While Banks and non-bank mortgage lenders battle it out to capture a larger slice of a shrinking pie, Marketplace Lenders have appeared on the mortgage lending scene to upset the pie chart. What effects will such lenders have on the future of mortgage lending, and how it gets done? What is a “Marketplace Lender”? Presently, these are non-bank lenders offering…
Home Equity and Cash-Out Refi’s On The Rise
It looks as though home refinancing may be down, but not yet out. Although overall home refinancing has declined, lenders are beginning to see a slight resurgence in requests for cash out refinances. This is due to the increase in home equity, the continued low-interest rates and an increase in consumer debt. Current homeowners see an opportunity to trade high-interest…
Know Your Millennial Customer
Did you know that more Millennial women than men made FHA financed, primary home purchases in 2016? This was reported by Ellie Mae based on information obtained from their Millennial Tracker Report. Who knew such a tracking mechanism existed, but obviously it does. Based on the report, the use of FHA financing to purchase their primary home was: 41% of…
Consumer’s Got a New Attitude on Housing
Seems not everyone is upset by the election of our new President. According to Fannie Mae’s January Home Purchase Sentiment Index, consumers have a more positive outlook for housing. That’s a good thing. Patti LaBelle sang it like this… I’m feeling good from my hat to my shoe Know where I’m going and I know what to do I’ve tidied…
No Love for Trump’s Executive Order on Regulatory Restrictions
Happy Valentine’s Day, Mr. President. Another Executive Order (EO) bites the dust. This time the EO issued for Reducing Regulations and Controlling Regulatory Costs. According to a memorandum issued by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs’ acting Administrator, Dominic Mancini, the requirements outlined in Section 2 of the EO do not apply to all agencies. One agency that is…
Consumer Confidence Index Sends Mixed Signals
The Consumer Confidence Index, as measured and reported by the Conference Board of New York, slipped slightly in January after hitting a record high in December. This may be somewhat due to consumers settling in after the November elections. Although the Expectations Index fell to 99.8 from 106.4, the Present Situation Index actually increased to 129.7 from 123.5. So, it…