Good morning! Today is Friday, December 4. Joe Biden said he will join former Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton in getting the Covid-19 vaccine in public to demonstrate its safety. California issues a regional stay-at-home order after Covid cases spike. The DOJ is suing Facebook for illegally reserving high-paying jobs for immigrant workers it was sponsoring for permanent residence and for failing to adequately search for U.S. hires.
And in mortgage and housing news …
NEW RECORD: The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped to its lowest level in history again this week, according to Freddie Mac’s weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey.
FORECLOSURE BAN: The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will extend the moratoriums on single-family foreclosures and real estate owned evictions until at least January 31.
FHA MILLENNIALS: For younger millennials, FHA loans have become a go-to pick for buying a home.
MARYLAND EVICTIONS: Homeowners are still in danger of evictions and foreclosures, despite federal and state orders and protections.
ADVERSE FEE EXEMPTION: Some may be exempt from the new refinance fee.
IBUYERS: iBuyer offers are getting weaker, and total iBuyer purchases plummeted 82 percent year over year in Q3.
OREGON SUED: Discount brokerage REX brokerage is suing Oregon officials, including Gov. Kate Brown, for ‘antitrust’ practices, alleging a law that bans brokerages from providing rebates harms consumers.
BIG RISK: A potential wave of bankruptcies and a collapse in the commercial real estate market in the United States could weigh heavily on smaller banks, a regulatory panel said on Thursday in an assessment of risks to financial stability from the pandemic.