Lenders Want More Credit Information
Fair Isaac Corp., or FICO, the company behind our credit scoring system has announced that beginning next year lenders will be requiring more information than ever before from those applying for loans. A separate score that will include pay day loans, evictions and over due child support payments will be provided to mortgage lenders through [...]
Tax Credit Helps Homes Sales Increase
Home sales increased in March in all four regions of the U.S., led by a 44% increase in the southern states. Demand for existing homes could remain elevated through the end of this month as more first time home buyers try to take advantage of the first time home buyer tax credit which will end [...]
Baltimore Sues Wells Fargo, NAACP Backs Off
The city of Baltimore filed a complaint Wednesday against Wells Fargo & Co. in Federal Court claiming, “Wells Fargo’s discriminatory practices, and the resulting unnecessary foreclosures in the city’s minority neighborhoods, have inflicted significant, direct, and continuing financial harm on Baltimore”. Today the NAACP dropped their lawsuit against Wells Fargo & Co. after working with [...]
Qualifying For The New Foreclosure Relief Program
Last Friday the Obama administration announced their latest plans for helping consumers who are currently in foreclosure or are moving slowly toward the foreclosure process. The following information comes from administration statements and analysis of those plans from Goldman Sachs in New York. Help for the unemployed- Jobless mortgage holders can receive a three month [...]
‘Seasonality Disorder’ In The Housing Market?
Credit research company TransUnion has just released a report that shows mortgage loan delinquencies have increased and are up for the 12th quarter in a row. RealtyTrac predicts the number of foreclosures will increase to three million in 2010. Some experts see this number as conservative. The total unemployment number is also expected to rise [...]
FHA Announces Tighter Restrictions On Lending
This week the Federal Housing Administration announced tighter restrictions will be placed on lending requirements. This is being done in the hope of reducing risks and strengthening the nations’ financial health. FHA Commissioner, David Stevens outlined a set of policy changes that will enable the agency to fulfill its mission to provide access to home [...]
Existing Home Sales Decline
A real-estate industry report released this week showed existing home sales fell in the month of December. According to the National Association of Realtors, existing home sales dropped 16.7% nationally. This is the largest monthly drop on record in 40 years. Existing home sales totaled 5,156,000 in 2009, higher than the previous year by 4.9%. [...]
Report: HAMP Program Only Making A Dent In Foreclosure Crisis
A report released this week says the nation’s foreclosure crisis is on the verge of deepening. This is according to the State Foreclosure Prevention Working Group, which is made up of 12 state attorneys general and 3 banking regulators. The group collected data from 13 different mortgage servicers for two years. This is their fourth [...]
Higher Mortgage Rates Possible
Economist believe mortgage rates will increase, predicting the average 30 year rate will move closer to 5.75% over the next six months. Such forecasts force homeowners with adjustable rate mortgages to consider refinancing their loans to avoid an increase in their monthly payments. An increase that few are prepared to handle when we consider the [...]
Mortgage Rates Drop as Unemployment Rises
According to Freddie Mac, the average rate on a 30 year fixed rate mortgage, as reported on Nov. 12, is now at 4.83%, perilously close to the all time low of 4.71% set back in April of this year. For those who can afford higher payments, a 15 year fixed rate mortgages now average 4.32%, [...]