Consumer confidence dips in New England

Consumer confidence across America, which has now declined for four consecutive months, has been weakest in the New England region over the last year, according to an analysis released by The Conference Board. This region includes Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.

The Conference Board's widely watched Consumer Confidence Index for New England is now 77.9 (November), down from 87.7 the previous month.  more...

Interest rate concerns drive real estate market

Home sellers' concerns about rising interest rates helped drive the residential real estate market to new heights in California in 2004, with the Boomer Generation dominating the market, accounting for 74 percent of all home sales, according to the California Association of Realtors' "Survey of California Sellers," released Thursday.  more...

KB Home annual earnings rise to $481 million

KB Home, one of the largest home builders in the United States and France, reported record annual revenues of $7.05 billion in 2004, up 21 percent from $5.85 billion in 2003. The growth was driven by a 16 percent increase in unit deliveries to 31,646 this year, up from 27,331 in 2003.

The builder reported annual net income of $480.9 million, up 30 percent from $370.8 million in 2003. Earnings per share rose 30 percent to $11.40 in 2004, from $8.80 last year.  more...

New credit score monitoring service debuts

Credit reporting agency Equifax and myFICO.com, a division of Fair Isaac Corp., have launched a credit score monitoring service that allows consumers to track their FICO credit score and see how it impacts interest rates they're likely to be offered.  more...

Overnight real estate rates rise

Long-term mortgage interest rates were higher Thursday, and the benchmark 10-year Treasury bond yield gained to 4.18 percent.

The 30-year fixed-rate average climbed to 5.28 percent, and the 15-year fixed-rate increased to 4.7 percent. The 1-year adjustable was up at 3.43 percent.

The 30-year Treasury bond yield jumped to 4.82 percent.

Rates are current as of 7:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.  more...