Originally published on April 27, 2021 by Isabelle Novak for Redfin

Originally published on April 28, 2021, by the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

​​​​​​Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced today Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) will implement a new refinance option for low-income borrowers with Enterprise-backed single-family mortgages. Eligible borrowers will benefit from a reduced interest rate and lower monthly payment. FHFA estimates that borrowers who take advantage of the new refinance option could save an average of between $100 and $250 a month.  

Originally published on April 27, 2021, by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) formally delayed the mandatory compliance date of the General Qualified Mortgage (QM) final rule from July 1, 2021 to October 1, 2022. The CFPB is taking this action to help ensure access to responsible, affordable mortgage credit, and preserve flexibility for consumers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic effects.

Originally published on April 22, 2021. by Quintin Simmons for the National Association of Realtors.

WASHINGTON (April 22, 2021) – Existing-home sales fell in March, marking two consecutive months of declines, according to the National Association of Realtors®. The month of March saw record-high home prices and gains. While each of the four major U.S. regions experienced month-over-month drops, all four areas welcomed year-over-year gains in home sales.

Originally published on April 22, 2021, by ATTOM Staff for ATTOM Data Solutions Blog.

IRVINE, Calif. — Apr. 22, 2021 — ATTOM Data Solutions, curator of the nation’s premier property database, today released its first-quarter 2021 Special Coronavirus Report spotlighting county-level housing markets around the United States that are more or less vulnerable to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic that continues to impact the U.S. economy. The report shows that states along the East Coast, as well as Illinois, were most at risk in the first quarter of 2021 – with clusters in the New York City, Chicago and southern Florida areas – while the West continued to face less risk.

Originally published on April 21, 2021, by Tom Acitelli for Commercial Observer.

Real estate investors looking for a safe place to park money coming out of COVID might consider the humble car wash. The sudsy byproduct of the automotive age has, in just a few short years, become an unusually durable commercial real estate asset.

Originally published on April 21, 2021, by the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

​​Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced today that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) will extend some temporary loan origination flexibilities until May 31, 2021. All temporary flexibilities were originally set to expire on April 30, 2021.

Originally published on April 14, 2021, by Isabelle Novak for Redfin.

Originally published on April 13, 2021, by Michael Tucker for Mortgage Bankers Association.

The hotel sector is coming back–slowly–from its pandemic-related downturn, analysts said.

Originally published on April 14, 2021, by the Federal Reserve.

This report was prepared at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas based on information collected on or before April 5, 2021. This document summarizes comments received from contacts outside the Federal Reserve System and is not a commentary on the views of Federal Reserve officials.

Oriignally published on April 21, 2021, for the Appraisal Institute.

The House Financial Services Committee on April 20 approved HR 2553, the Real Estate Valuation Fairness and Improvement Act, legislation that would establish an interagency task force to analyze federal collateral underwriting standards and guidance, and provide resources for promoting diversity within the valuation profession. The bill now moves to a full House vote, but no date has been set.

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Originally published on April 8, 2021, by Freddie Mac.

MCLEAN, Va., April 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), showing that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.13 percent.

Originally published on April 8, 2021, by Andy Sullivan for Reuters.com.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden is seeking to ease a national affordable housing shortage by pushing local governments to allow apartment buildings in neighborhoods that are currently restricted to single-family homes.

Originally published on April 5, 2021, by The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today proposed a set of rule changes intended to help prevent avoidable foreclosures as the emergency federal foreclosure protections expire. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing economic crisis, millions of families nationwide have suffered the loss of income and nearly 3 million homeowners are behind on their mortgages. The CFPB’s proposal seeks to ensure that both services and borrowers have the tools and time they need to work together to prevent avoidable foreclosures, recognizing that the expected surge of borrowers exiting forbearance in the fall will put mortgage servicers under strain.

Originally published on March 30, 2021, by The Conference Board.

The Consumer Confidence Survey® reflects prevailing business conditions and likely developments for the months ahead. This monthly report details consumer attitude, buying intentions, vacation plans and consumer expectation for inflation, stock prices and interest rates. Data are data available by age, income, region and top 8 states.

Originally published on April 2, 2021 for The Real Estate Roundtable.

President Joe Biden on March 31 announced the first part of his sweeping economic growth proposal focused on infrastructure and clean energy – a $2.3 trillion, eight-year plan that White House officials said would be funded, over 15 years, by corporate and international tax increases. (Wall Street Journal and White House Fact Sheet: The American Jobs Plan, March 31)

Originally published on March 30, 2021, by Rebecca Meeker and Nuno Mota for Fannie Mae.

As the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the country in 2020, it touched nearly every aspect of the U.S. economy. In the housing market, new listings, home sales, and residential construction all plummeted in the spring of 2020. In the following months, however, the housing market proved resilient, with home sales and new construction reaching decade highs amid historically low mortgage rates.

Originally published on March 31, 2021, by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today announced it is rescinding seven policy statements issued last year that provided temporary flexibilities to financial institutions in consumer financial markets including mortgages, credit reporting, credit cards, and prepaid cards. The seven rescissions, effective April 1, provide guidance to financial institutions on complying with their legal and regulatory obligations. With the rescissions, the CFPB is providing notice that it intends to exercise the full scope of the supervisory and enforcement authority provided under the Dodd-Frank Act. The CFPB is also rescinding its 2018 bulletin on supervisory communications and replacing it with a revised bulletin describing its use of matters requiring attention (MRAs) to effectively convey supervisory expectations.

The Appraisal Institute renamed their Lifetime Achievement Award to the J. Scott Robinson Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of the late Scott Robinson MAI, SRA, AI-GRS, AI-RRS, MRICS, who unexpectedly passed away earlier this year.

The J. Scott Robinson Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an AI Professional who best demonstrates high ethical standards; contributed to the Appraisal Institute at the chapter, regional, national, and/or international level(s); provided service to his or her community, and contributed to the appraisal profession. A minimum of 20 years of service is recommended to be eligible for this award.