Mortgage and Real Estate News: January 2017

Monday, January 23, 2017

USMI Statement on FHA Mortgage Insurance Premium Reduction

WASHINGTON —The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced today it will reduce its mortgage insurance premiums (MIPs) by 25 basis points. In November 2016, a HUD official stated there would be no additional MIPs cuts following its annual report to Congress on the financial status of its Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund (MMIF), which showed it had finally reached its required capital levels after nearly a decade of severe stress. The following statement can be attributed to Lindsey Johnson, USMI President and Executive Director:

How the GOP's tax plan could affect the real-estate market

Until recently, the mortgage interest deduction was right up there with Social Security as a sacrosanct institution on Capitol Hill, protected by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

Show Down Brewing Between President Trump and Fed Chair Yellen

Trump wants a weaker dollar to help US industrial exports, precisely at the time when the dollar is strengthening due to tighter Fed monetary policy.

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Trump and the dollar: what you need to know

President-elect Donald Trump got Wall Street's attention this week by saying the U.S. dollar is "too strong," warning that a soaring greenback has "disadvantages" for U.S. companies that do a lot of business abroad.

5 changes to watch for on Roosevelt Row in 2017

Roosevelt Row is a neighborhood in flux.

The downtown Phoenix arts district will change this year as new residents move in, a notable business moves out and construction starts on other projects. Some developments are causing community consternation; other people see opportunities in what's to come.

Sunday, January 15, 2017

New $100 Coin Features First-Ever African-American Lady Liberty

Lady Liberty is among the most enigmatic symbols of American democracy. Her qualities are well-known and widely revered: She's benevolent and represents freedom and hope. But what does she look like, anyway? In popular culture, she's almost always depicted in one way: as a white woman. Now, reports Lakshmi Gandhi for NBC News, the U.S. Mint announced historic plans to depict Liberty as an African-American woman on a new gold coin. The $100 coin will be introduced as part of the kickoff of the mint's 225th anniversary year and will be the first in a series that will also depict Liberty as Asian-American, Hispanic-American, and Indian-American.

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