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☆ Mortgage demand drops as bank failures hit jumbo loan rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

That is likely because today's buyers are hypersensitive to mortgage rates, which have been fluctuating widely week to week but which are still considerably higher than they were a year ago. Mortgage applications to purchase a home dropped 2% last week compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's seasonally adjusted index. Applications to refinance a home loan increased 1% from the previous week but were 51% lower than the same week one year ago. The refinance share of mortgage activity rose to 27.2% of total applications from 26.8% the previous week. Mortgage rates were volatile to start this week, with more concern over bank failures and a much-anticipated Federal Reserve meeting Wednesday.

Aftter dropping dramatically in March and early April, mortgage rates have been inching back up the last two weeks. Mortgage rates are rising in anticipation of this increase. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage Refinance Rates TodayMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates will affect your monthly and long-term payments. But whether mortgage rates will drop in 2023 hinges on if the Federal Reserve can get inflation under control.

☆ Watch CNBC's full interview with Inside Mortgage Finance's Guy Cecala
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWatch CNBC's full interview with Inside Mortgage Finance's Guy CecalaCNBC's Diana Olick and Guy Cecala, executive chair of Inside Mortgage Finance, join 'Power Lunch' to discuss the debate over a new mortgage fee structure from Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac, risk concerns associated with loans for bad credit borrowers, and pay differentials between low and high credit score individuals.

☆ Borrowers with low credit may benefit from a new mortgage fee structure, says Guy Cecala
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailBorrowers with low credit may benefit from a new mortgage fee structure, says Guy CecalaCNBC's Diana Olick and Guy Cecala, executive chair of Inside Mortgage Finance, join 'Power Lunch' to discuss the debate over a new mortgage fee structure from Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac, risk concerns associated with loans for bad credit borrowers, and pay differentials between low and high credit score individuals.

Mortgage rates have increased slightly but remain well below their peak in early March, when 30-year mortgage rates surpassed 6.7%. Just keep in mind that HELOC rates are variable, so if rates start to trend up further, yours will likely increase, as well. But whether mortgage rates will drop in 2023 hinges on if the Federal Reserve can get inflation under control. If the Fed acts too aggressively and engineers a recession, mortgage rates could fall further than what current forecasts expect. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Average 30-year mortgage rates have ticked up over the last couple of weeks. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates will affect your monthly and long-term payments. But whether mortgage rates will drop in 2023 hinges on if the Federal Reserve can get inflation under control. If the Fed acts too aggressively and engineers a recession, mortgage rates could fall further than what current forecasts expect. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Bad economic conditions tend to be good news for mortgage rates; currently, the researchers expect 30-year rates to fall to 5.7% by the end of the year. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates would impact your monthly payments. 30-year Fixed Mortgage RatesThe current average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is 6.39%, according to Freddie Mac. 15-year Fixed Mortgage RatesThe average 15-year fixed mortgage rate is 5.76%, an increase from the prior week, according to Freddie Mac data. But average 30-year fixed rates will likely remain somewhere in the 6% to 7% range throughout 2023.

The changes will update the current fee structure on the majority of loans originated by mortgage lenders in the US. Prior to these fee changes, that same borrower would been charged a fee equal to 0.75% of the loan amount. On a $300,000 loan, that's the difference between a $375 fee and a $2,250 fee. While fees have generally been reduced for borrowers with lower scores compared to the old fee structure, those with low scores will still pay higher fees than those with high scores. DTI fee changes coming August 1Another fee change is set to go into effect on August 1, after its implementation was postponed following pushback from the mortgage industry.

☆ Changes are coming to some mortgage fees next month
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Broadly, the fees will go down for many with lower credit scores and will increase for many with higher credit scores. But that doesn’t mean people with lower credit scores will pay less than those with higher credit scores. The changes mean that people with higher credit scores will still pay less based on lower risk to the lenders, but having a lower credit score will now come with less of a penalty. For those with higher credit scores, more price tiers have been put in place, which in some cases may increases fees. The difference in assessed fees is about $4,000 more for a buyer with a 640 credit score than for a buyer with a 740 credit score, based on a $300,000 mortgage.

