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May 01, 2019 12:30 AM

Housing Could Be Hurt by "Underbuilding," Data Shows

The housing market — especially the entry-level segment — could stumble this year due to “underbuilding,” a situation exacerbated by rising materials costs, tariffs on imported materials and labor shortages, according to consulting firm Grant Thornton, HousingWire reported April 19. Housing starts and household formation analytics suggest the worst underbuilding since the 1970s.

Apr 24, 2019 12:30 PM

Homebuyers Will Pay Extra for Energy Efficiency: NAHB

Homebuyers are willing to pay an average of $8,728 extra for a property in order to save $1,000 a year in utility bills, according to a report released April 12 by the National Association of Home Builders. Buyers who expect to pay more than $500,000 for a property are willing to pay an average of $10,560 for energy efficient features.

Apr 24, 2019 12:30 PM

New FHFA Director to Focus on Fannie, Freddie Overhaul

Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mark Calabria said April 15 that he assumes the job with a “great sense of urgency” to address government control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Bloomberg reported. The government-sponsored enterprises have returned to profitability, but remain in conservatorship.

Apr 24, 2019 12:30 PM

Commercial Real Estate Investment to Perform Worse in 2019, Research Predicts

Investors believe that the private equity real estate investment sector will perform worse in 2019 than it did in 2018, and portfolio/asset pricing will increase over the next 12 months, which could result in a slowdown period, according to research firm Prequin, National Real Estate Investor reported April 17.

Apr 17, 2019 12:30 PM

Fed Says More Rate Hikes Possible If Economy Improves

The Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee voted against a rate increase at its April 10 meeting, but minutes indicate that they would consider such a move if the economy steadily improves, CNBC reported. Any future rate hike isn’t expected until at least 2020.

Apr 17, 2019 12:30 PM

Proposed Rules for Foreign Banks Favorable, Fed Indicates

The Federal Reserve on April 8 proposed new rules for foreign banks that would categorize the institutions based on risk to the financial system, MarketWatch reported. The new requirements would separate liquidity rules from capitalized subsidiaries for the institutions, boosting liquidity thresholds by as much as 4%.

Apr 17, 2019 12:30 PM

Industrial Sector Still Favorable to Investors, Despite Global Uncertainty: Colliers

Investors still view the industrial sector favorably, despite labor shortages and global trade tensions — ongoing trade talks between the U.S. and China could greatly reduce demand for industrial real estate if no deal is reached, according to real estate services firm Colliers International, National Real Estate Investor reported April 8.

Apr 10, 2019 12:30 PM

Mortgage Environment "Desperately" Needs Reform: Chase CEO

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon stated in his annual shareholder letter that the U.S. housing market “desperately” needs reform and believes that at least $1 trillion in mortgages could have been made — but were not, HousingWire reported April 4. Dimon said the lending environment is too conservative, and reforms could help economic growth.

Apr 10, 2019 12:30 PM

BofA to Boost Homeownership, Offer up to $10K to Close Loans

Bank of America has pledged up to $5 billion to boost affordable housing, including offering up to $10,000 to help borrowers close loans, HousingWire reported April 2. The lender further committed another $5 billion over the next five years for its Neighborhood Solutions program to boost homeownership rates.

Apr 10, 2019 12:30 PM

Fitch Sees Problems as Small Banks Increase CRE Lending and Big Banks Pull Back

Small banks are gaining market share in commercial real estate lending as big banks pull back, which could be problematic during a downturn because smaller banks (those with assets of $10 billion to $100 billion) may be unable to absorb real estate losses, according to ratings agency Fitch, MBA NewsLink reported April 4.

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