised 4.2% a month earlier to the highest level since March, according to National Association of Realtors data
Pending home sales stall as labor market concerns build Read More »