Free Republic

Mortgage rates plunged to their lowest level in nearly three years on Friday after President Donald Trump said he had ordered a massive government intervention aimed at pushing borrowing costs down. In a surprise post on Truth Social, Trump said he was directing mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy $200 billion worth of mortgage bonds — a move that immediately rippled through financial markets... New figures out this afternoon show the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage dropped 22 basis points to 5.99 percent, according to Mortgage News Daily, matching the lowest level since February 2023...

NEW YORK, Jan 9 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Friday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's administration from freezing access by five Democratic-led states to more than $10 billion of federal funds for child care and family assistance based on what it said were concerns about fraud. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, an appointee of Democratic former President Joe Biden, said he issued a temporary restraining order for the reasons stated in a legal filing by California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York, which filed the lawsuit. The states sued the Trump administration late on Thursday, two days after the...

PROTECTING VENEZUELAN OIL REVENUE: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order declaring a national emergency to safeguard Venezuelan oil revenue held in U.S. Treasury accounts from attachment or judicial process, ensuring these funds are preserved to advance U.S. foreign policy objectives.The Order blocks any attachment, judgment, decree, lien, execution, garnishment, or other judicial process against Foreign Government Deposit Funds. Foreign Government Deposit Funds are defined as the Venezuelan oil revenues and diluent sales held in U.S. Treasury accounts.The Order prohibits transfers or dealings in these funds except as authorized, superseding any prior Orders that might block or regulate...