Economists Predicting Good News for Job Market, Housing

DSNews   Author: Brian Honea February 13, 2015 A survey conducted among economists by theFederal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia on economic growth in the United States released on Friday revealed that predictions have been revised upward for the labor market – which means good news for the economy and for housing recovery. The Philadelphia Fed […]

Mississippi Has Highest Delinquent Mortgage Rate Again

DSNews: Author: Brian Honea January 23, 2015 Just as it did in November, Mississippi led all states with the highest percentage of non-current mortgages and serious delinquent mortgages in December, according to data released recently as part of Black Knight Financial Services‘ December 2014 “First Look” at mortgage data released Friday. Mississippi’s percentage of non-current mortgages, which […]

Freddie Mac to Auction $410 Million Worth of Delinquent Mortgage Loans

DSNews:  Author: Brian Honea January 24, 2015 Government-sponsored enterprise Freddie Mac has announced that it will begin its second sale of “deeply delinquent” mortgage loans in three pools worth approximately $410 million. Delinquent loans left over from a wave of foreclosures following the housing bust have dogged Freddie Mac and its sister GSE, Fannie Mae. […]

New FHA Policy Provides Foreclosure Alternative on Reverse Mortgages

DSNews  BY:   Brian Honea January 29, 2015 A new policy issued by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) on Thursday under its Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Program will allow reverse mortgage lenders to delay calling HECMs from a surviving non-borrowing spouse following the death of the last surviving borrower. Such a delay on collection […]

Leading Economic Indicators Advance for Fourth Month in a Row

DSNews:  Author: Tory Barringer January 23, 2015 A measure of leading U.S. economic indicators rose again in December, advancing for a fourth straight month as most components improved. The Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index (LEI), which gauges the near-term economic outlook based on a variety of indicators, increased 0.5 percent in December to 121.1, the […]

Watt Insists 3 Percent Down Payment Loans Are Not Riskier Than Those With Lower LTVs

DSNews  By: Author: Brian Honea January 27, 2015 Federal Housing Finance Director (FHFA) Mel Watt, testifying before the House Financial Services Committee, which he once sat on as a Democratic U.S. Representative for North Carolina, insisted that mortgage loans with a 3 percent down payment backed by GSEs are no more riskier than those with a […]