Ask This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook heads to Texas to plant a garden that attracts butterflies and other pollinators …read more
From:: DIY this old house
How to Plant a Pollinator Garden
Former Wells Mortgage Chief Now on Fannie Board
Three directors elected to Fannie Mae’s board include the former head of Wells Fargo & Co.’s mortgage lending operation.
The Washington-based secondary lender announced that its board of directors elected three new directors to join its board.
The company’s three new directors are reportedly “recognized industry leaders with deep and diverse housing finance expertise.”
…read more
From:: Financing
Mortgage Rates Down, Further Decline Possible
A decline was reported for rates on residential loans this past week, and one indicator suggests that they might descend further.
At 3.60 percent, interest rates on 360-month fixed-rate loans averaged 6 basis points less than the did in the period a week earlier.
Those figures were based on the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey for the week that concluded on June 9, 2016.
…read more
From:: Financing
Mortgage Rates Down, Further Decline Possible
A decline was reported for rates on residential loans this past week, and one indicator suggests that they might descend further.
At 3.60 percent, interest rates on 360-month fixed-rate loans averaged 6 basis points less than the did in the period a week earlier.
Those figures were based on the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey for the week that concluded on June 9, 2016.
…read more
From:: Financing
Sophiris shares rally on promising cancer treatment study
Sophiris Bio Inc. shares surged in the extended session Thursday after the tiny biotech’s prostate cancer treatment showed promising results in a mid-stage clinical study. Sophiris shares rallied 74% to $2.04 on heavy volume after hours. The company said its treatment topsalysin showed an ability to destroy tumor cells in nine out of the 18 prostate cancer patients treated in a clinical study. “These promising early results open up the possibility of treating early prostate cancer by the simple administration of an injection into the prostate – something that could be done in an office setting,” said Mark Emberton, an investigator on the study, in a statement.
Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.
From:: Stock Market News
Rent payments can now be used to build credit
Many changes are coming to the credit industry, including Experian and Yardi’s new solution that will enable property managers to report monthly rent payments. Consumers will be able to build credit by paying their rent on time, but that’s not the only benefit to this new step. …read more
From:: Real Estate Wire
Trade Groups Oppose Language Option on URLA App
Financial industry trade groups are questioning the regulator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac about potentially adding a language preference to the loan application.
A letter was sent from eight groups including the American Bankers Association, Mortgage Bankers Association and National Association of Federal Credit Unions.
The June 8 letter is addressed to Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt. Fannie’s and Freddie’s chief executive officers were both copied in the letter.
…read more
From:: Financing
Mattress Firm shares sag after results, outlook miss
Mattress Firm Holding Corp shares sagged in the extended session Thursday after the mattress retailer’s first-quarter results fell short of expectations. Mattress Firm shares fell 11% to $29.75 after hours. The company reported an adjusted loss of 10 cents a share on revenue of $839.4 million. Mattress Firm had forecast a break-even to a loss of 7 cents a share for the quarter. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had estimated a loss of 4 cents a share on revenue of $867.2 million. For the year, the company sees adjusted earnings of $2.25 to $2.35 a share, compared with the analyst consensus of $2.49 a share.
Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.
From:: Stock Market News
H&R Block shares soar on dividend hike, quarterly earnings
Shares of H&R Block Inc. soared in Thursday’s extended session after the tax services company said it is raising its quarterly dividend by 10% to 22 cents a share. H&R Block reported fourth-quarter earnings of $700.7 million, or $3.13 a share, compared with $738.8 million, or $2.66 a share, a year earlier. On an adjusted basis, the company earned $3.16 a share. Revenue remained flat at $2.3 billion. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had forecast earnings of $3.16 a share on revenue of $2.28 billion. However, H&R Block’s fiscal 2016 revenue fell 1.3% to $3.04 billion while EPS slipped to $1.53 from $1.75, which Chief Executive Bill Cobb characterized as unacceptable. Going forward, the company plans to focus on halting the decline in clients and lowering costs. It also said it will hold annual reviews on dividends and decisions on payouts will hinge on operating results and capital needs. H&R Block shares rose 7% after hours.
Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.
From:: Stock Market News
Urban Outfitters shares drop after second-quarter same-store sales warning
Urban Outfitters Inc. shares fell 6.3% in Thursday after-hours trading after the company’s 10-Q filing said same-store sales in the company’s retail segment for its fiscal second quarter are declining in the mid single-digit percentage range. The retailer, whose brands include Free People, Anthropologie and its namesake Urban Outfitters line, reported first-quarter same-store sales of 1% for the retail segment. Urban Outfitters shares are up 22.8% for the year so far, but down 22.6% for the last 12 months. The S&P 500 is up 1.7% for the last year.
Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.
From:: Stock Market News