Good morning! Today is Thursday, May 20. Investors have shunned riskier assets including bitcoin, dogecoin and ether this week. Europe has agreed to reopen to vaccinated travelers. Massachusetts will lift all Covid-19 restrictions for fully vaccinated people May 29.
And in mortgage and housing news …
MORTGAGE APPS: The Mortgage Note reports that mortgage applications increased 1.2 percent for the week, according to the latest report released by the Mortgage Bankers Association.
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE: Undeterred by empty offices and hotel rooms, investors continue to bet on commercial real estate.
TAPPABLE HOME EQUITY: Home equity is at a record high. Here’s how to tap your house for needed cash.
CFPB COMPLAINTS: Homeowner complaints to federal mortgage regulators have one thing in common.
INSURANCE REFORM: Senators still can’t find common ground on flood insurance reform.
FORECLOSURE/EVICTION BAN END: The pandemic-influenced moratorium on foreclosures will end in June, while millions of homeowners are also slated to exit their yearlong forbearance periods.
MARKET REFERENCE POINT: What $828,000 buys you in California’s real estate market.
HOME INSPECTIONS: Buying a home? Here’s what to do if the inspection turns up problems.
UNDERBANKED: Wells Fargo rolls out 10-year effort to boost options for underbanked.
BANK STOCKS: Investors, eager to get exposure to an economic recovery, are pouring into bank stocks like never before, putting the stocks on track for what could be their best year on record.