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Mortgage rates hit a two-month low this week, remain under 7%

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Mortgage rates continued to trend down.  (iStock)

There’s good news for potential homebuyers: mortgage rates continued to trend down this week. In January, rates hit 7.04%, the highest level since last May. This week, however, 30-year rates dropped to 6.76% for fixed-rate mortgages, according to Freddie Mac.

“This week, mortgage rates decreased to their lowest level in over two months,” Freddie Mac Chief Economist Sam Khater said. “The drop in mortgage rates, combined with modestly improving inventory, is an encouraging sign for consumers in the market to buy a home.”

Last week, 30-year mortgage rates averaged 6.85%, so this week’s drop in rates is somewhat significant. Rates for 15-year mortgages also dropped this week from 6.04% to 5.94% for fixed-rates.

If you think you’re ready to shop around for a home loan, consider using Credible to help you easily compare interest rates from multiple lenders in minutes.

JANUARY INFLATION GIVES FED MORE REASON TO HOLD ON INTEREST RATE CUTS

Home prices are trickling down in some areas

Home prices are dropping in many areas, although they’re still not anywhere near pre-pandemic prices. About 23% of sellers cut their listing prices in January, Zillow found.

“Homeowners are finally coming back to the market as the effects of rate lock ease over time, but buyers are still struggling with high monthly costs,” Zillow Chief Economist Skylar Olsen said.

“Sellers are in a good position and are willing to make price cuts to close a deal,” Olsen said. “Home equity is near record highs, and the general economy and financial markets are surprisingly strong. Homes are selling faster than they did before the pandemic.”

Home values are still up 44% compared to before the pandemic, with prices rising 2.6% from last year. Despite high home prices and stubborn buyers, more sellers are putting their homes on the market as the “rate lock” effect is beginning to weaken.

New listings rose nearly 12% year-over-year in January. Sellers appear tired of waiting for rates to break and are listing their homes in response to various life events. Zillow found that 78% of sellers were influenced by events like a new job or changing family sizes.

Many of these sellers are still getting more than they originally listed their home for. Nearly 25% of homes sold in December of last year sold for more than the original listing price. That’s higher than the 19% of homes before the pandemic.

If you’re looking to purchase a home, Credible can help you find the best mortgage rate for your financial situation.

CALIFORNIA’S HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE INDUSTRY FACES ROUGH ROAD AHEAD AS WILDFIRES CONTINUE

Renting is still more affordable than homebuying in most places

Despite rising rental costs, renting is still, by-and-large, cheaper than owning a home, according to a Realtor.com report.

Pittsburgh and Detroit are the only two metros with lower average listing prices, and they are two of the most affordable cities to buy. The average price in Pittsburgh is $229,700 and is $239,950 in Detroit. Rent is increasing in both these cities, so buying a home may be cheaper in the long run.

“For most Americans, owning a home is still a big part of the American Dream, yet the lower monthly costs of renting in all but two of the 50 largest markets are a key consideration,” Realtor.com Chief Economist Danielle Hale said. “This relative cost advantage is one of the reasons we expect an increase in renter households and declines in the homeownership rate in 2025.”

Renting may be cheaper than owning, but rent costs are still high, even though rents are technically falling in general across the country. Rent costs in January 2025 are lower than in 2024 and 2023, but they still exceed rent prices from January 2020 by $257, Realtor.com found.

To see if you qualify for a mortgage based on your current credit score and salary, visit Credible, where you can compare multiple mortgage lenders at once.

FHFA ANNOUNCES HIGHER MORTGAGE LOAN LIMITS FOR 2025

Have a finance-related question, but don’t know who to ask? Email The Credible Money Expert at [email protected] and your question might be answered by Credible in our Money Expert column.

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Trump CFPB cuts reviewed by Fed inspector general

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Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Russell Vought attends a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 10, 2025.

