By Mike Colpitts Driven by a drop in mortgage rates, home loan activity rose for the first time in five weeks for the week ending March 30th, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The purchase index led the market higher in applications for home loans. The bankers seasonally adjusted purchase index jumped 7.2% for the… Continue reading Mortgage Activity Climbs on Lower Rates
Category: Banks
Mortgage Rates Jump on Higher Treasuries
By Mike Colpitts Higher bond yields paid on U.S. Treasuries pushed mortgage rates higher for the week along with reports on increased hiring by employers. The fixed 30-year mortgage saw a jump to 3.92%, a four basis point nudge up over last week, according to Freddie Mac. Rates on shorter term fixed mortgages and adjustable… Continue reading Mortgage Rates Jump on Higher Treasuries
Banks Should Slash Mortgage Principal
Banks and mortgage lenders should slash the balance on mortgages owed by all homeowners in light of the housing crisis blamed heavily on U.S. bankers, according to a new Housing Predictor opinion poll. The just released survey found that 69% of respondents to the online poll said lenders should reduce mortgage principal for all home… Continue reading Banks Should Slash Mortgage Principal
Positive Growth Ripple Effect Moves to Housing
By Riekie Karstens A U.S. government report confirmed that initial claims for unemployment benefits decreased to the lowest level since 2009, sending a ripple effect of positive growth to housing. The jobless rate fell to 8.3% from 8.5% the prior month. Senior economist at PNC Financial Services Group, Gus Faucher, said the data is further… Continue reading Positive Growth Ripple Effect Moves to Housing
Refinances Dive, Despite Low Mortgage Rates
Home refinances took their sharpest dive since last July as homeowners hoping to refinance current mortgages dried-up, despite near record low mortgage rates, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The drop-off in mortgage applications for refinancing decreased 9.3% from the previous week, indicating that an Obama administration program offered through Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae… Continue reading Refinances Dive, Despite Low Mortgage Rates
Cash Home Sales Climb to More Than One-Third
By Mike Colpitts All cash home purchases climbed to make up more than one in three sales in the final quarter of the year, according to the Campbell Inside Mortgage Finance Housing Pulse survey. At the same time, foreclosures declined slightly. The Campbell survey polls more than 2,500 active real estate agents monthly. Homeowners looking… Continue reading Cash Home Sales Climb to More Than One-Third
Appraisal Headaches Plague Housing Market
By Kevin Chiu A handful of new appraisal services hitting the market to help lenders get a handle on foreclosures and mortgage refinancing are producing headaches for the housing market. But more affordable alternatives to full appraisals are springing up to replace broker price opinions. Street Links Lender Solutions has launched a Liquidation Value Report… Continue reading Appraisal Headaches Plague Housing Market
Mortgage Bankers Urge Single Bond Sales
By Mike Colpitts The president of the nation’s largest mortgage trade group is urging a change in the bonds that are sold to secure home mortgages. David Stevens outlined a new system to inject private capital into the nation’s mortgage market at the Mortgage Bankers Association conference in New York Monday, suggesting that the bonds… Continue reading Mortgage Bankers Urge Single Bond Sales
Plan to Wind Down Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae
By Mike Colpitts For the second time in a year, a branch of the federal government has introduced a plan to wind down the lending of mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The acting administrator of the Federal Housing Finance Agency sent Congress a strategic plan to wind down the lenders over the next… Continue reading Plan to Wind Down Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae
States Mortgage Settlement to Aid Wrongly Foreclosed
By Mike Colpitts The mortgage settlement reached by 49 state attorneys general and the U.S. government requires banks and mortgage servicers to implement changes servicing mortgages, handling foreclosures and attempts to insure the accuracy of information provided to federal bankruptcy courts in an unprecedented manner. The $25-billion agreement requires new bank servicing standards in an… Continue reading States Mortgage Settlement to Aid Wrongly Foreclosed