Money, Wealth & Power—A Daily Look at the Financial World
The era of rock-bottom pandemic mortgages is finally giving way to something more familiar, and for many homeowners the shift is jarring. After years of clinging to 2% and 3% loans, the typical new 30‑year rate is now hovering around 6%, with some offers dipping just under that line. The surprise is not only that…
Mortgage shoppers thought they were finally catching a break. After years of volatility, borrowing costs had slipped back under 6%, only to lurch higher again just as spring house-hunting season loomed. The trigger was not a surprise move from the Federal Reserve or a sudden burst of inflation, but President Donald Trump’s fresh tariff threats…
The Trump administration has quietly turned a niche mortgage backstop into a massive engine of credit, lifting a long standing cap of $40 billion to a headline grabbing $225 billion and beyond. The change, centered on how much mortgage bond risk Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can absorb, is reshaping the flow of money into…
When my mortgage payment jumped by more than $1,000 a month, the shock was physical. I had run the numbers, stress-tested my budget and told myself I was buying safely, yet one envelope from my servicer turned a manageable payment into a source of dread. What I learned, painfully and expensively, is that the real…
The fight over a $22,000 roof in Oklahoma has turned into a test case for how far an insurer can go in trimming storm claims before the state steps in. After a couple said State Farm offered to pay only a small slice of what contractors said it would cost to fix their home, the…
Mortgage rates have finally retreated from their recent peaks, giving homebuyers a sliver of relief and raising hopes that the cost of borrowing could soon feel normal again. The central question now is not whether rates will ease, but how far they can realistically fall in 2026, and whether a return to something starting with…
President Donald Trump is pitching a housing fix that invites Americans to crack open their retirement piggy banks to get a set of house keys. The idea is simple on the surface, letting people tap their 401(k) savings for a down payment without the usual early withdrawal penalty, but the reality of paying that money…
President Donald Trump is preparing a housing proposal that would let first-time buyers pull money from their 401(k) retirement accounts to cover a down payment, effectively turning long term savings into a bridge to homeownership. The idea, previewed by advisers ahead of a planned rollout at a global economic gathering, would mark a significant shift…
Across the United States, a quiet repricing of risk is underway as climate impacts move from abstract forecasts into the fine print of mortgages, insurance policies, and municipal budgets. Financial analysts now warn that extreme weather and rising insurance costs could erase hundreds of billions of dollars in home equity, turning climate exposure into what…
Mortgage rates have tumbled to levels not seen in more than three years, catching many would-be buyers and even long-time homeowners off guard. After a long stretch of painfully high borrowing costs, the sudden drop is reshaping what buyers can afford and how quickly homes are selling. I see a market that is still constrained…