☆ First Republic handed out billions in ultra-low-rate mortgages to the wealthy. It backfired horribly.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Matt Turner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The bank won wealthy clients with the offer of jumbo mortgage loans that required no principal payments for a decade. First Republic first moved into focus back in the March banking crisis that claimed Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and Silvergate. Like SVB and Signature, a large percentage of First Republic deposits were not insured by the FDIC, making it especially susceptible to deposit flight. Wealthy clients can easily move their deposits away from First Republic while keeping their mortgage with the firm, which creates a liquidity challenge. First Republic is now backtracking from this strategy, saying it will focus on writing loans that are guaranteed by Fannie and Freddie.

But whether mortgage rates will drop in 2023 hinges on if the Federal Reserve can get inflation under control. If the Fed acts too aggressively and engineers a recession, mortgage rates could fall further than what current forecasts expect. Today's Mortgage RatesThe current average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is 6.39% for the week ending April 20, according to Freddie Mac. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowShould I Get a HELOC? This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

☆ No, there aren't more cash buyers in real estate these days
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Buyers who need a mortgage are waiting for rates to fall, causing the share of cash buyers to rise. "It disproportionately enlarges the share of cash buyers making it look like more cash buyers are coming into the market." Mortgage rates have been edging lower over the past month and a half, but experienced a small uptick this past week. Researchers at Fannie Mae predicted that 30-year fixed mortgage rates will trend down throughout 2023 and 2024. "There were fewer cash buyers to leave the market than purchase mortgage buyers."

☆ 5.5% may be a magic number for mortgage rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Mortgage rates more than doubled over the past year, reaching as high as 7.08% in November, according to Freddie Mac’s average weekly mortgage rate for a 30-year fixed rate loan. The survey found that 5.5% mortgage rates seem to be the tipping point. A majority of respondents — 71% — said they are not willing to accept a mortgage rate above 5.5%. Looking at forecasts of mortgage rates for the rest of the second quarter of 2023, no major forecast is even predicting rates under 6%. Furthermore, 5.5% is lower than the historical average for mortgage rates.

☆ Real-Estate Agents Face a Reckoning As Housing Market, Home Sales Slow
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Just as the housing market goes through booms and busts, so do the ranks of real-estate agents. This has left real-estate agents fighting over a dwindling pool of listings. That makes the job of a local real-estate agent trickier and more nuanced than it was a year ago. "What makes a good real-estate agent and what makes a successful real-estate agent have almost no crossover." She joined a women's support group for real-estate agents on Facebook, where she found many others were experiencing similar challenges.

☆ Single-family rentals were stars of real estate during the pandemic. Now the sector faces its biggest challenges yet.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Alex Nicoll | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The SFR sector is facing fresh challenges this year, however, two KBRA analysts said. If you were an institutional investor looking to invest in real estate during the height of the pandemic, single-family rental properties were probably on your list. Home prices were rising quickly, and borrowing costs were low, underpinning the fundamentals of residential real estate. What's more, real estate research and investment-banking firm Zelman & Associates has estimated there's $110 billion in investor capital waiting to be spent on homes. Labor and supply costs have risen consistently, and massive home price appreciation is resulting in higher real estate taxes.

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☆ US housing market stabilizing as single-family homebuilding, permits surge
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Summary Single-family housing starts increase 2.7% in MarchSingle-family building permits jump 4.1%Overall housing starts fall 0.8%; permits drop 8.8%WASHINGTON, April 18 (Reuters) - U.S. single-family homebuilding increased for a second straight month in March, while permits for future construction surged, offering some glimmers of hope for the depressed housing market ahead of the busy spring selling season. The improvement in the single-family housing market segment, which was reported by the Commerce Department on Tuesday, likely reflected buyers taking advantage of a retreat in mortgage rates. A survey on Monday showed falling mortgage rates and tight supply of previously owned houses were supporting the new home market. Single-family housing starts, which account for the bulk of homebuilding, rose 2.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 861,000 units last month. Single-family housing starts dropped 27.7% on a year-on-year basis in March.

