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Mortgage borrowing limits are the same in all Alabama counties. Mortgage borrowing limits in Alabama are the same in every county in 2022: $726,200 for conforming mortgages and $472,030 for FHA mortgages. How do mortgage borrowing limits work? If you want to buy a home that costs more than the conforming mortgage limit in your county, you'll need to get a jumbo mortgage. Alabama borrowing limits in 2023 by countyCounty Conforming mortgage limit (single-family home) FHA mortgage limit (single-family home) Autauga $726,200 $472,030 Baldwin $726,200 $472,030 Barbour $726,200 $472,030 Bibb $726,200 $472,030 Blount $726,200 $472,030 Bullock $726,200 $472,030 Butler $726,200 $472,030 Calhoun $726,200 $472,030 Chambers $726,200 $472,030 Cherokee $726,200 $472,030 Chilton $726,200 $472,030 Choctaw $726,200 $472,030 Clarke $726,200 $472,030 Clay $726,200 $472,030 Cleburne $726,200 $472,030 Coffee $726,200 $472,030 Colbert $726,200 $472,030 Conecuh $726,200 $472,030 Coosa $726,200 $472,030 Covington $726,200 $472,030 Crenshaw $726,200 $472,030 Cullman $726,200 $472,030 Dale $726,200 $472,030 Dallas $726,200 $472,030 DeKalb $726,200 $472,030 Elmore $726,200 $472,030 Escambia $726,200 $472,030 Etowah $726,200 $472,030 Fayette $726,200 $472,030 Franklin $726,200 $472,030 Geneva $726,200 $472,030 Greene $726,200 $472,030 Hale $726,200 $472,030 Henry $726,200 $472,030 Houston $726,200 $472,030 Jackson $726,200 $472,030 Jefferson $726,200 $472,030 Lamar $726,200 $472,030 Lauderdale $726,200 $472,030 Lawrence $726,200 $472,030 Lee $726,200 $472,030 Limeston $726,200 $472,030 Lowndes $726,200 $472,030 Macon $726,200 $472,030 Madison $726,200 $472,030 Marengo $726,200 $472,030 Marion $726,200 $472,030 Marshall $726,200 $472,030 Mobile $726,200 $472,030 Monroe $726,200 $472,030 Montgomery $726,200 $472,030 Morgan $726,200 $472,030 Perry $726,200 $472,030 Pickens $726,200 $472,030 Pike $726,200 $472,030 Randolph $726,200 $472,030 Russell $726,200 $472,030 St. Clair $726,200 $472,030 Shelby $726,200 $472,030 Sumter $726,200 $472,030 Talladega $726,200 $472,030 Tallapoosa $726,200 $472,030 Tuscaloosa $726,200 $472,030 Walker $726,200 $472,030 Washington $726,200 $472,030 Wilcox $726,200 $472,030 Winston $726,200 $472,030Note: In every county in Alabama, if you want to borrow more than the baseline loan limit of $726,200, you'll need to get a jumbo mortgage.

In Montana, you can borrow up to $726,200 for a conforming mortgage. Most Montana counties limit you to borrowing $472,030 for an FHA mortgage, but a select few have higher maximums. Montana conforming and FHA mortgage borrowing limits by countyTo get a conforming mortgage — which is what most people think of as a "regular mortgage" — in Montana, you can borrow up to $726,200. Borrowing limits for FHA mortgages are different in some counties. Note: To borrow more than $726,200 in Montana, you'll have to apply for a jumbo mortgage.

Indian companies raised around 5.38 trillion rupees ($64.95 billion) through private placements in 2022, largely aided by the banking system's massive cash surplus, data showed. Public issues were only to the tune of around 80 billion rupees. Indian companies raised 127.1 billion rupees and 175.3 billion rupees through public issues in 2020 and 2021 respectively, SEBI data showed. Fundraising through private placement stood at 8 trillion rupees and 6.31 trillion rupees respectively. "I think public issues are rising because the repricing of bank fixed deposits was very gradual, while public issues are realigning to market realities much faster," said Sudhir Agrawal, executive vice president and fixed income fund manager at UTI Mutual Fund.

