Mortgage rates lingering around 7.2% as Fed pauses hikes

Mortgage rates remained well above 7% on Thursday as markets digested Wednesday’s Fed meeting.  Freddie Mac‘s Primary Mortgage Market Survey, which focuses on conventional and conforming loans with a 20% down payment, shows the 30-year fixed rate averaged 7.19% as of Sept. 21, up one basis point from last week’s

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Existing-home sales moved lower in August : NAR

The housing market continues to cool amid high mortgage rates, affordability challenges and still-low inventory. In August, existing-home sales fell 0.7% from July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.04 million, according to a new report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Existing-home sales were down 15.3% compared

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No sign of relief in housing even as the Fed holds rates steady 

The housing market will remain subdued until the Federal Reserve starts cutting rates next year, according to economists and housing pros following the central bank’s Wednesday announcement to leave the benchmark rate unchanged in the target range of 5.25%-5.5%. Until interest rates come down, affordability challenges will continue to put

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QC Ally acquires due diligence solutions firm Inglet Blair

Loan quality and audit services company QC Ally on Thursday announced the acquisition of third-party due diligence solutions company Inglet Blair. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. In a statement on Thursday, QC Ally said the acquisition would allow the company to further its mission of helping financial services firms achieve

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ICE and DeltaTerra partner on climate-informed credit risk analytics solutions for MBS investors

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (ICE) and investment research firm Delta Terra Capital announced a partnership to offer climate-adjusted credit risk analytics for residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities (MBS).  The credit risk analytics will combine ICE’s physical climate risk data and DeltaTerra’s climate analytics, financial risk models, and market data to deliver

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7 steps to improve your talent attraction game

Recruiting and keeping the best talent is critical in today’s real estate market. It’s also becoming more challenging as production takes a hit from lower home sales. On a national basis, year-over-year MLS production reports show the average real estate agent’s income is down 28%. Broker-owners’ operations teams are receiving

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Washington the latest state to see insurers pull back

The same home insurance scenario being played out in states like Florida and California due to elevated risk of natural disasters is becoming more pronounced in the Pacific Northwest according to a new report from the Seattle Times. Dozens of state residents have appealed policy limitations, cancellations or site-unseen denials

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