“Given improvements seen in housing, Fannie Mae revised its housing forecast higher for 2012 and 2013 in its November economic outlook report. According to the GSE, the fundamentals are set in place for a “solid” housing recovery, such as low interest rates, rising prices, and a labor market that’s healing. Considering these developments in housing, …
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FICO’s quarterly survey of bank risk professionals found a reversal in the sentiment of U.S. lenders, with expectations for loan repayments more upbeat in the first quarter of 2012 than they had been during the previous quarter. The survey, conducted for Minneapolis-based FICO by the Professional Risk Managers’ International Association (PRMIA), found fewer lenders anticipating …
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The nation’s unemployment rate continues to trend down. It slipped to 8.5 percent during the month of December as the economy added 200,000 new jobs, the U.S. Department of Labor said Friday morning. The reported rate is down from 8.6 percent in November. The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for November was revised downward …
Mortgage rates will likely remain very low, at least through mid-2012, according to Freddie Mac. Rates on 30-year conforming mortgages have hovered around 4.0 percent or lower for the past quarter. The GSE says that in large part due to the Federal Reserve’s program for extending the maturity date for mortgage securities it holds. This …
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