The availability of some loans used to build homes dried up due to the coronavirus. Opening up the economy may help if it doesn't lead to a spike in infections, and if consumer demand persists. ... Read full article
As lawmakers tackle Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, any revamp must lessen risk to the mortgage system and U.S. taxpayers. ... Read full article
As the demand for home rentals continues to rise, regulatory burdens could decrease the multifamily housing supply and drive up costs, witnesses said at a congressional hearing. ... Read full article
The recently enacted tax reform bill is likely to encourage more consumers to rent instead of buy and tamp down on the rapid rise in home prices. ... Read full article
Hopes that tax reform might soften a weakening of the mortgage interest deduction were quickly dashed as the GOP plan landed a double punch on the incentive cherished by the mortgage and housing industries. ... Read full article
Some housing groups are warming to an idea that they say could help more Americans benefit from housing-related subsidies than the mortgage interest deduction. ... Read full article
While the House disaster relief bill would provide $16 billion in debt relief for the National Flood Insurance Program, it does not include a Trump administration proposal to ban new construction in flood-prone areas. ... Read full article
The National Association of Home Builders is backing off of long held support for the mortgage interest deduction in hopes that the Trump administration can deliver on its promise of lower taxes. ... Read full article
House Financial Services Committee leaders and two top real estate trade groups have cut a deal on a bill to reform the National Flood Insurance Program. ... Read full article
The National Association of Home Builders is objecting to a measure that would impose a surcharge on National Flood Insurance Program policies for newly constructed homes. ... Read full article
The House Financial Services Committee is slated to vote on several bills Wednesday that are designed to make private flood insurance a viable alternative to the National Flood Insurance Program. ... Read full article
For the first time in a decade, new owner households created in the first quarter were higher than the creation of renter households. ... Read full article
A new tariff on Canadian lumber threatens to further disrupt homebuilding at a time when lenders are increasingly concerned about a purchase mortgage resurgence that has failed to materialize. ... Read full article
Homebuilders looking for single-family construction loans may have better luck with small and midsize banks than larger ones, according to a report by the National Association of Home Builders. ... Read full article
