Category Archives: Housing Finance

In a speech at the National Housing Conference on September 9, CFPB Director Rohit Chopra discussed plans to promote mortgage refinancing in a lower-interest rate environment. The plan would include monitoring the role of artificial...

As the office real estate market continues to struggle with high vacancy rates and falling property values, policymakers are considering tax incentives to encourage office-to-housing conversions. A bipartisan bill from the House would provide a...

Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris announced a plan which seeks to address the current U.S. housing shortage by adding three million more homes and apartments. Harris’s plan incentivizes private-sector construction, provides subsidies for home builders...

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York noted a recent boost in home equity line of credit (HELOC) borrowing that it attributes to the mortgage rate lock-in effect. The study finds that 1.3 million HELOCs...

The FHFA released the latest House Price Index, which found that U.S. home prices were unchanged in May. Home prices remain 5.7% higher from May 2023 to May 2024.  Read More

The Wall Street Journal writes that mortgage servicing rights (MSRs) have been a bright spot in the mortgage bond market. MSR values have increased as prepayments from home sales and refinances have decreased due to higher interest...

The mortgage rate lock-in effect is exacerbating housing affordability challenges. Median home prices have risen to $419,000 in May, up from $270,000 pre-pandemic. Two thirds of outstanding U.S. mortgages have an interest rate below 4%,...

New residential construction slowed 5.5% in May, as interest rates remain elevated for both prospective homebuyers and builders. Building permits also dipped 3.8% signaling less future construction and potentially limiting future housing inventory.  Read More

U.S. house prices rose 0.2% in April 2024, with prices up 6.3% year-over-year. However, these growth rates varied significantly across regions of the country both monthly (-0.2% to 1.4%) and annually (3.0% - 8.5%). Read More

While asking rents for new apartment leases have been flat over the past year, they are expected to rise modestly this year, according to the Wall Street Journal.  As shelter costs feed into inflation, this could potentially...