DSNews By: Carrie Bay, 1/24/2014 An estimated 44,000 homeowners received permanent loan modifications from mortgage servicers during the month of November under both proprietary servicer programs and the government’s Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), HOPE NOW reports. While that total represents a 12 percent decrease from the 50,000 loan mods completed in October, the most recent […]
Housing Recovery Unmoved by Rising Interest Rates
DSNews BY: KRISTA FRANKS-BROCK January 23, 2014 Mortgage rates may be rising, but the housing market doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, several indicators have improved alongside rising rates, according to the HousingPulse Tracking Survey released by Campbell Surveys and Inside Mortgage Finance this week. The lending atmosphere is becoming friendlier, especially to first-time buyers. Simultaneously, the average […]
Mortgage Rates Pull Back Further
DSNews BY: Tory Barringer, 1/16/2014 December’s “discouraging jobs report” caused mortgage rates to pull back once again this week. “discouraging jobs report” weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey shows the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) falling to an average rate of 4.41 percent (0.7 point) for the week ending January 16, down from 4.51 percent last week. A […]
Freddie Mac: Short Sales More Attainable Than Homeowners Think
DSNews – BY: Krista Franks Brock, 1/13/2014 When a homeowner is unable to make their mortgage payments or owes more on the home than it’s worth, a short sale can be a viable option that avoids the negative implications of a foreclosure for both the homeowner and the mortgage-holder. However, common perceptions […]
Are ‘Tortoise’ Markets Beating ‘Hares’ In Home Price Recovery?
DSNews – BY: Krista Franks Brock – 1/6/2014 After observing a “first in, first out” recovery over the past year in which markets hardest hit during the housing downturn experienced the fastest-paced recovery, Clear Capital is now examining whether the housing market, in fact, follows the allegory of “The Tortoise and the Hare.” The analytics firm observed […]
Regulator Reports Improving Loan Performance for 4th Straight Quarter
DSNews, BY: Carrie Bay, 1/07/2014 The performance of first-lien mortgages serviced by large national and federal savings banks continued to improve in the third quarter of 2013, reports the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). It marked the fourth consecutive quarter the agency has recorded greater loan performance among regulated entities. The regulator’s latest report […]
Jobs, Population Growth, Low Prices Create Investment Opportunities
DSNews BY: Carrie Bay 12/30/2013 Analysts at HomeVestors and Local Market Monitor say the formula for a nearly risk-free single-family investment opportunity is one part job growth, particularly in lower paying jobs, and one part population growth, mixed with relatively low home prices. The fourth quarter report put out jointly by the two companies aggregates […]
Trulia Economist Sees 2014 as ‘Year of the Repeat Homebuyer’
DSNews – BY: Krista Franks Brock December 30, 2013 As prices continue rising in the new year—albeit at a slower pace—investors will begin to ease back from the purchase market, but repeat homebuyers will be there to pick up the slack, according to Trulia’s predictions for the housing market in 2014. “2013 was the year […]
Wells Fargo, SunTrust Reach Repurchase Agreement with Freddie Mac
DSNews – By TORY BARRINGER, 10/4/2013 Two more companies are in the clear with Freddie Macfollowing agreements on claims related to loans that went south after they were sold to the GSE. Wells Fargo and SunTrust Mortgage are the two most recent companies to settle over claims regarding representations and warranties on single-family loans sold to the GSE. It was announced at the […]
Report: Homeownership on Path to Sustainability
DSNews BY: Tori Barrington 10/4/2013 As most housing metrics turned around last year, one vital statistic stayed down: the homeownership rate. However, one analyst at Fannie Mae says that low homeownership—when put in context with other data—might indicate a promising trend in sustainability. According to recently published data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), the […]