Low interest rates add new curve to real estate financing - 2003-08-04
Permanent or mini-perm loan? This year, the decision has some new curves due to the fact that interest rates are at their lowest levels since the late 1950s.

So is this summer a time to look for long-term, fixed-rate permanent loans - up to 10 years at about 6 percent interest - or is it time to look for shorter-term, mini-perm loans with interest rates in the 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent range?
Read the full story at South Florida Business Journal

Fed sees new signs of growth - 2003-08-04
America's economy, which has been cruising along, displayed fresh signs of gaining momentum in June and the first half of July, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday in its latest snapshot of U.S. business activity.

The Fed's report said that housing sales remained strong across various districts, helped by low mortgage rates. Rates have climbed recently, which is slowing home-mortgage refinancing activity and could dampen home sales a bit, economists say.
Read the full story at Builder Online