Today’s News Synopsis:

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs offered housing grants to disabled veterans as a way to say thank you for their service.  Home prices increased again to a new high at 1.3% month-over-month and 5.8% year-over-year.  Meanwhile, Redfin reported a 9.2% increase in their housing demand index.

In The News:

Realtor.com – “Honoring Their Sacrifice: Disabled Veterans Receive New Homes” (5-29-2017)

“The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs offers two types of housing grants to help veterans who were injured during their military service.”

Black Knight Financial Services – “Black Knight Home Price Index Report: March 2017 Transactions” (5-30-2017)

“Today, the Data and Analytics division of Black Knight Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE: BKFS) released its latest Home Price Index (HPI) report, based on March 2017 residential real estate transactions.”

CNBC – “Global Real Estate Booms Again, and the Big Housing Bargains are Outside the US” (5-30-2017)

“After years of being hammered, housing prices in Europe — and Asia, too — are finally surging.  And they’re rising faster than in the United States, where the housing market has been hot, even in faraway places like Iceland.”

Bloomberg – “Fed’s Brainard Says Soft Inflation May Warrant Rate Rethink” (5-30-2017)

“Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard said soft inflation could cause her to reassess the path forward for monetary policy should it linger, even as the global economic outlook brightens and U.S. growth looks poised to rebound.”

DS News – “Ocwen Sues FIS Over Alleged Inflated Billing” (5-30-2017)

“Ocwen Financial Corp. has filed a lawsuit in California Superior Court alleging that Fidelity Information Services LLC (FIS) inflated its monthly rate and charged Ocwen for a variety of expenses while serving as its monitor for a 2015 mortgage servicing settlement case”

Redfin – “Redfin Housing Demand Index Ticks Back up as Prime Selling Season Commences” (5-30-2017)

“The Redfin Housing Demand Index increased 9.2 percent from March to a seasonally adjusted level of 121 in April, according to Redfin (www.redfin.com), the next-generation real estate brokerage.”

The Seattle Times – “Seattle housing market tops nation in bidding wars and price gains” (5-30-2017)

“As Seattle tops the country for home price growth for the seventh straight month, the local real estate market has gotten so competitive that it’s now nearly impossible to avoid a bidding war.”

Bloomberg – “U.S. Consumer Spending Signals Second-Quarter Rebound On Track” (5-30-2017)

“The consumer is on track for a second-quarter comeback after a weak stretch at the start of the year, as Americans kept up spending in line with income gains in April, Commerce Department figures showed Tuesday.”