U.S. mortgage rates fell in step with bond yields in the wake of weaker-than-expected domestic economic data and as investors scaled back expectations about the number of interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve in 2017.
An overhaul of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is highly unlikely to make it into this year's legislative calendar, Congressional staffers say, possibly shifting the new administration's immediate focus to allowing the mortgage financing institutions' to rebuild depleted capital.
The U.S. housing market will rise steadily and contribute significantly to economic growth in the coming year, according to a majority of analysts in a Reuters poll who nearly all agreed that further stimulus was not required.
U.S. single-family home price increases accelerated at a faster pace than expected in November and rising mortgage rates coupled with potential economic growth could push them higher, a survey showed on Tuesday.
Applications for U.S. mortgages to buy a home rose to a six-month high last week as mortgage rates retreated further from more than two-year highs, Mortgage Bankers Association data released on Wednesday showed.
Deutsche Bank could agree this week to a penalty with the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly misleading investors when selling mortgage-backed securities, one person with direct knowledge of the matter said on Monday.
Interest rates on U.S. fixed-rate mortgages rose to their highest levels in more than two years, sending weekly home loan application activity to its weakest since early January, Mortgage Bankers Association data released on Wednesday showed.
A measure of U.S. mortgage application activity fell to a 10-month low as 30-year mortgage rates jumped to their highest levels since January, data from the Mortgage Bankers Association released on Wednesday showed.
