(RECAP: Fewer consumers feel that now is a excellent time to buy than ever before, according to new survey results released Monday by Fannie Mae. Fannie’s latest Home Buy Sentiment Index, which reflects consumers’ current views and forward-looking expectations of housing market conditions, showed that the net share of Americans who say that now is a excellent time to buy a house fell 3 percentage points to 30%, reaching an all-time survey low. This month’s survey results come on the heels of the previous month’s survey, which showed consumers had less confidence in the housing market than they had for 18 months.)

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(RECAP: The average cost for home builders to comply with regulations for new home construction has increased by nearly 30% over the last five years, according to new research from the National Association of Home Builders. Regulatory costs such as local impact fees, storm-water discharge permits and new construction codes, which have risen at roughly the same rate as the average price for new homes, make it increasingly hard for builders to pursue affordable single-family construction projects, the group argues. Other recent surveys have also suggested that builders are contending with steeper costs than they have in the past. A study this week from housing research firm Zelman & Associates found that local infrastructure “impact fees” have increased by 45% on average since 2005 in 37 key home building markets across the country, to about $21,000 per home.)

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(RECAP: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau unveiled a proposed rule Thursday to restrict the use of arbitration clauses in consumer financial contracts, a step that would shift power to consumers and away from companies for a wide range of financial products from credit cards to bank accounts to private student loans. The CFPB aims to prohibit financial companies from using mandatory-arbitration clauses in contracts with consumers as a way to block class-action lawsuits and force customers into private negotiations to solve disputes. The clauses have become standard in recent years, aided by a string of court rulings that have limited consumers’ ability to file lawsuits.)

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