☆ Double-digit U.S. home price growth streak skids to an end
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Dan Burns | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The S&P CoreLogic Case Shiller national home price index increased by 9.2% in October, down from 10.7% in September and notching the first single-digit gain since November 2020. On a month-over-month basis, S&P Case Shiller's index fell for a fourth straight month, while FHFA's gauge was unchanged. The housing market has suffered the most visible effects of aggressive Fed interest rate hikes that are aimed at curbing high inflation by undercutting demand in the economy. Unlike then, the supply of homes on the market remains extraordinarily limited and should keep a floor under house prices. "As the Fed tightens financial conditions, the housing market will likely slow further in the coming year," LPL Financial Chief Economist Jeffrey Roach said.

"On Tuesday, all of a sudden I'm hearing the interest rates are going up," said the 48-year-old father of two. Like Nakamura, many Japanese fear they may eventually start paying more for mortgages. "Even a small increase would have a big impact on consumer incomes," said Masaaki Kanno, chief economist at Sony Financial Group and a former central bank official. Fixed-rates are seen rising first, because the central bank allowed 10-year yields to creep up. The company is telling them that floating-rate loans won't be affected as long as the central bank keeps short-term rates negative, he said.

New Fannie Mae changes aim to make access to mortgage financing more equitable. But with these new changes, which allow mortgage lenders to use data from a borrower's bank statements to help establish creditworthiness, those who have no credit score may have an easier time qualifying for a mortgage. These changes only affect borrowers who have no score, meaning that those who do have a credit score will still be evaluated based on whether their score meets minimum requirements. Many of those who are credit invisible would otherwise be ideal borrowers, but because they don't have a traditional credit score, they often have trouble getting a mortgage. Just because you don't have a traditional credit score doesn't mean it's impossible to get a mortgage and purchase a home.

☆ Premarket stocks: Betting on a market bounce? You may be waiting a while
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —‘Tis the season for Wall Street strategists to pack their clients’ inboxes with market predictions for 2023. Market analysts aren’t alone. “US equity returns will be driven by earnings against a backdrop characterized by elevated market volatility,” write JPMorgan analysts. The effort was initially touted as a “Big Bang 2.0” — a nod to the rapid deregulation of UK financial markets under former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1986. The changes are a bid to maintain London’s role as a global financial hub after Brexit, which, alongside political turmoil, has boosted uncertainty for companies thinking about where to invest.

☆ Kevin McCarthy's oversight agenda will be 'a recurring skit on SNL' if he makes MAGA cheerleaders Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert investigators: GOP strategists
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert want in on the GOP oversight blitz. the Oversight Committee member said of the need to keep congressional probes above board. McCarthy's office has repeatedly told Insider that the House GOP steering committee, which McCarthy leads, will handle assignments for the next Congress "at the appropriate time." Aaron Cutler, a former House GOP leadership aide and now partner at Hogan Lovells, urged House Republicans to avoid "focusing on the wrong things," and to cut bait if needed. Michael Reynolds-Pool/Getty ImagesGiven that some sort of spectacle is probably unavoidable at this point, Roe urged House Republicans to tread carefully.

☆ Black Californians could get $223,000 each in reparations — and it could even help close the state's homeownership gap
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In 2020, CA Governor Gavin Newsom formed a task force to decide how the state could best administer reparations to Black residents. The task force has proposed providing upwards of $223,200 for each qualifying resident. However, few leaders have brought forward proposals that are as sweeping in scope as the one produced by California's special task force. The reparations proposal could help Black Californians obtain homeownershipAccording to the California Housing Finance Agency, Black Americans have the lowest homeownership rate in the state. Other states have also awarded reparations to their Black constituentsWhile the California proposal is sweeping in its scope, Newsom's office has the benefit of being able to study examples of reparations programs elsewhere.

☆ Connecticut's wealthy hedge-fund haven, home to Shonda Rhimes and the billionaire owner of the Mets, is losing federal 'high-cost' housing status after its home price gains lagged the US
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Fairfield County, Connecticut, is a ritzy NYC suburb known for hedge funds and shoreline mansions. Fairfield County, Connecticut, New York City's ritziest suburban enclave, barely saw any home-price gains in the year through September, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The county's median household income of $101,194 tops the overall median income in the US — $70,784 — by a large margin. Data from Douglas Elliman shows Fairfield County's median sale price rose by 8.2% year-over-year through September, for example. In 2022, with high-cost status, the county's limit has been significantly higher, at $970,000.

