According to Lynn Fisher, MBA’s Vice President of Research and Economics, new housing starts should increase about 10% in 2017 and just a bit less in 2018. The effect should be to slow the rising prices for existing housing, helping more consumers realize their American Dream. The MBA forecasts that mortgage debt in the US will increase in 2018 to…
Despite rising mortgage rates and increasing home prices, many consumers are feeling good about housing going into the spring buying season. As evidence, Fannie Mae’s monthly index of homebuyer sentiment rose to its highest level since 2011. That’s great news. Woo-Woo! According to Doug Duncan, Chief Economist at Fannie Mae, Millennials showed strong increases in job confidence and income growth.…
The market has been mostly void of private label securities; securities that are not backed by Fannie, Freddie or Ginnie. There are some of these securities being created like the one recently done by Angel Oak of Atlanta. Angel Oak, having previously issued non-rated, mortgage-backed securities, is issuing its first rated transaction. A pool comprised of 529 non-QM loans valued…
Mortgage lenders are facing challenges in 2017 from rising interest rates, rising home prices and fewer refinances. These add up to result in less business. The big question is should lenders relax credit standards to help qualify more homebuyers for financing? Here we go again. Lenders were blamed for relaxed credit standards that led to the crash of ‘08. As…
House Rule 916, the Risk Management and Homeowner Stability Act, was recently introduced as bi-partisan legislation by Representatives Mark Sanford (R-SC) and Brad Sherman (D-CA). The bill is intended to restrict increases in agency Guaranty Fees to finance reforms to the secondary markets and prohibit use by Congress to fund other programs or cover budget shortfalls for such programs. “G-fees”,…
Fraud, misrepresentations, and loan defects are rising as refinances decline and purchase activity increases. According to The First American Financial Corporation, their Loan Application Defect Index rose 5.8% in January 2017, as compared to last year. This trend started in December of 2016. As the industry pushes to qualify more potential homebuyers in a rising rate environment, it experiences more problems…
