Mortgage rates trended slightly downward on Thursday after the Federal Reserve held firm on its rate policy, maintaining a wait-and-see stance despite mounting political pressure. The average rate on 30-year fixed home loans registered 6.72% for the week ending July 31, down just slightly from 6.74% last week, according to Freddie Mac. Rates averaged 6.73%
Merchants Bancorp of Indiana, a regional bank with a $500M multifamily loan book, has more than quintupled the money it has set aside to cover potential losses because of an increase in fraud in its loan portfolio. A Merchants Bank branch in Spring Grove, Minnesota. Merchants Bank’s net income fell by 50%, or roughly $38M year-over-year, in
Mortgage rates showed little movement Thursday as markets awaited the Federal Reserve’s rate policy decision next week. The average rate on 30-year fixed home loans registered 6.74% for the week ending July 24, down just barely from 6.75% last week, according to Freddie Mac. Rates averaged 6.78% during the same period in 2024. “This week,
trump housing market Donald Trump is eyeing up what might become “the biggest deal in history” and the stakes could not be higher. It could feasibly bring in hundreds of billions of dollars for the public purse and boost homeownership. Or it could send mortgage rates soaring. The deal is the fate of Freddie Mac
trump housing market Donald Trump is eyeing up what might become “the biggest deal in history” and the stakes could not be higher. It could feasibly bring in hundreds of billions of dollars for the public purse and boost homeownership. Or it could send mortgage rates soaring. The deal is the fate of Freddie Mac
Falcon sat down with HousingWire to offer his perspective as a predecessor of Pulte’s and to showcase Falcon Capital Advisors’ new digital asset practice that advises mortgage lenders on how to safely incorporate crypto and other digital currencies into their businesses. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Sarah Wolak: Can you tell
Phil Crescenzo, the Southeast division vice president for Nation One Mortgage Corp., says that the new directive is “too narrow” to impact homebuyers since it’s only targeting conventional loans via the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). “If a borrower already has stocks or retirement accounts, an underwriter may not even factor in the crypto,” Crescenzo said. Alternative
There seems to be some good news for those who have invested in cryptocurrency. The head of the federal government agency that oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac wants the mortgage giants to consider accepting a homebuyer’s cryptocurrency holdings in their criteria for buying mortgages from banks. William Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance
The housing market has plenty going wrong these days: high interest rates, high home prices, and affordability challenges — especially for first-time buyers. Now add another wrinkle: President Donald Trump’s renewed push to re-privatize the giant government-owned housing-finance corporations, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. They were taken over by the federal government (placed into conservatorship)
The 30-year conforming rate has been relatively volatile since the start of the year, but its low point for 2025 came on April 11 when it reached 6.69%. That’s a higher number than many consumers and mortgage professionals would like, although home sales and mortgage demand are up from one year ago. Fed’s Waller on