Jun. 5, 2007: Praying to St. Joseph? And if you don’t like a credit score…

Did you know that St. Joseph is viewed by some to be the patron saint of house buyers and sellers? Some sellers bury a plastic statue of St. Joseph in their yard before selling the house. Sales of the statue have increased amid a decline in the housing market, and the statue can be found in religious goods stores, gift shops, and some hardware stores. It is believed that Joseph was a carpenter, the husband of Mary and the earthly father of Jesus. The tradition of burying his statue to help sell a home is supposed to include prayers to St. Joseph. And, when you sell the home, you’re supposed to dig up the statue and put it in your new home.

If you don’t like your credit score, just change it! Check out this niche business – I am always amazed at the cleverness of those who seek to circumvent the system to the detriment of honest lenders and borrowers:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070603/ap_on_bi_ge/cash_for_credit;_yltAuC2RMnT8MXhYBOCwI96UjYDW7oF

Are there too many realtors? http://www.rismedia.com/wp/2007-05-17/average-realtor-productivity-collapses/

The 10-yr is back up to 4.95% (the 2-yr is at 4.97%) and European rates are the highest they’ve been in several years. The recent sell-off (worsening) seems to be continuing as the markets increase the chances for a Fed increase given recent bullish economic data. Mortgage prices are worse by about .125. The revised 1st Quarter Productivity and Costs report will be released later this morning. This data measures employee output and employer costs for wages & benefits. It is considered to be a measurement of wage inflation and is thought to allow low inflationary economic growth when productivity is high. Overall, there isn’t much data scheduled to drive mortgage rates this week. This makes the stock markets the likely influence on day-to-day trading again.