Pending Home Sales Register Surprise Jump in July: NAR

Pending home sales of existing homes unexpectedly jumped 5.2 percent in July based on the forward-looking index by the National Association of Realtors, surprising analysts and possibly signaling a bottom to the post-tax credit freefall in the housing market.

Record Low Rates Lift Mortgage Refinancing to 15-Month High

Mortgage refinancing activity has bounced back to a 15-month high as borrowers are taking advantage of record-setting low fixed rates, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s weekly survey released today.

Mortgage Fixed Rates Still Setting New Lows: 30-Year at 4.36%

Long-term mortgage rates continued their historic slide this week, with the 30-year fixed rate slipping to 4.36 percent from last week’s 4.42 percent, according to Freddie Mac. The 15-year fixed set a new low as well: 3.86 percent, down from 3.90 percent last week.

Sales of Existing Single-Family Homes Plunge to 1995 Level

Sales of existing homes plummeted 27 percent in July to a seasonally adjusted rate of 3.83 million units, compared to a downwardly revised 5.26 million units in June, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Mortgage Rates Slip Again to New Lows; Refinancing Surges

Mortgage rates reached new lows yet again this week with the 30-year fixed at 4.42 percent, down from last week’s 4.44 percent – and the historic dive in rates appears to have revived the refinancing sector. The index by the Mortgage Bankers Association that gauged loan refinancing activity for last week registered a 17.1 percent jump from the previous week.

Home Builder Confidence Sinks to 17-Month Low: NAHB

Confidence among builders of single-family homes slid for a third straight month in August on concerns of persistent unemployment, a slower recovery and the prevalence of foreclosure sales, according to a key market index.

Mortgage Rates Still Sliding to New Lows: 30-year at 4.44%

Long-term mortgage rates again set new record lows this week as the Federal Reserve made the obvious official by declaring that the U.S. economic recovery has slowed. The 30-year fixed rate slipped to 4.44 percent from 4.49 percent last week.

Lowest Interest Rates Fail to Spark Mortgage Applications

A key index that measured mortgage applications last week was essentially unchanged, only nudging up 0.6 percent, despite historically low interest rates on fixed-rate mortgages.

30-Year Mortgage Sets Record Low at 4.49%; 15-Year at 3.95%

Fixed-rate mortgages set new lows for the 7th week in a row, with the 30-year at 4.49 percent and the 15-year at 3.95 percent, Freddie Mac said today. The 30-year was down from last week’s rate of 4.54 percent. Last year at this time, it averaged 5.22 percent.

Fannie Mae’s Loss for Q2 at $3.1B; Seeks $1.5B from Treasury

Fannie Mae, the largest mortgage financing company, reported its smallest quarterly net loss in the second quarter since its U.S. takeover, requiring an infusion of $1.5 billion from its U.S. Treasury bailout program. That’s significantly down from the $8.4 billion chunk it received in taxpayer aid after its first quarter 2010 loss.

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