Category: Statistics

Home Mortgage Demand Rises on Lower Rates

By Mike Colpitts Demand for home mortgage purchase applications rose for the first time in more than a month, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association survey. The application for home purchase loan applications rose 4.4% for the week on near record low mortgage rates ending March 9. However, the refinancing share of applications for home… Continue reading Home Mortgage Demand Rises on Lower Rates

Secret Code Separates Mortgage Approval

By Riekie Karstens A loan officer submits a mortgage application for approval from the automated underwriting system, which is used in the mortgage industry to quickly separate the wheat from the chaff to determine whether applicants qualify for a mortgage. A secret code separates the wheat from the chaff in the loan approval process. Creditors… Continue reading Secret Code Separates Mortgage Approval

Mortgages Fall Four Weeks in a Row

By Mike Colpitts Mortgage applications fell for the fourth straight week, indicating a slowdown in the volume of home mortgages for refinancing and home purchases is sustaining a sluggish pattern, despite near record low mortgage rates, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The fall in applications, however, was only 1.2% for the Market Composite Index,… Continue reading Mortgages Fall Four Weeks in a Row

Single Women May Be A Key to Reviving Housing Market

By Kiesha Joseph According to a report by the Joint Center for Housing Studies, single women have been scooping up property like never before. This is great news for not only single women, but for the US housing market as a whole. Many expert realty groups, including the National Association of Realtors, believe single ladies… Continue reading Single Women May Be A Key to Reviving Housing Market

Mortgage Modifications Slip, but Outpace Foreclosures

By Mike Colpitts More than 1-million U.S. home mortgages underwent permanent modifications in 2011, according to the independent alliance of mortgage servicers Hope Now. The figure represents a steep decline of 40% from a year ago, but outpaces the number of foreclosures sold during the year. In December affiliates of the organization completed 80,000 loan… Continue reading Mortgage Modifications Slip, but Outpace Foreclosures

Refinancing Picks Up Speed on Lower Rates

By Mike Colpitts Refinancing picked-up speed as homeowners applied for lower mortgage rates in greater numbers to obtain lower mortgage payments even as home purchase financing slowed, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Almost half or 43% of those refinancing home mortgages chose shorter 15 or 20 year loans during the fourth quarter of 2011,… Continue reading Refinancing Picks Up Speed on Lower Rates

Record Low Mortgage Rates Hold Steady

By Mike Colpitts Record low mortgage rates remained at their all-time record low this week as a troubled world economy jittered financial markets, according to Freddie Mac. The benchmark 30-year fixed rate loan held steady at its lowest level in U.S. history for the second week in a row. The heavily watched 30-year mortgage averaged… Continue reading Record Low Mortgage Rates Hold Steady

Refinances Surge on Record Low Mortgage Rates

By Mike Colpitts Bolstered by a jump in home refinances, home mortgage applications surged higher last week on to nearly a record breaking pace. The Mortgage Bankers Association Refinance Index increased 9.4% from the prior week. The average contracted mortgage rate on a fixed 30-year loan dropped to 4.05%, the lowest in the history of… Continue reading Refinances Surge on Record Low Mortgage Rates

Home Prices Fall Almost 5% in 2011

By Mike Colpitts Home prices fell nearly an average of 5% last year as a result of a troubled U.S. economy, decaying consumer sentiment, high unemployment and a foreclosure crisis that is running out of control, according to real estate research firm Core Logic. The company’s December Home Price Index showed an average 4.7% decline… Continue reading Home Prices Fall Almost 5% in 2011