February 6, 2012
- It's Tax Season. This year, you get 2 extra days to file -- taxes aren't due until April 17, 2012. Estimate what you'll owe the IRS with this helpful calculator.
February 5, 2012
- People in the mortgage business know that rates are holding record lows here in the United States, but why? As mortgage-backed securities (MBS) rally ever higher, rates drop, and the bid on the Fannie Mae 3.5% security—has been …relentless. It’s at a staggering 104.13 as of now - over a four point premium above par. ...
February 4, 2012
- A recent survey of 1400 US homeowners has revealed that 72% are satisfied with owning a home, with pride of ownership and the freedom to choose home improvements and upgrades as the top reasons for that satisfaction. Participants were also asked if price appreciation was significant to their satisfaction, which received a somewhat tepid response, ...
February 3, 2012
- Mortgage rates are spiking right now as Wall Street begins to bet *with* the economy instead of against it. January's jobs report may be a tipping point.
February 2, 2012
- Loan officers know that the Federal Reserve has announced that they will raise interest rates in 2014 at the earliest, but that doesn’t mean another two years of 4% mortgage rates, however—external factors like inflation and the global economy also have an influence. Rising rates are certainly a possibility, then, for a variety of reasons. ...
February 1, 2012
- Statistics, geography, and demographics of the HARP Refinance Program's First 100 Days. Data tracked includes Median LTV, Median Interest Rate, and Average Loan-to-Value.
January 31, 2012
- Last quarter, not a single bank tightened its prime residential mortgage guidelines. The economy is looking up, and so are mortgage rates.
January 30, 2012
- An update on the President's proposal for “a plan that gives every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage by refinancing at historically low interest rates".
- There's a prescribed method for giving and receiving cash gifts for downpayments for a home. You can't just deposit the money into your bank account. If you do, your lender may reject the funds.
January 29, 2012
- Finishing the foreclosure process and unloading the REO are two different things. REOs once linked to subprime loans continue to take the longest to sell.