September housing starts slipped 6.3% to 817,000 (SAAR). Nationally, single family starts slid 12% to 544,000 (SAAR), while the multi-family sector decreased by 16.4%. Regionally, starts contracted in the Northeast (-20.9) and West (-16.8). The South (+0.5%) and Midwest (+5.6%) were both up slightly. Total U.S. permits also declined 8.3% over the August rate to 786,000 million (SAAR).