Homeownership rates in the United States have been trending down since the Great Recession. It’s an important trend that significantly impacts the economy and quality of life. But, what are the key drivers of homeownership? How are those drivers changing over time? What can they tell us about the future of homeownership rates? Read More ›

Hard to believe that we’re releasing today the fourth iteration of the monthly First American Loan Application Defect Index, which estimates the frequency of defects in the information submitted in mortgage loan applications. Read More ›

Price appreciation fueled by low interest rates is driving market capacity for existing-home sales above actual existing-home sales First American’s proprietary Existing-Home Sales Capacity (EHS-C) model provides a gauge on whether existing-home sales are under capacity or over capacity based on current market fundamentals. For the month of ... Read More ›

Achieving the American Dream of homeownership and increasing economic mobility – many recognize that these issues are important, but few realize how closely they are related. Consider that in the next 30 years, collectively, minorities will become the new "minority-majority" in the U.S. Read More ›

Home equity is back, baby! And, perhaps more importantly, consumers are beginning to take notice. After 13 consecutive quarters of year-over-year house price growth, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) house price index (HPI), and with the Great Recession squarely in the rear view mirror, borrowers are more frequently tapping ... Read More ›

Every day, title agents play a critical role in residential, commercial and industrial real estate transactions across the U.S. They work hand-in-hand with real estate agents, lenders, and homebuyers and sellers. They are real estate experts. But, how do they (collectively) feel about key real estate market metrics and industry issues? What’s ... Read More ›