Current Industry News
Home price growth surges to highest level seen since 2014
U. S. Home price growth surged in the penultimate month of 2020 to a level not seen in nearly seven years.
FTC Acting Chair Rebecca Kelly Slaughter Announces Interim Leadership Appointments
Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, designated Acting Chair of the Federal Trade Commission by President Joseph R. Biden on January 21, today unveiled a number of interim leadership changes. “I am enormously grateful to these talented members of the FTC team for being willing to offer their services as we work through this transition period,” said Acting Chair Slaughter.
Understanding the seasonal patterns of mortgage rates
Much like the changing of the calendar, buying and selling homes follows a seasonality that that those in mortgage and real estate have grown accustomed to. But a recent study from tech startup Haus found that mortgage rates can also be seasonal, and borrowers can benefit from understanding that rhythm. Analyzing over 8.5 million mortgage originations between 2012 and 2018 from Freddie Mac’s Single-Family Loan-Level dataset, Haus found that the sweet spot for rates is typically in January, when mortgage originations also typically slump.
Americans Hit by Just Under 46 Billion Robocalls in 2020, Says YouMail Robocall Index
IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — U.S. robocalls declined under the lockdowns of COVID-19, with an estimated 45.9 billion robocalls nationwide in 2020, marking an almost 22% decrease from the 58.5 billion robocalls recorded in 2019. This total is roughly 4% below the 47.8 billion robocalls received in 2018, yet still over 50% higher than the 30.5 billion robocalls in 2017.