Nathan Howard | Reuters

The Federal Reserve’s inspector general is reviewing the Trump administration’s attempts to lay off nearly all Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employees and cancel the agency’s contracts, CNBC has learned.

The inspector general’s office told Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., that it was taking up their request to investigate the moves of the consumer agency’s new leadership, according to a June 6 letter seen by CNBC.

“We had already initiated work to review workforce reductions at the CFPB” in response to an earlier request from lawmakers, acting Inspector General Fred Gibson said in the letter. “We are expanding that work to include the CFPB’s canceled contracts.”

The letter confirms that key oversight arms of the U.S. government are now examining the whirlwind of activity at the bureau after Trump’s acting CFPB head Russell Vought took over in February. Vought told employees to halt work, while he and operatives from Elon Musk‘s Department of Government Efficiency sought to lay off most of the agency’s staff and end contracts with external providers.

That prompted Warren and Kim to ask the Fed inspector general and the Government Accountability Office to review the legality of Vought’s actions and the extent to which they hindered the CFPB’s mission. The GAO told the lawmakers in April that it would examine the matter.

“As Trump dismantles vital public services, an independent OIG investigation is essential to understand the damage done by this administration at the CFPB and ensure it can still fulfill its mandate to work on the people’s behalf and hold companies who try to cheat and scam them accountable,” Kim told CNBC in a statement.

The Fed IG office serves as an independent watchdog over both the Fed and the CFPB, and has the power to examine agency records, issue subpoenas and interview personnel. It can also refer criminal matters to the Department of Justice.

Soon after his inauguration, Trump fired more than 17 inspectors general across federal agencies. Spared in that purge was Michael Horowitz, the IG for the Justice Department since 2012, who this month was named the incoming watchdog for the Fed and CFPB.

Horowitz, who begins in his new role at the end of this month, was reportedly praised by Trump supporters for uncovering problems with the FBI’s handling of its probe into Trump’s 2016 campaign.

Meanwhile, the fate of the CFPB hinges on a looming decision from a federal appeals court. Judges temporarily halted Vought’s efforts to lay off employees, but are now considering the Trump administration’s appeal over its plans for the agency.

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GameStop shares tank on convertible bond offering to potentially buy more bitcoin

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A Gamestop store is seen in Union Square on April 4, 2025 in New York City. 

Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images

GameStop shares slid on Thursday after the video game retailer and meme stock announced plans for a $1.75 billion convertible notes offering to potentially fund its new bitcoin purchase strategy.

The company said it intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes, “including making investments in a manner consistent with GameStop’s Investment Policy and potential acquisitions.”

Part of the investment policy is to add cryptocurrencies on its balance sheet. Last month, GameStop bought 4,710 bitcoins, worth more than half a billion dollars.

The stock tanked more than 15% in premarket trading following the announcement.

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GameStop

GameStop is following in the footsteps of software company MicroStrategy, now known as Strategy, which bought billions of dollars worth of bitcoin in recent years to become the largest corporate holder of the flagship cryptocurrency. That decision prompted a rapid, albeit volatile, rise for Strategy’s stock.

Strategy has issued various forms of securities including convertible debt to fund its bitcoin purchases.

CEO Ryan Cohen recently said GameStop’s decision to buy bitcoin is driven by macro concerns as the digital coin, with its fixed supply and decentralized nature, could serve as protection against certain risks.

The brick-and-mortar retailer reported a decline in fiscal first-quarter revenue on Tuesday as demand for online gaming rose. Its revenue dropped 17% year-over-year to $732.4 million. 

The shares fell 6% on Wednesday after those results. Wall Street appears uncertain it can mimic the success of MicroStrategy.

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter reiterated his underperform rating on GameStop Wednesday, saying the meme stock has consistently capitalized on “greater fools” willing to pay more than twice its asset value for its shares. The Wedbush analyst believes the bitcoin buying strategy makes little sense as the company, already trading at 2.4 times cash, isn’t likely to drive an even greater premium by converting more cash to crypto.

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