Economy: Page 146


  • Feds Expected to Loosen QRM Down-Payment Requirement

    Banks may be able to require lower down payments to get out of "skin in the game" standards.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 29, 2012
  • April Construction Employment Falls in 157 of 337 Metros Between 2011 and 2012

    AGC officials said construction employment continues to suffer from relatively weak demand.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 29, 2012
  • AGC image library construction worker with steel Explore the Trendline
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    Trendline

    Labor

    A roundup of articles about issues affecting the workforce.

    By Construction Dive staff
  • Deals: Tryko Acquires 170-unit HUD-Subsidized Seniors Asset

    News about deals involving multifamily properties around the nation.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 29, 2012
  • News Media Highlight Needed Investment for Inland Waterway Infrastructure

    America transports $180 billion worth of freight across 38 states on inland waterways every year.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 26, 2012
  • General Bostick Assumes Command of USACE

    Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick officially became the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' 53rd commanding general on May 22.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 26, 2012
  • Deals: $200M L.A. Development Breaks Ground

    News about deals involving multifamily properties around the nation.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 25, 2012
  • Construction Backlog Indicator Is Down in 1Q

    The failure of the economy to gain solid footing and march ahead gets the blame for varying commercial activity.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 25, 2012
  • Fannie, Freddie Make Money on Multifamily, Take a Bath on the Rest

    The agencies made $7 billion there, but lost $208 billion on single-family, investments and "other losses."

    By Ron Gallagher • May 25, 2012
  • Glug, Glug: 31% of U.S. Mortgages Are Under Water

    The good news is that 90% of the mortgages are current as owners wait for values to bring them back to par.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 25, 2012
  • Record Low Mortgage Rates Hold Steady

    The weekly survey found the average national 30-year fixed rate down one basis point, a market aid for builders.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 25, 2012
  • MBA: Mortgage Originations Will Outpace 2011

    More than two-thirds of the new loans will be refinances, however, and the bankers have dropped their forecast for new-home mortgages a bit.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 25, 2012
  • ULI’s Tom Murphy Talks About Real Estate Leadership, Public-Private Partnerships, the Millennials

    The former Pittsburgh mayor tells what his experience has taught him.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 24, 2012
  • Visionary: David Smith Proposes New Affordable Housing Solutions

    The founder of the global non-profit Affordable Housing Institute spoke about the health of the nation’s affordable housing.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 24, 2012
  • FHFA: Home prices rose 0.5% in first quarter

    In the 25 largest metro areas, Houston had the best appreciation while Atlanta was at the bottom with a 3.3% decline.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 24, 2012
  • Gilbane's Quarterly 'Market Conditions in Construction' Sees 5% Industry Growth This Year

    Not all indicators are positive, the company notes, especially employment, but contractors' margins are up from their lows.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 23, 2012
  • New-Home Sales Continue Recovery as Annual Rate Rises 3.3% in April

    The National Association of Home Builders said it expects the slow climb to carry through the year.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 23, 2012
  • Desert Revival: Apartment Market in Southwest Is Looking Good

    The market for apartments in the Southwestern states is good and looks even better if viewed from how far down the recession took them.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 23, 2012
  • Freddie Forces BofA to Buy Back Mortgages

    What is unusual is that most of the loans involved are performing assets. The dispute is over computer-generated versus manual appraisals.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 23, 2012
  • Large Investors Choose to Swim on Their Own

    Put off by high fees and disappointing performance of so-called pooled funds, major institutions are building in-house real-estate investment divisions to acquire property directly.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 22, 2012
  • LPS: Mortgage Delinquencies in April Up for First Time in 9 Mos.

    While the rate was up four-tenths of a percent, it is still more than 10% below the year before.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 22, 2012
  • Economist: Big Banks' Power Hampers Recovery of Small Commercial Sector

    Small banks typically lend for small businesses that want to build, but large banks now dominate credit the mortgage market.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 22, 2012
  • New Retail, Industrial JVs Indicate $340M Worth of Market Confidence

    Two just-announced ventures indicate a strengthening CRE sector.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 21, 2012
  • Home Prices Climb in April, but the Bottom May Be Yet to Come

    Figuring out the future of the homes market is akin to being in a submarine with instruments that disagree on the trim of the boat.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 18, 2012
  • Mortgage Rates Find New Lows

    The latest numbers ought to look good to potential home buyers, with fixed rates hitting all-time lows for week No. 3.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 17, 2012
  • U.S. Housing: Less Dilapidated, but Still a Fixer-Upper

    All in all, the housing market looks better than it has in recent years, but it still needs repairs.

    By Ron Gallagher • May 17, 2012