RISMEDIA, July 22, 2010—Single-family housing starts were virtually unchanged from the previous month at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 454,000 units in June 2010, according to newly-released figures by the U.S. Commerce Department. Meanwhile, a 21.5% decline on the more volatile multifamily side weighed down the overall housing production number, which fell 5% to a 549,000-unit rate.

“As our most recent member surveys have indicated, builders remain very…

RISMEDIA, June 30, 2010—(MCT)—For countless Americans struggling to make their mortgage payments, the problems have just begun.

Although a loan modification or foreclosure might allow them to put their housing problems behind them, millions will be dogged for years by the aftermath—a credit score so tarnished by the housing debacle that lenders will want to avoid them. And if they are able to obtain loans, high interest rates are likely…

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The most recent Weekly Survey on Mortgage Application Activity released by the Mortgage Bankers Association brings back some positive light after showing declines for the third week of October. Looking at over 50% of all US residential mortgage applications, the MBA reports that demand for new mortgages increased 8.2% in the last week of October while average 30-yr fixed rates fell to 4.97%. The week before application activity had fallen…

With all of the fallout from the financial industry and housing market, I was shocked when I read an article on the National Association of Realtors web site that in early 2001, the Federal Reserve Board and the U.S. Treasury Department proposed rules to expand the powers of national bank conglomerates. The agencies proposed allowing national bank conglomerates to engage in real estate brokerage and management, reclassifying these activities as…