On July 1, 2009, Federal House Finance Agency (FHFA) Director James Lockhart joined Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan in announcing a major expansion of the Obama Administration’s Home Affordable Refinance Program for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans. The change will allow current borrowers with loan-to-value (LTV) [...]

By Gregory Arzumanov M.B.
June 26, 2009 Rates for 30-year home loans edged up this week, remaining above record lows reached over the spring.
The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 5.42 percent, up from 5.38 percent a week earlier, mortgage company Freddie Mac said Thursday.
Mixed economic reports on the state of the housing [...]

WASHINGTON June 24, 2009 A growing number of American homeowners are falling into financial limbo: They’re badly behind on payments, but their banks have not yet foreclosed.
The backlog of seriously delinquent mortgages, which so far affects about 1 million borrowers, is a shadow over hopes for a rebound in the nation’s housing markets. [...]

WASHINGTON June 12, 2009 Rates for 30-year home loans jumped to the highest level in seven months this week, leading to a slowdown in refinancing activity, Freddie Mac said Thursday.
The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 5.59 percent this week, up from 5.29 percent last week, Freddie Mac said. The last [...]

WASHINGTON May 25, 2009 Rates on 30-year fixed mortgages rose slightly for the second straight week, but still remained below 5 percent, Freddie Mac said Thursday.
The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 4.86 percent, up from 4.84 percent last week. Rates have been below 5 percent for nine straight weeks. Last [...]

By Gregory A.

Mortgage Rate Trend Index
Dont expect much change in rates over the next 30 to 45 days, say mortgage experts polled by Bankrate.com this week. Only 19 percent think mortgage rates will rise; another 31 percent say rates will fall, and the remaining 50 percent expect no appreciable change.

ortgages inched up this week after [...]

WASHINGTON May 7, 2009 Trying to curb home foreclosures, the Senate voted on Wednesday to make it easier for homeowners with risky credit to switch to a lower-cost mortgage backed by the government.
The bill, passed 91-5, also would give banks a break by reducing fees they must pay for the government to insure [...]

WASHINGTON – Jan. 5, 2009 – Rates on 30-year mortgages fell to a record low for the third straight week and borrowers took advantage of the drop, sending new applications soaring.
With the Federal Reserve on the verge of pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into the devastated U.S. housing market, mortgage rates have plunged to [...]

WASHINGTON Dec. 8, 2008 After the government announced last month that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would take new steps to modify tens of thousands of mortgages to make them more affordable, some executives expressed concerns that the moves could weaken their already struggling companies.
Fannie Maes chief executive, Herbert M. Allison Jr., acknowledged [...]

By Gregory Arzumanov
WASHINGTON – Dec. 1, 2008 – Rates on 30-year mortgages sank for a fourth straight week, falling below 6 percent for the first time since early October, and are heading lower due to the government’s massive new effort to aid the U.S. housing market.
Further drops are likely, analysts said, reflecting the market’s positive [...]