Economists from Fannie Mae’s Economic and Strategic Research (ESR) group anticipate that mortgage rates and home prices will increase in 2022, according to the group’s October 2021 Forecast commentary. The group cites inflation, tightening monetary policy, and continuing home stock shortages as drivers of higher prices in 2022. Fannie Mae’s October economic forecast predicts the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage will average 3.3% in 2022. It raised its prediction of 3.1% last month in anticipation of the Federal Reserve tapering its purchase of mortgage-backed securities, which is expected to start by the end of this year. “While we still view the supply chain disruptions and, to a lesser extent, labor market tightness as largely transitory, we now expect both to last even…
Good Morning! Today is Thursday, October 14. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced plans to line U.S. coastlines with wind farms. The Energy Information Administration predicts that home heating costs will go up because fuel prices are rising and fuel demand has increased over the previous winter. Democrats are still butting heads over what to cut from President Biden’s $3.5 trillion legislation, with Bernie Sanders saying Medicare benefits are non-negotiable. And in mortgage and housing news… Interest Rates Top 3%: Mortgage rates rose their highest point since April, hitting 3.05% over the past week, Freddie Mac reported.“Forbearance Cliff?”: Housing advocates have warned of a flood of forbearance filings. So far there’s no sign of it, and analysts don’t see it coming.Homeownership…
Mortgage rates rose to their highest point since April, hitting 3.05% over the past week, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. Freddie’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) found that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.05%, up from last week’s 2.99%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 2.81% “As inflationary pressure builds due to the ongoing pandemic and tightening monetary policy, we expect rates to continue a modest upswing,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. “Historically speaking, rates are still low, but many potential homebuyers are staying on the sidelines due to high home price growth. Rising mortgage rates combined with growing home prices make affordability more challenging for potential homebuyers.” Mortgage applications have trended down with increasing interest rates…
Good Morning! Today is Tuesday, October 12. Workers are heading back to the office at the highest rate since the pandemic began. Southwest Airlines canceled more than 28% of its weekend flights, including hundreds on Monday. Matt Amodio’s historic run on “Jeopardy!” came to an end Monday night, leaving the Yale doctoral student with 38 wins and more than $1.5 million in prize money. And in mortgage and housing news… Forbearances Fall: Forbearances plummeted to 2.62% of servicers’ portfolio volume last week, down from 2.89% the week before, according to the MBA. Analysis: Do low-income buyer programs help or hurt? Economists are raising questions about the real-world impact of some government programs designed to help low-income buyers enter the market.NAR:…
Good Morning! Today is Friday, October 8. Senate Republicans and Democrats reached a deal to temporarily extend the debt ceiling through December. Tokyo was hit by a 6.1 magnitude earthquake. Ireland signed onto a global agreement to set a minimum 15% corporate tax rate. And in mortgage and housing news… Black Knight: The number of plans in active forbearance fell by 11% since last Tuesday, the largest weekly decline in twelve months. HPSI Drops: Fannie Mae’s HPSI fell 1.2 points to 74.5 in September, as consumers continued to report that housing prices make it a bad time to buy a home. Housing Affordability Concerns Nationwide…: The latest Market Pulse report shows troubling trends in housing affordability. …And in California: A …
Good Morning! Today is Thursday, October 7. Facebook has slowed the release of new products for “reputational reviews.” GM wants to double its revenue by 2030 with battery-electric models and auto services. WHO approved the first Malaria vaccine. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Texas abortion ban. And in mortgage and housing news… Freddie: Mortgage rates fell slightly to 2.99% over the past week, Freddie Mac reported. Non-QM Tech: Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions is focusing on streamlining the process of closing non-QM loans so that it more closely resembles closing an agency loan. Averages Rise: The average homebuyer’s monthly mortgage payment rose $50 over the last six weeks. Hispanic Homeowners: Hispanic homeowners are driving the U.S. market.…
Good Morning! Today is Wednesday, October 6. Some Democrats propose changing the filibuster to bypass fighting about the debt limit. Johnson & Johnson asked the FDA to approve its Covid-19 booster shot. The Justice Department is reviewing its decision not to prosecute the FBI agents who disregarded allegations about Larry Nassar and later lied about their actions.And in mortgage and housing news… Loan Applications Plummet: Mortgage loan application volume fell 6.9% last week to a three-month low, according to the MBA’s most recent survey. Black Knight: Huge equity increases for homeowners might not be enough to prevent foreclosures, according to Black Knight’s latest Mortgage Monitor Report. Price Growth Breaks Record: Annual home price growth hit its highest point in the…
Huge equity increases for homeowners might not be enough to prevent foreclosures, according to Black Knight’s latest Mortgage Monitor Report. “An analysis of our McDash loan-level mortgage performance dataset back to 2007 shows that holding equity in one’s home might not be a blanket backstop to foreclosure activity,” said Black Knight Data & Analytics President Ben Graboske. He explained that for homeowners who were 120 or more days late, having high equity did not significantly change the likelihood of being recommended for foreclosure. While borrowers are considerably less likely to have their homes involuntarily liquidated if they have high equity, it does happen. Thirty percent of borrowers recommended for foreclosure with 40% equity stakes lost their homes. “What the data…
Good Morning! Today is Tuesday, October 5. Prices for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil shot to their highest levels since 2014. Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen is testifying today before a Senate consumer protection panel. An international group of journalists released the “Pandora Papers,” more than 11.9 million documents showing celebrities and world leaders have used offshore tax havens to conceal their financial activities. And in mortgage and housing news… Forbearances Keeping Falling: Forbearances fell to 2.89%, continuing to trend down as relief plans expire, according to MBA’s latest survey. Debt Ceiling: President Joe Biden warned of ominous outcomes if efforts to raise the debt ceiling didn’t pass. Is that true? New Treasury Guidelines: Grantees that haven’t utilized at least…
When President Joe Biden was trying to pressure Republicans into supporting Democrats’ efforts to raise the debt ceiling, he warned of ominous outcomes should the effort fail. “People may see the value of their retirement accounts shrink. They may see interest rates go up, which will ultimately raise their mortgage payments and car payments,” Biden said. Is that true? Political pundits on both sides of the aisle appear to agree the debt ceiling will get lifted, one way or another. “It has to be done, it will be done. The debt ceiling will be raised,” Fox News’ commentator Brit Hume said Monday night. “This will get done.” But what if something goes wrong in Washington, DC — hardly an unusual…
