Are you aware that on July 1st, the three (3) credit repositories, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, are going to stop most of the reporting of information on consumer’s civil judgments and tax liens? Yup, that’s their plan and they’re stickin’ to it. Since this information has a negative impact on the consumer’s credit profile, removal will have the effect of an…
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…
The current Administration is talking about making changes to modify or completely replace the Dodd-Frank Act. However, a new report out of Washington says it’s doing just fine. According to the FDIC, in the 4th quarter of 2016, banks reported profits of $45.6 billion. This is up compared to the period just after the 2008 crash of only $21.4 billion…
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…
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…
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…
