Good Morning! Today is Friday, April 29. Russian missiles struck Kyiv. President Biden asked Congress for an additional $33 billion to aid Ukraine, which would more than triple U.S. spending on the war. The F.D.A. plans to ban sales of menthol cigarettes. The Mortgage Note Reports Rates Fall Back: Mortgage rates declined for the first time after a weeks-long upward streak, averaging 5% last week. Forbearances Steady: In its last weekly report, Black Knight found forbearances largely holding steady in a “typical” pattern for the end of the month. In Case You Missed It: This week, Chuck Green reported on whether there is a brewing housing bubble while Editor Kimberley Haas wrote about how leaders at Rocket Mortgage are working to end the digital divide in Detroit and that a shortage of…
Mortgage rates declined for the first time after a weeks-long upward streak, averaging 5% last week, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. Freddie’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) found that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 5%, down from 5.11% last week. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 2.98%. “The combination of swift home price growth and the fastest mortgage rate increase in over forty years is finally affecting purchase demand,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. “Homebuyers navigating the current environment are coping in a variety of ways, including switching to adjustable-rate mortgages, moving away from expensive coastal cities, and looking to more affordable suburbs. We expect the decline in demand to soften home price growth…
New home sales fell to a four-month low in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 763,000, down 8.6%, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The massive dropoff can be attributed to the rising cost of buying a home. Home price appreciation and increasing interest rates are pricing potential buyers out of the market. Between rates and prices, monthly mortgage payments are 19.5% higher than they were three months ago and 38% higher than a year ago. Meanwhile, some sellers are opting not to put their homes up for sale, exacerbating the stock shortage and driving up competition. The seasonally‐adjusted estimate of new houses for sale at the end…
Housing prices set a record in February, up 19.4% YOY and 2.1% from January 2022, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) latest House Price Index (HPI). Seasonally adjusted monthly house price changes from January to February ranged from +1.3% in the East North Central division to +2.9% in the South Atlantic division. The 12-month changes ranged from +15.3 percent in the East North Central division to +24.3 percent in the Mountain division. “House prices rose to set a new historical record in February,” said Will Doerner, Ph.D., Supervisory Economist in FHFA’s Division of Research and Statistics. “Acceleration approached twice the monthly rate as seen a year ago. Housing prices continue to rise owing in part to supply constraints.”…
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…
Good Morning! Today is Friday, April 22. Philadelphia is ending its mask mandate, four days after reinstating it. The U.S. pledged more military aid to Ukraine, including drones that explode on impact. Palestinians and Israeli police clashed at one of Jerusalem’s holiest sites. The Mortgage Note Reports Weekly Rates: Mortgage rates averaged 5.11% last week, rising for the seventh consecutive week and causing “volatility in demand.” Q1 Foreclosures: Q1 2022 set a new post-pandemic high for foreclosure activity — the 11th consecutive month with a YOY increase in foreclosure activity. In Case You Missed It: This week Chuck Green reported that job cuts are hitting the mortgage industry, while Scott Kimbler wrote about how inflation is affecting retirements. And in other mortgage and housing news… Black Knight: Forbearance plan volumes ticked up…
Mortgage rates averaged 5.11% last week, up from 5%, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. Freddie’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) found that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 5.11%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 2.97%. “Mortgage rates increased for the seventh consecutive week, as Treasury yields continued to rise,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. “While springtime is typically the busiest homebuying season, the upswing in rates has caused some volatility in demand. It continues to be a seller’s market, but buyers who remain interested in purchasing a home may find that competition has moderately softened.” Mortgage rates have grown from 3.51% at the beginning of March while home prices remain elevated. The combo has…
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…
