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Mortgage Applications Decline by 2.3%

Housing Wire recently reported that mortgage applications to lenders fell 2.3% for the week ending December 10, marking the third straight week of declines.

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, the refinance index also declined for the fifth consecutive week by 0.7%. However, the refinancing share of the mortgage activity grew to 76.7% of total applications, …

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Affordable Financial Services Weekly Finance Review

Bloomberg recently reported that U.S. banks will close 5,000 branches in the next 18 months as they face falling profits, decreased loan demand and lower fee revenue. Analyst Meredith Whitney, formerly of Oppenheimer & Co., said banks are facing an “uphill battle” to generate loan growth as consumers reduce debt; in addition, banks will collect …

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Mortgage-Bond Yields Reach Four-Month High

Bloomberg recently reported that mortgage-bond yields that guide home-loan rates have reached their highest levels in four months, suggesting that borrowing costs may rise from record lows.

As of 9:30 Monday morning, Fannie Mae’s current-coupon 30-year fixed-rate mortgage bonds went up to 3.71%, tracking 10-year Treasury notes today as those yields rose from 3.64%. This is …

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Mortgage Purchases Increase; Interest Rates Mixed

REALTORMag reported today that applications to purchase homes were up last week, while mortgage rates for 15- and 30-year fixed-rate loans were mixed.

According to the latest Mortgage Bankers Association survey, mortgage purchase applications rose by 1.4% last week, compared to the previous week on a seasonally adjusted basis. On an unadjusted basis, purchases increased 0.2% …

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MBA: Mortgage Rates Will Rise Above 5% in 2011

MarketWatch recently reported that the Mortgage Bankers Association is predicting that — barring any “blockbuster” announcement from the Federal Reserve next month — mortgage rates will come out of their record lows, reaching above 5% by 2011.

The MBA predicts that rates on the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage will average 4.4% in the fourth quarter of 2010, …

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Existing Home Sales Rise in September

The National Association of REALTORS announced today that existing home sales rose for the second month in a row during the month of September. Despite the good news, the figure is off from September 2009’s numbers.

According to the NAR, existing home sales — which are completed transaction that include single-family homes, condominiums and co-ops — …

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As Interest Rates Rise, Mortgage Applications Fall

Reuters reported today that the number of mortgage applications fell last week as mortgage rates — after a series of record lows — shot back up, as the housing market struggles to recover.

The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted index of mortgage applications, which includes both purchase and refinance loans, was down 10.5% for …

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Mortgage Applications Rise As Interest Rates Fall Again

National Mortgage Professional Magazine reported today on its website that mortgage applications were up as interest rates fell for a fifth consecutive week.

The Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey showed that the Market Composite Index — a measure of mortgage loan application volume — increased 14.6% on the week ending October 8. The Refinance …

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FHA Mortgage Application Numbers Bounce Back

Housing Watch reported today that applications for mortgages from the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) increased last week as applicants rushed to fill out the paperwork before the new FHA requirements took effect on October 4.

According to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association, the seasonally adjusted Purchase Index rose 9.3% from the previous week to its …

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Affordable Financial Services Weekly Finance Review

Fannie Mae announced on Friday that its Housing and Community Development division will now be called Multifamily Mortgage Business, or Multifamily. According to its press release, the new name parallels the government-sponsored entity’s Single-Family Mortgage Business, more clearly conveys what the business does and emphasizes the multifamily mortgage business platform.

The Associated Press reported on Friday …

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