The program expands access to refinancing for qualified individuals and families whose homes have lost value. HARP has grown over the past year. Through 2010, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac purchased or guaranteed more than 6.8 million refinanced mortgages. Of this total, 621,803 were HARP refinances with LTVs between 80 percent and 125 percent. This is up from 190,180 in 2009, when HARP began.

Homeowners can visit www.MakingHomeAffordable.gov for more information on the program.

Notice of Default filings declined 12.8 percent month-over-month and Notice of Trustee Sale filings decreased 12.5 percent from the prior month. On a year-over-year basis, Notice of Default filings fell 29.6 percent and Notice of Trustee Sale filings declined 17 percent from February 2010. Activity on the courthouse steps slowed with fewer sales leading to a 24.5 percent decrease in sales Back to Bank and a 20.3 percent drop in properties purchased by Third Parties, typically investors. For the first time, Third Party investors saw a drop in the average Time to Resell a property, down 3.1 percent to 156 days.

In contrast, the survey of consumer confidence at the national level conducted by the University of Michigan showed a reading of 77.5 in the month of February, higher than the November reading of 71.6.

The California Composite Index is generated based on three indices: Consumers’ outlook on current economic conditions, consumers’ outlook on future economic conditions, and an index measuring consumers’ spending plan.

The index measuring current economic conditions rose approximately 3 points to a reading of 80.1 in February compared with November’s reading of 76.9, while the index measuring future economic conditions decreased to 100.1 in February, a decline of 9 points from a reading of 109.1 in November of 2010. The index measuring consumers’ planned spending on big-ticket items showed steady improvement, increasing to 82.9.

Freddie Mac said Tuesday the average rate on the 15-year fixed mortgage, a popular refinance option, dropped to 3.97 percent from 4.15 percent. The last time the rate was below 4 percent was in mid-December. It reached 3.57 percent in November, the lowest level on records dating back to 1991.

The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 4.76 percent from 4.88 percent the previous week. It hit a 40-year low of 4.17 percent in November.

Mortgage rates tend to track the yield on the 10-year Treasury note. Those yields have tumbled as investors sought safer investments.

Low mortgage rates haven’t been enough to jumpstart the housing market. Home construction last month plunged to its lowest level in almost two years, while building permits, an indicator of future housing activity, sank to a five-decade low, the government said this week.

Homebuilders remain pessimistic about the outlook for housing. High unemployment, a record number of foreclosures and tough credit standards have kept many people from buying homes. And most economists don’t expect home values to bottom out until midyear, another factor dissuading potential homebuyers.

To calculate average mortgage rates, Freddie Mac collects rates from lenders across the country on Monday through Wednesday of each week. Rates often fluctuate significantly, even within a single day.

The average rate on a five-year adjustable-rate mortgage fell to 3.57 percent from 3.73 percent. The five-year hit 3.25 percent last month, the lowest rate on records dating back to January 2005.

The average rate on one-year adjustable-rate home loans slipped to 3.17 percent from 3.21 percent. That is the lowest level in a year for the one-year ARM rate.

The rates do not include add-on fees, known as points. One point is equal to 1 percent of the total loan amount. The average fee for the 30-year fixed loan and 15-year fixed loan in Freddie Mac’s survey was 0.7 point. The average fee for the five-year ARM and the 1-year ARM was 0.6 point.

Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California totaled a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 497,660 in February, according to information collected by C.A.R. from more than 90 local REALTOR® associations and MLSs statewide.

February’s sales were down 9 percent from January’s revised pace of 547,080 units, and down 4 percent from the 518,390 sales pace recorded in February 2010. The statewide sales figure represents what would be the total number of homes sold during 2011 if sales maintained the February pace throughout the year. It is adjusted to account for seasonal factors that typically influence home sales.

The median price of an existing, single-family detached home sold in California in February declined 2.8 percent to $271,320, from a revised $279,140 in January, and was down 2.5 percent from the $278,190 median price recorded for February 2010. The February 2011 median price was the lowest since May 2009, when it was $263,440.

“The market pulled back in February, following three months of sales gains, when the ramifications of the robo-signing delays from last fall pushed sales into the period from November of last year to January,” said C.A.R. Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young. “February’s sales drop indicates the effects of the foreclosure freeze are diminishing, and the market is returning to a more moderate sales pace.”

C.A.R. has posted median prices, unsold inventory stats, sales figures, time on market data, and more by county and region. To view this information, visit http://www.car.org/newsstand/newsreleases/feb2011salesprice/.

Key features of KnowYourOptions.com include:
• Interactive Options Finder to help homeowners identify options that might be right for their situation;
• Calculators to help borrowers understand how many of the options work, including refinance, repayment, forbearance, and modification;
• Videos featuring real homeowners discussing how they received help and housing counselors providing advice;
• A virtual assistant to walk homeowners through key areas of the site; and
• Next steps and helpful forms, including a financial checklist and contact log to help borrowers be prepared when contacting their mortgage company or housing counselor.
Fannie Mae plans to implement a comprehensive marketing outreach campaign to raise awareness about the site and also intends to use the site as a vehicle to roll out new options for borrowers that are currently being developed.

The Emergency Homeowners Loan Program will provide assistance to homeowners by offering eligible borrowers a declining balance, deferred payment “bridge loan” (zero percent interest, non-recourse, subordinate loan) for up to $50,000 to assist with payments on their mortgage principal, interest, mortgage insurance, taxes, and hazard insurance for up to 24 months.
Under the program, eligible borrowers must:
• Be at least three months delinquent in their payments and have a reasonable likelihood of being able to resume repayment of their mortgage payments and related housing expenses within two years;
• Have a mortgage property that is the principal residence of the borrower, and eligible borrowers may not own a second home;
• Demonstrate a good payment record prior to the event that produced the reduction of income.
HUD will announce additional details, including the targeted communities and other program specifics when the program is officially launched in the coming weeks.