The financial news that actually matters
The 30-year fixed mortgage rate climbed to 6.21% for the week ending May 22, 2026, up 11 basis points from 6.10% the week before, according to the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey tracked through the Federal Reserve’s FRED database. The jump snapped a brief downward streak and arrived during a week when energy-driven inflation,…
Home insurance premiums are rising for the 5th straight year — California faces a 16% jump after the LA wildfires When State Farm sent renewal notices to roughly one million California policyholders this spring, the number at the bottom was 17% higher than the year before. That single rate hike, the largest a named carrier…
Just five months ago, a homebuyer could lock in a 30-year fixed mortgage at 5.75%. That window has closed. The average rate climbed to 6.46% in late May 2026, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the highest reading in roughly seven months and a painful reversal for anyone who assumed borrowing costs would…
Of the 129 largest metropolitan areas tracked by the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s House Price Index, 39 lost value in the first quarter of 2025. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida, posted the steepest decline among major metros, with the FHFA repeat-sales index showing a year-over-year drop of approximately 9%. Detroit posted the largest gain, with the…
In January, a buyer putting 20% down on a $400,000 home could lock in a 30-year fixed mortgage near 5.75%, making the monthly principal-and-interest payment about $2,334. Five months later, that same loan costs roughly $2,520 a month. The 30-year fixed rate has climbed to 6.46%, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey, and…
For much of the past two years, the spring homebuying season has been a season in name only. Mortgage rates above 6%, stubbornly high prices, and a shortage of listings kept would-be buyers on the sidelines while sellers refused to give up their locked-in low rates. That dynamic is finally starting to crack. For the…
Better Home & Finance and Coinbase launched what they call the first conforming mortgage that lets borrowers pledge cryptocurrency as a down payment instead of converting it to cash. The product is designed so that finished loans can be sold to Fannie Mae on the secondary market, just like any other conventional home loan. Only…
For three straight weeks, mortgage rates had been drifting lower, giving spring homebuyers a reason to feel cautiously optimistic. That streak ended abruptly. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate climbed to 6.30% for the week ending April 30, 2026, up from 6.23% the prior week, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. The 15-year…
When State Farm locked in a 17% rate hike on California homeowners policies this spring, it confirmed what many policyholders already suspected: the January 2025 wildfires that burned through Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and surrounding communities did not just destroy neighborhoods. They broke the economics of insuring a home in the nation’s most populous state. Insurify,…
Not long ago, buying a home in Austin meant racing against a dozen other offers and waiving inspections just to stay competitive. That frenzy has faded. The median home value across the Austin-Round Rock metro area settled to roughly $530,000 as of the first quarter of 2026, according to closed-sale data tracked by Redfin and…