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Along a one to 10 scale with one being "much worse" and 10 being "much better," 34 percent of respondents said they expected business conditions to be "a little better" in six months (a six on the scale), while 22 percent said they expected business conditions to be "a little worse" (a five on the scale), the Collingwood Group reported.

The National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) Housing Market Index, a closely watched gauge of builder sentiment, rose four points in the latest reading to a level of 58, the group reported. The increase followed a five-point drop in October and put the index close to its September reading of 59, a nearly nine-year high.

RE/MAX's latest National Housing Report, which follows changes in home sales, prices, and inventory in 53 metro areas across the United States, shows October transactions came in 2.6 percent higher than a year ago. The annual increase came despite a 0.8 percent drop from September's sales total.

Following an independent review of its finances, FHA reported to Congress Monday that its Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) Fund is valued at $4.8 billion for the fiscal year 2014, a step up from last year's shortfall of $1.3 billion.

Deloitte's Consumer Spending Index, a gauge of cash flow as a measure of future spending, came in at 4.1 in the firm's October reading, down from 4.4 in September. The biggest contribution to October's decline was new home prices, which fell 9.8 percent month-over-month to a median $109,000.

TD Bank reported Monday the results of its inaugural Consumer Borrowing Index, a survey of more than 1,300 U.S. HELOC borrowers created to provide insights into their motivation, usage, and perceptions of the loan. According to the bank's survey, 53 percent of homeowners polled said the value of their home has increased in the past few years, giving them more equity to pull from.

In a poll conducted by the Collingwood Group throughout October, 71 percent of mortgage lenders said the odds of them lowering credit score requirements for borrowers are between "somewhat" and "extremely unlikely," with several saying they feel their standards are already relatively low and that they generally follow the credit parameters set by agency investors.

Despite the fact that 30-year fixed mortgage rates dipped below 4 percent in October, the number of buyers looking to tour homes cooled off. At the same time, the rate drop triggered a hefty increase in signings last month, according to Redfin, which released its latest look at homebuying activity on Friday.

FNC's Residential Price Index dropped 0.3 percent in September, despite strong home sales and continued improvement in the labor market. It was the first time in 30 months that values did not rise, though home prices in the third quarter overall were up 1.8 percent over the second quarter.

According to Interest.com's 2014 Home Affordability Study, middle-income families can afford a median-priced home in fewer than half of the country's 25 largest metros as house prices and mortgage rates outpace wage growth. While home price gains have slowed to a more reasonable rate of 4 percent nationally over the past year, that increase is still well ahead of the 2 percent pickup in incomes.