Daily Dose

The ever-climbing housing prices don’t seem to be holding buyers back. In fact, according to recent data, three of the nation’s biggest cities—Baltimore, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.—are all seeing steep sales inclines over the year. New data shows sales volume in Baltimore is up 10.2 percent since last May—a jump of more than $1.2 billion. In Washington, D.C., volume’s up 7 percent over the year, or $3.1 billion, and in Chicago, sales transactions rose 6.2 percent for the year. Days-on-market is another stat that has steep increase as of late. In Chicago, it fell from 87 to 77 over the year, while in Baltimore and D.C., it dropped to 19 and 10 days. Baltimore’s 19 days-on-market is the lowest monthly level the city’s seen in 10 years.

Many different factors come to mind when looking for a home. Good schools, commute time, low crime, and location of places of interest nearby bring overall convenience for the homeowner. A recent report examined the nation’s 100 biggest metros to determine where in the U.S. first-time homebuyers would find the most value.

housing prices are on the rise this summer selling season even though inventory is at an extreme low, according to a recent report. May held many records for the report including the rise in home prices. When over 1,000 buyers were asked what a 5 percent rate hike would do to their home buying plans, despite the recent rate hike, buyers overall feel their search won’t be affected.

The digital evolution continues, as not one but three major financial players make moves toward a more FinTech-driven future. In a two-day span, Morgan Stanley, Misys, and D+H all announced initiatives that could shape the trajectory of the industry. At its Tuesday's Financials Conference, Morgan Stanley, a financial services and wealth management firm, announced it will launch a digital mortgage platform in 2018. Meanwhile, Misys, a financial software provider, and D+H, a financial technology distributor, announced the two firms will merge to form Finastra. Finastra will be the third-largest FinTech company in the world.

When it comes to homeownership, things can get confusing. It was recently reported that almost half of homebuyers were unable to answer questions about key mortgage qualification criteria and consumers are in agreement that homeownership education is helpful and should occur earlier in the process. So what needs to be done in order to educate while not delaying closing?

The Fed has voted for the second time this year to raise interest rates, a decision that was hinted at back in March by Janet Yellen, FOMC Board of Governors Chair. The FOMC is of the opinion that waiting too long to scale back accommodations could potentially cause a rapid increase in rates, which could disrupt the market and send the economy into another recession. It is currently unclear how the hike in interest rates will affect mortgage rates.

The U.S. Treasury Department could finally be getting a new Deputy Secretary in the near future according to three sources inside the department. Brian Brooks, General Counsel, EVP, and Corporate Secretary for Fannie Mae, is said to be filling the position. Goldman Sachs Executive Jim Donovan was previous in line for the vacancy, but recently withdrew.

Federal Open Market Committee is set to finish its June meeting on Wednesday and it is widely expected that they will raise interest rates in order to keep the economy stabilized, even though inflation remains around 2 percent. In May, when they last met, members of the board chose to keep interest rates at their current level. Will this mean anything for mortgage interest rates? One expert believes it might not impact the mortgage market at all.

Deregulation is on the horizon according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Monday report. While some avidly oppose the change, many see it as a positive adjustment for banks, consumers, and the economy. Whether the changes will destroy the economy or create long-term stability, the Treasury and Administration said it will forge ahead to its next steps working with congress to change statutes, regulations, and supervisory guidance.

On Tuesday the May Quicken Loans National Home Price Perception Index and National Home Value Index was released, showing that while home prices continue to rise, they are not rising as fast as homeowners expect. There are, however, cities, such as Denver, Dallas, and Seattle, where appraisals are higher than what homeowners expect. Philadelphia, Baltimore and Chicago had the largest disparity between appraisals and homeowner expectations.