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"Mom, Dad, will you cosign my mortgage, please?"

Jun 10, 2024
Young adults increasingly need help from a parent, or other older adult, to buy their first home. The tough market is removing some of the stigma.
Many parents are helping their kids buy a home, which makes "it that much harder for other people to break into the housing market when they don't have that help," said Abha Bhattarai at The Washington Post.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

How private equity is changing the rental market

Mar 2, 2022
Heather Vogell of ProPublica finds short term-oriented corporate investors are increasingly becoming apartment landlords.
"I think what we're seeing is that these companies are acting in ways that are problematic for tenants to meet their investment goals," said ProPublica reporter Heather Vogell.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Borrowing for second homes to become more expensive

Jan 7, 2022
Demand for vacation homes has crowded out would-be homeowners, but will higher fees make a dent?
Upfront fees for some second-home loans could increase by as much as 3.9% starting in April. Above, beachfront vacation homes in Florida.
felixmizioznikov via Getty Images

Trump administration ends push to restructure Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

Jan 15, 2021
A plan to return the mortgage giants to private control was complicated by the pandemic's economic risks.
The headquarters of Fannie Mae in Washington, D.C. Fannie and Freddie Mac will remain under government conservatorship.
Win McNamee/Getty Images

Refinancing a mortgage just got more expensive

Dec 4, 2020
A new "adverse market fee" kicked in this week, despite declining interest rates.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images

What you need to know about the Trump plan to set Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac free

Sep 6, 2019
The White House released its plan to end government stewardship of the companies that control half of all mortgages in the U.S.
Freddie Mac headquarters in McLean, Virginia, in 2010.
Win McNamee/Getty Images

What's next for Fannie and Freddie?

Sep 4, 2019
A Trump administration plan for reform is expected soon.
A view of mortgage finance giant Fannie Mae as seen in 2006 in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

There's yet another proposal to get the government out of the mortgage-guarantee business

Feb 4, 2019
One of the last big unresolved issues from the financial crisis is what to do about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Together with government-owned Ginnie Mae, they own or guarantee more than half the home loans in the country. Fannie and Freddie have been under conservatorship — bascially government protection and control — since 2008, […]
Mortgage finance company Freddie Mac says rates on 30-year fixed mortgages fell below 3% this week. For some people, that's a chance to refinance.
Win McNamee/Getty Images

Could the 30-year mortgage disappear?

Dec 12, 2018
President Trump's pick for housing regulator has questioned the loan's benefits.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Mortgage rates hit highest level in 7+ years

Oct 12, 2018
It’s getting more expensive to get a mortgage. Data out this week from Freddie Mac shows the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is 4.9 percent. That’s the highest it’s been in seven years. What does that mean for prospective home buyers?