Construction Permits Rise, Housing Starts Flat

Washington, DC, March 18, 2014 -- House construction starts were essentially flat in February while construction permits rose to the highest level since October, according to the Commerce Department.

Construction starts fell 0.2% to an annual rate of 907,000 last month from  909,000 in January.

Permits increased 7.7% to an annual rate of 1.02 million.

Multi-family permits spiked 24.3%, while permits for single-family homes fell 1.8%.