The Federal Housing Agency is taking steps to expand access to mortgage credit for underserved borrowers. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan told a gathering of the National Association on Realtors May 13 that lending to potential …
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May Job Creation Marks Best 4-month Stretch Since Late 90s
May marks one of the best four-month stretches of job creation since the late 1990s, renewing optimism about the five-year-long recovery. According to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, non-farm employment advanced a seasonally adjusted 217,000 in May, …
Read More »Retail Imports Spike as Contract Deadline Approaches
Import volume at major U.S. container ports is expected to increase 7.5 percent in June as retailers bring unusually high quantities of merchandise into the country early to avoid any potential disruptions after the labor contract with West Coast dockworkers …
Read More »The Latest on Debit Card Fees
Merchants aren’t ready to throw in the towel quite yet. On Monday, the National Association of Convenience Stores and the National Retail Federation announced that they will petition the Supreme Court to hear their case against the Federal Reserve. To …
Read More »Lowe’s Ad Under Attack for Portrayal of Fathers
A recent T.V. ad for Lowe’s is coming under attack by a special interest group, saying the ad promotes a negative image of fathers. The Lowe’s commercial titled, “Valspar Reserve: Video Call” has come under fire by a Canadian group called …
Read More »What’s Happening in Housing-From Lowe’s and Home Depot
The U.S. housing market has unquestionably had a weak start to the year, and there is no shortage of top-down analysis on where the market is headed. Analyzing the macro-economic climate is one thing, but investors can also get a …
Read More »Lots in Short Supply For Many Home Builders
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Families buying new homes can expect prices to continue to rise, as builders say there’s a low supply of developed lots and that properties suitable for new housing have become more expensive. Builders will pass along 100% …
Read More »Home Sizes Increase as Economy Improves
With the improved economy, new homes are getting bigger again. The average size of newly built single-family homes increased during the first quarter of this year, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Using first-quarter census numbers on home …
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