Senate Banking Committee approves Powell to lead Fed

  • December 7, 2017
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As expected, the Senate Banking Committee overwhelmingly approved Jerome Powell Tuesday to lead the Federal Reserve. All the panel’s Republican and Democrat members voted for Powell except one single Democrat, and now, this bipartisan support all but seals Powell’s future as Federal Reserve Chair.

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New Lending Limits Announced for 2018

  • December 1, 2017
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Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced the maximum conforming loan limits for mortgages to be acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2018. In most of the U.S., the 2018 maximum conforming loan limit for one-unit properties will be $453,100, an increase from $424,100 in 2017. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

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Tax plan caps property deduction at $10,000, puts new limit on mortgage deduction

  • November 2, 2017
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A sweeping overhaul of the tax code would cap the deduction for property taxes at $10,000 and preserve the mortgage interest deduction only for existing mortgages and new purchases with loans of $500,000 or less, documents distributed to House members Thursday show.

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Home builder sentiment jumps to five-month high as industry refocuses on buyers

  • October 17, 2017
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The National Association of Home Builder’s monthly confidence gauge, released Tuesday, jumped four points to a reading of 68, the highest reading since May.

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Inflation Is No Mystery to the Bond Market

  • September 28, 2017
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The Federal Reserve and other central banks have been on a quest since 2012 to get inflation back up to levels they deem appropriate for a stable, growing economy. There have been many setbacks along the way, leaving central bankers stumped, with Fed Chair Janet Yellen saying the slowdown in inflation has been a “mystery.”

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U.S. Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Fall to 259,000

  • September 21, 2017
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In a report, the U.S. Department of Labor said the number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ending September 16 decreased by 23,000 to a seasonally adjusted 259,000 from the previous week’s revised total of 282,000 (initially 284,000).

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Breach likely affected all US adults, cyber security expert warns

  • September 11, 2017
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As the number of complaints continue to rise after credit reporting agency Equifax’s massive hack last week, the scale and scope of the breach is troubling cyber security experts who warn nearly every adult in the United States could have been affected.

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American workers labored harder in second quarter, revised productivity figures show

  • September 7, 2017
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The government on Thursday said productivity increased at a 1.5% annual pace in the spring, up from an initial 0.9% estimate. Productivity rises when workers supply more goods and services in the same amount of time. The upward revision stemmed entirely from workers producing more goods and services. Output was revised up to show a

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FHFA extends Harp for another year

  • August 17, 2017
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The Home Affordable Refinance Program will now expire on December 31, 2018 after an extension was granted.  The Federal Housing Finance Agency has extending its Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) for another year.  Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have already refinanced 3.4 million homeowners through the program.  It is believed that an additional 143,000 GSE

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Economy in Chicago region cools in July but still running hot, PMI shows

  • July 31, 2017
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The economy in the Chicago region grew rapidly in July but cooled a bit from earlier in the summer, indicating that businesses are still confident despite political drama in Washington. The Chicago business barometer, or Chicago PMI, slipped to 58.9 in July from a three-year high of 65.7 in June, MNI Indicators said Monday. The

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