☆ More Foreclosures, Easier Mortgages Would Help Fix America's Housing Market
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

These standards are based on factors including the borrower's financial stability and the state of the housing market and economy. Finding the right size for the credit box is much easier said than done. A tidal wave of foreclosures followed, plunging the US housing market — and the global economy — into chaos. Even just stabilizing the credit box over time could also help smooth out some of the boom-and-bust cycles that have come to define the housing market. "If we do not address this intrinsic cyclicality, the housing market will continue to experience boom-bust cycles, leaving destruction in their wake," the paper said.

☆ Some Home Buyers Could Soon Get a $1 Million Mortgage With a 3% Down Payment
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Veronica Dagher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

To qualify for a $1 million mortgage, Americans typically have to make a down payment of at least 20% of the home’s price. Starting next year, some buyers could put as little as 3% down. The cap for home loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac rises to $1,089,300 next year in a few expensive markets including Los Angeles and New York, up from $970,800, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, or FHFA, said Tuesday. The higher limit means borrowers can qualify for bigger loans without needing to take out jumbo mortgages, which aren’t federally backed and have more-stringent requirements for income, credit and down payments.

☆ Home Buyers Could Soon Get $1 Million Mortgage With 3% Down Payment
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Veronica Dagher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Premarket stocks: Consumers are keeping the economy afloat... for now
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

What’s happening: Americans appear to be indulging in a healthy dose of retail therapy despite stubbornly high inflation and the possibility of a recession ahead. Consumer spending is a major driver of the economy, and the last two months of the year can account for about 20% of total retail sales — even more for some retailers, according to NRF. But when the Federal Reserve is actively trying to squash high inflation rates, they risk becoming a fly in the ointment. “Consumers’ spending is more or less unfazed not only by high inflation, but also the rate hikes intended to get prices under control,” economists at Wells Fargo wrote. The high rate of spending could agitate investors in this good-news-is-bad-news economy because it adds to inflationary pressures.

☆ U.S. consumer confidence at four-month low; house price growth slows
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The labor market has remained resilient despite the Federal Reserve's stiff interest rate increases, helping to keep consumer spending and the overall economy afloat. "That tectonic shift in consumer confidence from inflation worries to job concerns is coming though." The Conference Board's consumer confidence index fell to 100.2, the lowest reading since July, from 102.2 in October. Though house prices have came off the record highs reached during the COVID-19 pandemic-driven housing market boom, they remain significantly high. A third report from the Federal Housing Finance Agency showed house prices increased 11.0% in the 12 months through September after advancing 12.0% in August.

☆ U.S. Government to Backstop Mortgages Above $1 Million Mark for First Time
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Andrew Ackerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The federal government is about to backstop mortgages of more than $1 million for the first time, a reflection of the rapid appreciation in home prices nationally over the past few years even as the mortgage market has recently cooled. The maximum size of home-mortgage loans eligible for backing by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will rise to $1,089,300 next year in high-cost markets, such as parts of California and New York, from $970,800 this year, the Federal Housing Finance Agency said Tuesday.

☆ US government entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were just cleared to purchase mortgages of over $1 million for the first time because home prices are still so high
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac help make mortgages available by purchasing them from lenders. The limit will top $1 million for the first time in 2023, reflecting a new norm in US housing. Fannie and Freddie are the largest buyers of US home mortgages and are credited with providing constant liquidity in the housing market through their purchases, even during downturns. Their scope in residential markets is capped by the so-called conforming loan limit, which per a 2008 law is set in accordance to changes in home prices. Outside the priciest areas of the country — which include areas around New York, Washington, DC, and coastal California — the conforming loan limit will also rise by 12.2%, to $726,200.

☆ High home prices push Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to back loans of more than $1 million
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

As a result, the baseline conforming loan limit for 2023 will be $726,200, up $79,000 from this year’s limit of $647,200. Higher-cost areas will have a new loan limit of $1,089,300, or up to 150% of the baseline loan limit. Mortgages above these loan limits are considered “non-conforming” or “jumbo” mortgages, and typically come with higher interest rates. The baseline loan limit is the highest loan amount – not the purchase price – for a one-unit purchase. The law establishes the maximum loan limit in high-cost areas as a multiple of the area’s median home value, up to a maximum of 150% of the baseline loan limit.