☆ How Severe Is the Housing Shortage? It Depends on How You Define ‘Shortage’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Josh Zumbrun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

How many new homes does the U.S. need to build to restore normalcy to the housing market? While everyone seems to agree there’s a housing shortage, there’s little agreement on its magnitude. The National Low Income Housing Coalition says the U.S. has a shortage of 7.3 million units, Realtor.com says 6.5 million, mortgage-finance company Fannie Mae says 4.4 million and Up for Growth, a policy group focused on the housing shortage, says 3.8 million units. John Burns Research & Consulting, a real-estate industry consultant, puts it at just 1.7 million.

☆ What Is a Money Market Fund?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +11 min

“Money market funds have become a much more interesting place,” says Jay McLaughlin, institutional sales manager for iMoneyNet, a research firm that follows the money market fund industry. How money market funds workThe first thing for investors to understand is that money market funds are mutual funds, not bank accounts. Municipal money market fundsMunicipal money market funds appeal to many high-income investors because of their tax-exempt nature. One popular muni money market fund is the $17 billion Vanguard Municipal money market Fund (VMSXX) and its current 7-day yield of 2.65%—a yield which on its face is lower than other fund types, but after taxes are considered, can actually be higher for some investors. How to get the best money market fund ratesTypically your stock trading platform may have a default money market fund for its clients, established at your initial sign-up, as a kind of placeholder to keep your cash.

Mortgage rates have fluctuated somewhat over the past couple of weeks but have overall been inching down. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage Refinance Rates TodayMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates will affect your monthly and long-term payments. But whether mortgage rates will drop in 2023 hinges on if the Federal Reserve can get inflation under control. If the Fed acts too aggressively and engineers a recession, mortgage rates could fall further than what current forecasts expect.

"Economic uncertainty continues to bring mortgage rates down," Sam Khater, Freddie Mac's chief economist, said in a press release. Just keep in mind that HELOC rates are variable, so if rates start to trend up further, yours will likely increase, as well. But whether mortgage rates will drop in 2023 hinges on if the Federal Reserve can get inflation under control. If the Fed acts too aggressively and engineers a recession, mortgage rates could fall further than what current forecasts expect. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Mortgage rates have inched down and remain relatively low compared to the highs we saw in early March. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates will affect your monthly and long-term payments. But whether mortgage rates will drop in 2023 hinges on if the Federal Reserve can get inflation under control. If the Fed acts too aggressively and engineers a recession, mortgage rates could fall further than what current forecasts expect. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

But rates are still relatively low compared to earlier this month, when 30-year mortgage rates were inching up toward 7%. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage Refinance Rates TodayMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's interest rates will affect your monthly payments. 30-Year Fixed Mortgage RatesThe current average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is 6.42%, according to Freddie Mac. 15-Year Fixed Mortgage RatesThe average 15-year fixed mortgage rate is 5.68%, a small decrease from the prior week, according to Freddie Mac data.

Mortgage rates have been inching down over the past couple of weeks and are nearing 6%. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage Refinance Rates TodayMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates will affect your monthly and long-term payments. But whether mortgage rates will drop in 2023 hinges on if the Federal Reserve can get inflation under control. If the Fed acts too aggressively and engineers a recession, mortgage rates could fall further than what current forecasts expect.

Mortgage rates decreased again this week and are now the lowest they've been in five weeks. If mortgage rates continue to slide over the next few weeks, look for a continued rebound during the first weeks of the spring homebuying season." But whether mortgage rates will drop in 2023 hinges on if the Federal Reserve can get inflation under control. If the Fed acts too aggressively and engineers a recession, mortgage rates could fall further than what current forecasts expect. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Mortgage rates dropped again this week, marking the second week in a row rates have decreased, according to Freddie Mac. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates will affect your monthly and long-term payments. But whether mortgage rates will drop in 2023 hinges on if the Federal Reserve can get inflation under control. If the Fed acts too aggressively and engineers a recession, mortgage rates could fall further than what current forecasts expect. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

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