Category Archives: Mortgages

Screw you FHA

Posted on July 22, 2014 by grim

From Housingwire: JPMorgan’s Dimon threatens to quit FHA loans JPMorgan Chase’s (JPM) CEO says his bank is considering getting out of the FHA mortgage origination business altogether. Notably, with the second quarter’s 66% year-over-year plunge in originations reported last week, … Continue reading →

Posted in Mortgages, Politics, Risky Lending | 124 Comments

Nobody wants a mortgage?

Posted on June 27, 2014 by grim

From the NYT: Fewer Loan Applications Spring failed to inspire a surge in home sales nationally this year, even though mortgage rates are still reasonably low. Although economists insist that the housing market is on an upward trend, abnormal conditions … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Employment, Housing Recovery, Mortgages, National Real Estate | 68 Comments

HARP falls short of hitting goals

Posted on May 29, 2014 by grim

From HousingWire: Did HARP fail 8 million homeowners? According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the volume of mortgage refinance under the Home Affordable Refinance Program is continuing to decline. And in an environment of rising mortgage rates, this is … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreclosures, Housing Recovery, Mortgages, Politics | 188 Comments

No quick end to NJ’s foreclosure crisis

Posted on May 27, 2014 by grim

From the Press of Atlantic City: New Jersey leads nation in foreclosures New Jersey now leads the nation with the highest percentage of loans in foreclosure, the Mortgage Bankers Association says. South Jersey is also mired in the problem. Sheriff’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Foreclosures, Housing Bubble, Mortgages, New Jersey Real Estate | 84 Comments

Surprise! GSEs to stick around, and lend more.

Posted on May 21, 2014 by grim

From MarketWatch: Fannie, and Freddie aren’t going away, Watt says One of the country’s biggest political footballs, housing finance reform, took some funny bounces over the past week. Most notable were the first public appearances by the government’s new point … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, Mortgages, National Real Estate, Politics | 92 Comments

Shadows no longer looming over market

Posted on April 4, 2014 by grim

From Investors Business Daily: Housing Recovery Boosted By Drop In Shadow Inventory The housing market got more evidence that it’s on the road to recovery Thursday with new data showing a sharp decline in “shadow inventory,” or seriously delinquent homes … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreclosures, Housing Recovery, Mortgages, National Real Estate | 74 Comments

Will 2014 be the strongest year since the bust?

Posted on March 18, 2014 by grim

From HousingWire: Economist: 3 major things you need to know about the 2014 housing market No. 1: 2014 should prove to be the strongest year for housing activity since before the Great Recession. … Propelling home sales are job growth … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Housing Recovery, Mortgages, National Real Estate | 101 Comments

Locked In: Why you better learn to love low inventory

Posted on March 15, 2014 by grim

From the NY Times: Fallout From Refinancing Homeowners who refinanced when fixed mortgage rates dropped below 4 percent will be less inclined to put their homes on the market as interest rates climb. And as a result, the limited property … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Housing Recovery, Mortgages | 75 Comments

Bye bye Freddie and Fannie?

Posted on March 12, 2014 by grim

From Bloomberg: U.S. Wind-Down Bill Clips Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Shares Leaders of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee announced long-awaited plans to dismantle Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, pushing the companies’ common shares to their biggest intraday drop in 10 … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, Mortgages, Politics | 156 Comments

Pay Up!

Posted on February 20, 2014 by grim

From UPI: Monthly home payments climb, while incomes stagnate Monthly payments on U.S. homes jumped 21 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012 from a year earlier, a survey of 325 counties found. Online housing marketplace and research firm RealtyTrac … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Housing Recovery, Mortgages, National Real Estate | 102 Comments

Mortgage delinquencies dropping – but not fast enough

Posted on February 13, 2014 by grim

From HousingWire: Mortgage delinquency rate hits 5-year record low The mortgage delinquency rate hit the lowest level in 5 years and dropped below 4% for the first time since 2008. According to TransUnion’s latest mortgage delinquency report, the rate of … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreclosures, Mortgages, National Real Estate | 117 Comments

Tidal wave of resets? Not likely

Posted on February 8, 2014 by grim

From the NYT: Repaying Home Equity Loans Borrowers who opened home-equity lines of credit at the height of the housing bubble should brace for stiff increases in their monthly payments. Helocs, as they’re known, were aggressively marketed from 2004 to … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Housing Recovery, Mortgages | 42 Comments

HARP 3 not quite dead yet

Posted on February 6, 2014 by grim

From HousingWire: Find out who wants to force HARP 3.0 A homeowner advocacy group wants to make HARP 3.0 happen, and they’ve launched a petition to do just that. The group, makeharp3happen.com, launched a new “We the People” Whitehouse.gov petition … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing Recovery, Mortgages, Politics | 55 Comments

David Stern Disbarred

Posted on January 14, 2014 by grim

From Mother Jones: Fallen Foreclosure King David J. Stern Disbarred The long, legal saga of David J. Stern, the south Florida attorney who made a fortune off the wave of home foreclosures stemming from the housing crisis, has reached its … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreclosures, Mortgages, National Real Estate | 126 Comments

NJ’s inability to foreclose costs everyone

Posted on December 12, 2013 by grim

From HousingWire: Four states face sticker shock from g-fees, adverse market fees Four states failed to make the exclusive list of 46 states that no longer have to provide the upfront 25-basis point adverse market fee: New York, New Jersey, … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreclosures, Mortgages, Politics | 114 Comments