Key Takeaways Escrow accounts are used by lenders to collect money for homeowners insurance premiums and property taxes. An escrow shortage occurs when there is not enough money in an account to cover these payments and leave an appropriate cushion. Homeowners can pay the escrow shortage in a lump sum or repay the amount over…
Mortgage rates were rapidly approaching 10-month highs as of yesterday afternoon. They managed a friendly bounce today, but it was fairly small with the average lender dropping 0.03% to 6.5% for a top-tier 30yr fixed scenario. One reason for caution is that the rate improvement looks to be dependent on oil price volatility after this…
Judging purely based on median yearly income, which currently sits at roughly $83,700, according to the Federal Reserve’s latest data, Americans are better off than perhaps they’ve ever been. But that metric can be deceiving, as it doesn’t capture the vast income disparity that’s rapidly becoming one of our country’s most pressing issues. Depending on…
According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) Existing-Home Sales report, existing-home sales experienced a month-over-month (MoM) decline of 2.4% while showing a year-over-year (YoY) increase of 2.8%. This report offers valuable data regarding home sales, pricing, and inventory to the real estate community, which includes agents, homebuyers, and sellers. Sales saw a MoM increase…
Key Takeaways Affirm is a popular buy now, pay later lender offering payment plans for online and in-store purchases at hundreds of thousands of merchants. Affirm offers several installment plans, including Pay in 4, as well as longer-term loans with APRs ranging from 0% to 36%. In 2025, Affirm began reporting all eligible pay-over-time loans…
After years of negative sentiment, the retail real estate market is finding itself in strong demand. In fact, 2026 is shaping up to be the most competitive market for retail real estate acquisitions in recent years, according to JLL’s 2026 U.S. Retail Thematic Outlook and Investor Survey. JLL found that 64% of retail investors surveyed…
Traders are completely enthralled by the bull market — but surging Nasdaq volatility suggests it is time to hedge.
AI’s toll collectors, Brazil’s rare-earth angle, and an oil refiner riding Mideast tailwinds Listen to the audio version of this article (generated by AI). Luke Lango highlights AI’s toll roads… Brian Hunt flags Brazil’s overlooked AI angle… Louis Navellier’s refiner play amid Mideast turmoil… As I write on Thursday morning, the biggest headline is that…
Minutes Minute 1: Welcome and apologies Chairs James Kaye (FXJSC Operations Sub-Committee) and Sharon Blackman (FXJSC Legal Sub-Committee) opened the meeting and welcomed online and in person attendees. Minute 2: Minutes of 17 September Legal Sub-Committee, 18 September 2025 Operations Sub-Committee The minutes from both meetings received formal approval from the respective members of the…
Slightly Stronger But There’s a Catch 2 Hours, 0 Min ago Slightly Stronger But There’s a Catch Bonds had a decent day with MBS up more than a quarter point and 10yr yields down 3bps to 4.54+. While that adds some emphasis to the rejection of a technical breakout above 4.59%, we…