Retail Sales Rise For 7th Straight Month; Mortgage Rates Worsen

If consumer spending is a keystone element in the U.S. economic recovery, a full-on rebound is likely underway. Tuesday, the Census Bureau released its national January Retail Sales figures and, for the seventh straight month, the data surpassed expectations. Last month’s retail figures...

Seattle Housing Market Makes NY Times

Seattle, WA weathered the storm longer than the rest, although it appears the rainy NW is beginning to feel what others have been enduring since early 2007. In a recent NY Time article by David Streitfeld the fact that Seattle is not anomaly is at the forefront of recent housing numbers.   Streitfeld points...

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : February 14, 2011

Mortgage markets worsened terribly last week. Amid more reports of an improving economy and fears of pending inflation, mortgage rates skyrocketed to their highest levels since April 2010.  According to Freddie Mac, mortgage rates made their largest 1-week jump in more than a year last week, tacking on...

Mortgage Rates Return To April 2010 Levels

Mortgage rates are surging. Over the last 7 days, conventional, 30-year fixed rate mortgage rates have jumped 24 basis points, or 0.24%, according to Freddie Mac‘s weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey. It’s the largest 1-week spike in mortgage rates in recent history. The 30-year fixed rate...

Foreclosure Activity Drops Throughout The Most Foreclosure-Heavy States

Foreclosure activity is slowing. According to foreclosure-tracker RealtyTrac, the number of foreclosure filings dropped 17 percent on an annual basis last month. Monthly filings ticked higher 1 percent after a combined 23 percent decrease through November and December 2010. The phrase...