Mortgage markets worsened last week in back-and-forth trading, pushing conforming mortgage rates higher on the week. Despite the uptick, however, Freddie Mac reports that rates in Minnesota still managed to make new, all-time lows for the third week in a row. The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mort
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10/26/2010
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Despite tougher mortgage guidelines and better loan disclosures for consumers, mortgage fraud is on the rise, according to the FBI. Fraud has many varieties and it’s estimated cost to the nation is between $4-6 billion annu
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10/26/2010
The number of foreclosure filings rose 3 percent in September, according to foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac. The term "foreclosure filing" is a catch-all word for housing, comprising default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions. September marked the 19th straight month that th
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10/26/2010
The Federal Reserve released its September 21, 2010 meeting minutes Tuesday afternoon. Mortgage rates in Wisconsin are slightly higher today. It's unwelcome news for this season's home buyers, and existing homeowners with plans to grab lower rates. Mortgage rates made new lows last week and may h
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10/26/2010
Mortgage markets improved last week on mixed messages about the economy, and a growing belief that the government will move to stimulate the economy. Conforming mortgage rates in Minnesota eased lower. According to Freddie Mac's weekly mortgage market survey, average mortgage rates nationwide fel
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10/26/2010
On the first Friday of each month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its Non-Farm Payrolls report from the month prior. This month, though, because the first Friday of the month was also the first day of the month, the report was delayed one week. The report hit the wires at 8:30 AM ET thi
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10/11/2010
Starting Monday, December 13th, 2010, Fannie Mae is changing its mortgage lending guidelines. For some mortgage applicants of Minnesota , the loan approval process will simplify. For others, it will toughen. How you'll be affected personally will depend on your credit profile and your loan charac
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10/11/2010
Conforming mortgages is so named because, literally, they conform to the mortgage guidelines set forth by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Of the many traits of a conforming mortgage, one is "loan size" and loan sizes have limits. Mortgages exceeding this loan size limit cannot be securitized as a co
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10/11/2010
Consistent with calls of a housing rebound, the Pending Home Sales Index rose again in August. It marks the second straight month of improvement after May's post-tax credit drop-off. A "pending home" is an existing home under contract to sell, but not yet closed. According to the National Associa
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10/11/2010
For the third straight week, mortgage markets showed little conviction in the face of contrasting data. Mortgage bonds ended the week slightly better, but mortgage rates did not. Conforming mortgage rates in Wisconsin were up-and-down all week before ending the week with a slight worsening. The i
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10/04/2010
