Interest Rate News

WASHINGTON, D.C.

• Federal Reserve maps show key areas of concern

• What color is your state?

• Scroll down to the bottom for the website link

The Federal Reserve System now has a set of dynamic maps and data … Read more >

After two weeks of nice declines, mortgage rates rose during the week, back to the levels seen at the end of February. March was an extremely volatile month, with large daily swings a common occurrence. Investors bought mortgage backed securities … Read more >

Tuesday, the Fed’s surprise announcement of a new $200 billion lending facility led to a 400 plus point rally in the Dow, the biggest one day percentage gain since March 2003. The effect on mortgage rates was also favorable. The … Read more >

In a week packed with major economic news, the biggest story for mortgage markets was the widening spread between mortgage backed securities and Treasury bonds. Issued by the US government, Treasury bonds are generally considered to be the benchmark for … Read more >

Effective today the new maximum FHA loan limit for Olmsted county has increased to $271,050.  FHA allows a little more flexibility for borrowers with less then perfect credit or down-payment money that is being gifted to them. This is also  … Read more >

The biggest economic news of the week was expected to come from Fed Chief Bernanke, but a surprise announcement from OFHEO had the greatest impact on mortgage markets. Wednesday, OFHEO, the government regulator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, announced … Read more >