Scaling from Freelancer to Business Owner

The size of typical bulk MSR deals trading has shrunk, according to panelists at the Mortgage Bankers Association's Secondary and Capital Markets Conference. View the full article

The personal consumption expenditures index showed headline inflation flat at 2.5%, but the details of the report explain the Federal Reserve's reluctance to adjust interest rates. View the full article

Rising defaults, fraud risks, and collapsing rents are converging in urban multifamily, threatening lenders and taxpayers, according to the Chairman of Whalen Global Advisors. View the full article

Treasuries surged and investors boosted their bets on Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts Monday as fear of a economic slowdown took hold across US markets. View the full article

Inflation-adjusted gross domestic product increased an annualized 2.3% in the fourth quarter after rising 3.1% in the prior three-month period, according to the government's initial estimate published Thursday. View the full article

Contract closings increased 1.5% to an annual rate of 4.06 million in September, the highest in seven months, according to National Association of Realtors figures released Thursday. View the full article

Sales of previously owned homes in the US rose in October to the fastest pace in eight months, as buyers took advantage of lower mortgage rates and gained the upper hand over sellers in some markets. View the full article

US corporations with over a trillion in assets snapped up an unprecedented amount of short-term Treasuries when President Donald The President announced a 90-day delay for most of his "Liberation Day" tariffs, according to Clearwater Analytics. View the full article

After home equity surged in 2023, average gains slowed last year before falling into negative territory over the past 12 months, Cotality said. View the full article

A national measure of prices rose 1.5% from a year earlier, according to data from S&P Cotality Case-Shiller. It was the smallest gain since mid-2023 and followed a 1.6% increase in July. View the full article

Contract closings rose 5.1% to a 4.35 million annualized pace last month, the highest since February 2023, according to figures released Wednesday by the National Association of Realtors. View the full article

In November, 41% of builders reported cutting prices, a record in the post-Covid period, according to Tuesday's report. More broadly, 65% reported using sales incentives, unchanged from the prior two months. View the full article

Confidence among US homebuilders edged up in December as builders continued to deploy sales incentives to motivate buyers. View the full article

Components of the index all rose, including the highest reading for sales expectations in the next six months since the start of the year. View the full article

Nearly 85,000 sellers removed their properties in September, the highest number for that month in eight years, according to Redfin. View the full article

Housing starts in the US fell in October to the lowest level since the onset of the pandemic as data delayed by last fall's government shutdown showed builders continued to cut back amid still-high prices and mortgage rates. View the full article

Continuing claims, a proxy for the number of people receiving benefits, came in at 1.957 million, up slightly from 1.947 million in the prior week. View the full article

Three U.S. senators opened an inquiry into insurance ratings firm Demotech and whether its assessments may be exposing taxpayers to growing risks tied to climate-driven insurer failures. View the full article

The age at which people purchase their first home has climbed rapidly since 2021, when the median was 33, according to a National Association of Realtors survey of transactions from July 2024 through June. View the full article

US mortgage rates fell last week to the lowest level since September 2024, a hopeful sign for the sluggish housing market to start the new year. View the full article

US mortgage rates rose again last week, reaching the highest level since mid-February and further depressing the appetite to buy homes or refinance loans. View the full article

Nonfarm payrolls increased 64,000 in November after declining 105,000 in October, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data out Tuesday. View the full article

A modest improvement in prices and mortgage rates encouraged buyers. Signings have now increased for four straight months, matching a pandemic streak. View the full article

Top US banking regulators plan to withdraw an overhauled rule meant to tackle redlining and boost lending to lower-income areas after industry groups sued to block the updated legislation last year. View the full article