The number of Americans who feel they could get a mortgage is on the rise, according to the most recent National Housing Survey from Fannie Mae. In fact, 52 percent of survey respondents said they feel it would be easy to get a home mortgage today, the highest in survey history. At the same time, the number of participants who said it would be difficult fell to an all-time survey low. Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae’s chief economist, said the change is welcome news but noted that consumer confidence in the housing market is still lagging behind perception of the economy as a whole. “Despite consistent and robust job growth in recent months, consumer attitudes toward housing remained cautious in the final month of 2014,” Duncan said. This, however, is not such a surprising development due to the long-term financial commitment required to buy a house. According to Duncan, prospective home buyers want to be absolutely sure their personal finances can withstand potential downside risks to the economy. Still, the share of respondents who say the economy is headed in the right direction rose 5 percent in December and the number who said it isn’t fell for the fifth straight month. Also, 64 percent of respondents said it was a good time to buy a house. More here.