The latest Mortgage Banker Association’s (MBA) Forbearance and Call Survey reports that the total number of loans now in forbearance decreased by 1 basis point from 4.50% of servicers’ portfolio volume in the prior week to 4.49% as of April 18, 2021. According to MBA’s estimate, 2.25 million homeowners are in forbearance plans.
News in end use
Consumer Confidence Index Climbs Higher in April
The Conference Board, a non-partisan, not-for-profit think tank founded in 1916, released today (4-27-21) their Consumer Confidence Index® (CCI) for April 2021. The CCI climbed higher in April, this following a strong monthly gain in March. The Index now stands at 121.7 (1985=100), up from 109.0 in March.
Redfin Report Confirms Demand for Housing Continues to Exceed Limited Supply
Redfin, the Seattle-based, technology-powered real estate brokerage is reporting that year-over-year, for the 4-week period ending Sunday, April 18, 2021, the median home-sale price increased 18% to $344,625, setting yet another all-time record high. Providing further evidence of a housing market where demand greatly exceeds supply.
The Ongoing Pandemic Continues to Increase the Appeal of Homeownership
According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Q1 2021, Housing Trends Report (HTR), 16% of American adults are considering purchasing a home within the next 12-months. That is a 6-point increase over 2020, and marks the third (and largest) year-over-year gain in the share of prospective buyers in the HTR’s history.
New Residential Single-Family Home Sales Soar in March
The U.S. Census Bureau reported that new residential single-family home sales for March 2021 were at a SAAR of 1,021,000, according to estimates. This is 20.7% above the revised February rate of 846,000 and is 66.8% above the March 2020 estimate of 612,000.
Canadian Unemployment Increases 3.6% in February
Statistics Canada (StatsCan) is reporting that February Employment Insurance (EI) reflecting the week of February 14 through February 20, shows the number of Canadians receiving regular EI benefits rose 3.6% (+53,000) to 1.5 million in February, following an 11.2% increase in January.
Existing Home Sales Decline in March, Rise 12.3% Year-Over-Year
The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) is reporting that total existing home sales — which are completed transactions for single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops — declined in March for the second month in a row, down -3.7% below February to a seasonally adjusted rate at 6.01 million homes.
30-Year Mortgage Rate Drops for Third Week in a Row During Week Ending April 22, 2021
Freddie Mac has released its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) for the week ending April 22, 2021. The PMMS reports that 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.97% percent with an average 0.7 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.04%. A year ago, at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.33%.
Conference Board Reports U.S. Leading Economic Index® Increases 1.3% in March
The Conference Board, which was founded in 1916 as a non-partisan, not-for-profit think tank, released today (4-22-21) their March 2021 Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. According to the release, the LEI, which is based on ten separate components, increased 1.3% in March to 111.6 (2016 = 100), following a -0.1% decrease in February and a 0.5% increase in January.
Weekly Jobless Claims Decline in the Week Ending April 17, 2021
The U.S. Department of Labor is reporting that an additional 547,000 Americans made their initial filing for unemployment benefits during the week ending on Saturday April 17, 2021 — a decrease of 39,000 from the previous week’s revised level. This is the lowest level of initial claims since March 14, 2020.