Mortgage rates climb to highs not seen in more than a year – According to the latest data released Thursday by Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate average shot up to 4.32 percent with an average 0.6 point. (Points are fees paid to a lender equal to 1 percent of the loan amount.) It was 4.22 percent a week ago and 4.17 percent a year ago. The 30-year fixed rate has risen about 40 basis points (a basis point is 0.01 percentage point) since the start of the year and hasn’t been this high since December 2016.

New foreclosures fell to record low numbers in 2017 – There was an increase in total mortgage defaults during the fourth quarter but that rise has to be measured in context of what had been a favorable environment prior to the third-quarter storms.

Japan’s real estate lending slows amid housing glut – TOKYO — Japanese real estate financing retreated 5.2% in 2017, the first drop in six years, with banks slowing lending for apartment construction amid higher vacancy rates.