News / Features

Could the Foreclosure Honeymoon Be Over?

The robo-signing scandals of 2010 sent shockwaves through the lending industry, as national banks, burdened with the considerable weight of thousands upon thousands of foreclosures, short sales and other distressed properties, attempted to reconcile their balance sheets as quickly

30-year FRM Returns to Sub-4 Percent Territory

After a brief sabbatical, the 30-year FRM is back in familiar territory, falling below 4 percent for the second time in as many months. Motivated by the Federal Reserve’s “Operation Twist,” which involves the Fed buying billions of dollars

Could the FHA be MIA in Coming Years?

A new report from a finance professor predicting the coming insolvency of the Federal Housing Administration has some government officials and analysts spooked, according to a new report from The Wall Street

New Govt. Rules Further Multifamily's Ascendence

In a move that seems to confirm the ever-increasing importance of multifamily housing in the current housing market, the federal government is removing several state regulations that will make it easier for developers to build federally-subsidized multifamily homes, according

Government-owned REOs: More than Meets the Eye?

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac released earnings and inventory statistics a couple days ago, and the data suggested a substantial decline in REO properties for the GSEs. Counting FHA properties, the GSE’s REO inventories decreased to 226,961 at the

Foreign Lending Standards Speculated to Increase, Ill Boding for the U.S. Economy

Speculations of the Federal Reserve’s coming quarterly report entail fears that the European debt crisis may have a strong, adverse impact on foreign bank lending in the United States. The fourth quarter senior loan officer survey report, which is

HARP 2.0: Rise of the Appraisal Machines

The federal government’s long-awaited revisions to the Home Affordable Refinance Program, or HARP 2.0 as it’s been called by the press, primarily work through offering underwater homeowners a chance to refinance their loans, but recent agreements between the government

NAR Provides Five-Point Plan for Housing Recovery

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently worked alongside policy leaders, industry representatives, congress members and the media in an effort to present ideas and formulate recommendations on a strategy to aid the housing market, create jobs and stimulate

No Debt Collectors at Freddie Mac

Mortgage debts took a turn for the better in the third quarter, as Freddie Mac reported that a large amount of refinancing homeowners were able to either maintain or reduce their mortgage debts. In total, 82 percent of homeowners

Pent-Up Demand – The Future of Housing

We all know housing is tough, right now. Media sources abound with new lows in construction, mortgage filings and existing-home sales. New data from JPMorgan Chase, though, as pinpointed by Investment News’ Jeff Benjamin, suggests that pent-up demand from potential

Loan Limit Throwdown on Capital Hill

It’s been the saga of fall, with enough twists and turns to pilot a TV miniseries. First, the ceiling on federal loan limits fell on Oct. 1, ending a three-year expansion that raised the limit for FHA and other

CoreLogic HPI Posts Back-to-Back Declines

CoreLogic released its latest Home Price Index, or HPI, earlier today, showing that home values declined on a month-to-month basis for the second straight time from August to September. Though the Case-Shiller Home Price Index, which is released the

Latest Fannie Survey Finds Americans Hesitant on Housing

Fannie Mae’s latest National Housing Survey finds homeowners in the U.S. are still uncertain about the future of housing and the economy, though a couple of indicators did maintain their numbers and resist declines. Conducted via telephone, the survey

HUD HOME Program Being Revamped at the Local Level

Shaun Donovan, secretary of U.S. Housing and Urban (HUD), announced HUD is proposing new regulatory requirements for its HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME). Home was designed to produce affordable housing for low-income families and is the largest federal block

Weighing Employment Versus Self-Employment and Making the Leap

Unemployment remains high in America despite political efforts to improve the stats, leaving a high number of people finding ways to make ends meet and a rising number of formerly employed turning to self-employment. Many people are even leaving

First-Time Homebuyers Have Incentive to Get in the Market

Contrary to popular belief, first-time homebuyers are indeed alive and kicking; buying homes at essentially the same rate as they were before the first-time homebuyers credit stimulated demand two years ago. Data suggests that rates could be higher, however, if

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