☆ U.S. consumer confidence at four-month low; house price inflation slows
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"However, any potential recession could be short and shallow given the tight labor market and the hint that layoffs may not be as bad as feared." The Conference Board's consumer confidence index fell to 100.2, the lowest reading since July, from 102.2 in October. Lower-income households have borne the brunt of inflation that, before October, was marked by annual consumer prices increasing at rates not seen since the early 1980s. Though house prices have came off the record highs reached during the COVID-19 pandemic-driven housing market boom, they remain significantly high. Tight supply will, however, likely keep a floor under house prices.

☆ U.S. house annual prices slow again in September
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - U.S. single-family home prices slowed further in September as higher mortgage rates eroded demand, closely watched surveys showed on Tuesday. Monthly house prices fell in July for the first time since late 2018. House prices rose 10.6% year-on-year in September, slowing from August's increase of 12.9%. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate breached 7% in October for the first time since 2002, data from mortgage finance agency Freddie Mac showed. Tight supply will, however, likely keep a floor under house prices.

The SEC's whistleblower program was created as part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, a law passed in response to the 2008 financial crisis. Under the law, eligible whistleblowers can receive a cash award of between 10% and 30% of any monetary sanctions collected above $1 million. Hong provided further documentary evidence, helping FHFA and the U.S. Justice Department secure settlements with RBS for $5.5 billion and $4.9 billion, respectively. Hong sought an award under the SEC's whistleblower program but the commission declared him ineligible because the action against RBS was not taken by the commission itself. Hong's lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court, contending that the SEC is undermining the aim of Congress to incentivize and award whistleblowers by "coordinating enforcement efforts with other agencies and then refusing to pay an award."

Delaware-based realtor Claryssa McEnany was helping a client sell a home earlier this year when she witnessed a blatant example of appraisal bias. How appraisal bias affects Black homeownersTesting done by fair housing groups have shown that McEnany's experience isn't uncommon, and that the impacts of appraisal bias can be costly. How does appraisal bias happen? But creating an appraisal report isn't an exact science. What to do if you think you've experienced appraisal discriminationIf you think you've experienced discrimination in the appraisal process, your first step should be to look at the appraisal report.

☆ Homes in White neighborhoods are being appraised at higher values than in communities of color, new report finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Nicquel Terry Ellis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Homes in predominately White neighborhoods are being assessed at twice the value of homes in communities of color with comparable amenities, according to a new report released Wednesday. Some families also had White friends stand in for them during the appraisal to get a higher value. The report, titled “Appraised: The Persistent Evaluation of White Neighborhoods as More Valuable Than Communities of Color,” notes that the racial inequities were exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in an unprecedented rise in home values. “Home value inequalities are the result of appraisal practices that elevate White spaces as the most valuable. Howell said the method being used by appraisers gives them the authority to determine a home’s value and what they consider a comparable neighborhood.

☆ Inflation worries hurt U.S. consumer confidence; house prices decelerating
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The Conference Board's consumer confidence index fell to 102.5 this month from 107.8 in September. Consumers were also more inclined to buy a house, probably encouraged by a sharp slowdown in house price inflation. On a monthly basis, prices fell 0.9% in August, the second straight monthly drop. Prices fell 0.7% on a monthly basis after decreasing 0.6% in July. It was the first time since March 2011 that monthly prices posted back-to-back declines.

☆ Indian shares rally for fourth day in a row, led by consumer stocks
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Indian shares surrendered some of their earlier gains to close slightly higher on Wednesday as Nestle India's strong earnings boost consumer stocks, though lingering fears of high inflation and interest rates on corporate profits capped the increase. The NSE Nifty 50 index (.NSEI) ended up 0.14% at 17,512.25, while the S&P BSE Sensex (.BSESN) climbed 0.25% to 59,107.19. The Nifty fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) index (.NIFTYFMCG) gained 0.4%, led by a 1.8% jump in Nestle India (NEST.NS) after the consumer giant reported a bigger-than-expected rise in third-quarter profit. Support for markets is seen coming from domestic investors buying, even as foreign institutional investors sold shares. Foreign institutional investors sold a net of 1.53 billion Indian rupees ($18.6 million) worth of equities on Tuesday, while domestic investors bought 20.85 billion rupees worth of shares, as per provisional data available with the NSE.

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