Tag Archives: University of Michigan

HUD has issued several grants geared toward research to address disparities in access to mortgage financing and homeownership for borrowers of color and other underserved groups.

A new survey from the University of Michigan has revealed a steep political divide in consumer sentiment and expectations.

While consumers remained positive toward homebuying conditions in the latest survey, the reason for the positive outlook has shifted – prospective homebuyers are now dependent on low mortgage rates as opposed to low home prices. In Q1 2015 surveys, the percentage of consumers citing low home prices was at its lowest level since 2006, while the percentage of consumers who cited low mortgage rates was at a 10-year high.

While Fannie Mae's February 2015 Economic Outlook released on Thursday predicted a boost for housing this year based on strong economic growth, consumers may not be quite convinced, based on two consumer sentiment indices released this week.

According to a report from the group, more consumers reported improvements in their finances in January than any other time in the past decade, and four in 10 cited income gains as the primary reason. Notably, more of those gains are being reported among households with incomes under $75,000, a group that has seen relatively little of the recovery so far.

September's increase in confidence is the result of optimistic outlooks on the overall economy and personal incomes. In fact, of the two components that make up the overall consumer sentiment index—consumer expectations and current conditions—a rise in the former is solely responsible for the positive movement in September.

The increase in the headline index was driven by a more than four-point improvement in the gauge of consumer expectations, which rose to 75.6. On the other hand, the Current Conditions Index fell more a point to 98.5. According to Paul Diggle, U.S. economist for Capital Economics, the small decline "could reflect the weaker pace of payroll growth in August or even the slowdown in some measures of housing market activity."