Author name: Ricky Vasquez

NY Fed report: Return to zero rates a ‘significant’ risk

NY Fed report: Return to zero rates a ‘significant’ risk

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York building.Bloomberg News The Federal Reserve’s policy rate is a long way from its lowest point, but markets remain concerned about a return to zero interest rates, according to findings from the Federal Reserve Banks of New York and San Francisco. In an economic letter released Monday, reserve bank

NY Fed report: Return to zero rates a ‘significant’ risk Read More »

Tariffs, jobs, rates: What’s sinking buyer mood most?

Consumer homebuying sentiment slumped in June, with mounting fears over job cuts and tariff fallout darkening the housing outlook, according to Fannie Mae’s latest data. Fannie Mae’s Home Purchase Sentiment Index fell to a reading of 69.8 in June, falling 5% after it recovered to a score of 73.5 a month earlier. The latest index

Tariffs, jobs, rates: What’s sinking buyer mood most? Read More »

How fraudsters exploit natural disasters

Flash flooding in Texas, which started on Wednesday and has killed at least 80 people, spawned fraud schemes and scams that attempted to exploit the goodwill and charitable instincts of onlookers. In one instance, the Center Point Volunteer Fire Department, located in hard-hit Kerr County, had its Venmo donation account temporarily suspended after creating it

How fraudsters exploit natural disasters Read More »

OCC authorizes bank closures in Texas floods

OCC authorizes bank closures in Texas floods

Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg Nationally chartered banks in parts of Texas were authorized to close Monday as needed, due to flooding in the state, according to a proclamation released by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Major flash floods in central and southern Texas, known as the state’s Hill Country, have killed over 80 people,

OCC authorizes bank closures in Texas floods Read More »

Fannie updates AML rules, Freddie adds a buydown option

The larger of two influential government-related mortgage buyers has made clear that even non depository mortgage companies not governed by the Bank Secrecy Act still have certain anti-money laundering responsibilities. “If a seller/servicer is not subject to the BSA’s AML provisions, it must establish a suspicious activity identification program,” Fannie Mae said in a bulletin,

Fannie updates AML rules, Freddie adds a buydown option Read More »

Treasury yields climb ahead of auctions amid tariff uncertainty

Treasury yields rose Monday led by long-maturity tenors as investors preoccupied with the potential fallout of US tariffs looked ahead to auctions later this week. Yields for 10- to 30-year Treasuries climbed at least five basis points to the highest levels in more than a week, extending the selloff sparked by strong June employment data

Treasury yields climb ahead of auctions amid tariff uncertainty Read More »

FHA borrowers face mounting mortgage pressure

Americans are largely keeping up with their mortgage payments, but new data shows that cracks are forming beneath the surface, which should raise red flags for borrowers and lenders alike. The nationwide delinquency rate stood at 3.2% in May, according to ICE’s July mortgage monitor report, two basis points down from April but 5.2% higher

FHA borrowers face mounting mortgage pressure Read More »

Why mortgage purchase apps are on a 22-week growth streak

One of the most surprising pieces of housing economic data for 2025 is that purchase apps for the existing home sales market have shown 22 weeks of year-over-year growth. And that includes nine consecutive weeks of double-digit year-over-year growth in recent weeks. Normally, this would be a significant news story, but the confusion surrounding this

Why mortgage purchase apps are on a 22-week growth streak Read More »