The number of loans in forbearance fell 11% in April from 1.05% of servicers’ portfolio volume to 0.94%, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Loan Monitoring Survey. MBA now estimates that 470,000 homeowners remain in forbearance plans. Of Fannie and Freddie loans, the number in forbearance dropped 6 basis points to 0.43%. Ginnie Mae loans saw an 11 basis point drop to 1.49%, while PLS and portfolio loans saw a 29 point decline to 2.15%. “With the number of borrowers in forbearance decreasing to less than half a million, the pace of monthly forbearance exits reached its lowest level since MBA started tracking exits in June 2020,” said Marina Walsh, CMB, MBA’s Vice President of Industry Analysis. “Servicers are…
Fannie Mae has committed $5 million to its second annual Sustainable Communities Innovation Challenge (IC22), the GSE announced. The challenge seeks to “attract innovative ideas that will help advance racial equity in housing,” according to the press release. Fannie Mae will receive proposals from the public, private, and non-profit sectors, as well as from individuals and teams. Proposals should address supply, funding, and credit barriers. IC22 is part of the GSE’s Sustainable Communities Partnership and Innovation Initiative, which helps to develop collaborative, cross-sector approaches to advancing sustainable communities. “Fannie Mae is proud to launch the next iteration of the Innovation Challenge and support innovative projects that promote racial equity in housing in the United States,” said Maria Evans, Vice President…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS There are pockets of the country where more homes are being listed than there were before the housing market exploded in 2020 which is a good sign for buyers in those metro areas. According to an article by Margaret Heidenry for Realtor.com, metros that saw the most new homes hit the market include Riverside, CA (+23.3%), Austin, TX (+16.5%), and Sacramento, CA (+11.8%). Metros include the main city and surrounding suburbs, towns, and smaller urban communities, according to the article. Compass Agent Paul Reddam in Austin told Heidenry it is hard to nail down what is causing inventory to loosen, but this is typically the peak of their real estate cycle. The bad news is that the number of homes for sale…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS Consumers across the country continue to report difficult homebuying conditions due to inflation, higher mortgage rates, and home price appreciation. Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, says that in April their Home Purchase Sentiment Index fell to its lowest level since the spring of 2020. The percentage of respondents who said it is a good time to buy a home decreased from 24% to 19%, while the percentage who said it is a bad time to buy increased from 73% to 76%. As a result, the net share of those who say it is a good time to buy decreased 8 percentage points month over month, according to the survey. “The current lack…
Good Morning! Today is Monday, April 25. Emmanuel Macron, the incumbent president of France, won re-election over Marine Le Pen. A man died after setting himself on fire in front of the Supreme Court to protest climate change. Wildfires in Arizona, Nebraska, and New Mexico have killed at least one person and destroyed hundreds of structures. The Mortgage Note Reports Rocket Mortgage Works to End Digital Divide In Detroit: Editor Kimberley Haas reports that leaders at the company have been working with local officials who say there is still much work to be done. Real House Prices: FirstAm’s Real House Price Index jumped up by nearly 31% in February, the fastest growth in the more than 30-year history of the series. Rate Hike Impact: Nathaniel Drake of Fannie’s…
In its Economic and Housing Weekly Note, Nathaniel Drake of Fannie’s Economic and Strategic Research Group said that the full effects of rising interest rates have “yet to be felt.” “Especially given that the full effects of the recent rise in mortgage rates have yet to be felt, we expect existing home sales to continue to decline through 2022,” the note reads. “However, we believe there is still a pool of prospective buyers who were previously outbid but still want to purchase a home, which should help support sales, thus limiting the pace of slowdown in the near term.” Though demand remains elevated, there are signs that the hot housing market is cooling down. Existing home sales fell for the…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS Leaders at a California-based lender that generated $36.8 billion in origination volume last year say they are finding success because they focus on creating customers for life. Guild Mortgage, located in San Diego, has been originating and servicing residential loans since 1960. Their origination volume in 2021 was up about 5% from $35.2 billion in 2020. The company’s in-house servicing portfolio grew 18% year-over-year to $70.9 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021, with Guild retaining servicing rights for 80% of total loans sold. Last month, they earned their fifth consecutive Servicer Total Achievement and Rewards performer recognition from Fannie Mae. According to a press release, the STAR Performer recognition is reserved for top-performing servicers in one or…
Good Morning! Today is Tuesday, April 19. A federal judge struck down the mask mandate on public transit, although the ruling may not be final. Florida rejected more than 40 math textbooks that contained social and emotional concepts. The F.D.A. is investigating reports that thousands of people became ill after eating Lucky Charms. The Mortgage Note Reports Retirees Affected By Inflation, High Housing Costs: Scott Kimbler reports that every facet of the economy is affected and that has put many people in the position of having to rethink their retirement plans. CHLA Letter: CHLA sent a letter to the FHFA asking it to amend its proposed updated seller and servicer standards, citing the risk of “significant negative real-world consequences to consumers.” Zabusky Joins Houwzer: Former GrubHub President…
The Community Home Lenders Association (CHLA) sent a letter to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) commenting on its proposed increases in financial requirements for Fannie and Freddie. In February, the FHFA proposed updated standards that mortgage lenders would have to meet in order to sell loans to or service loans on behalf of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The standards were set in 2015 and have remained with little modification since then. The update is meant to strengthen required capital and liquidity for seller/servicers with different business models, as well as provide for more transparency and consistency, “by incorporating cost and risk assumptions that were not previously considered and re-evaluating modeling assumptions and inputs, given changes in the servicing…
The Fannie Mae Home Price Index (FNM-HPI) rose to its fastest annual pace ever on record in Q1 2022, measuring 20% YOY, the company reported. This is up from an annualized rate of 19.1% in Q4 2021, the fastest pace in the index’s 47-year history. Seasonally adjusted home prices rose 4.8% from last quarter. The FNM-HPI is a national, repeat-transaction home price index that measures average quarterly price change on all single-family properties in the U.S., excluding condos. The FNM-HPI will now be publicly available as a quarterly series with a start date of Q1 1975. “We’re pleased to begin sharing the Fannie Mae Home Price Index with external audiences. We have long used this index within the company, including…
