Residential Real Estate
Refinancing Numbers Responded Quickly to Adverse Fee Removal
In its latest Mortgage Monitor, Black Knight analyzes the impact the elimination of the 50 basis point adverse market fee from the cost of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs) refinances. The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) removed the fee, originally scheduled to go into effect on September 1, 2020 to cover some of […]
Mortgage Rates Near Long-Term Despite Taper Talk
“Taper talk” refers to comments, speeches, or official policy communications from the Federal Reserve (aka “the Fed”) that speak to the timing and nature of a reduction in the Fed’s bond buying activities. Wow! What a boring and potentially confusing sentence! Let’s try again… The Fed buys bonds –US Treasuries and mortgage backed bonds (which, […]
COVID Concerns Drive Rates Lower, Refi Volume Rises
Refinancing continues to support mortgage application activity while purchase applications continued to weaken during the week ended July 23. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) says its Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 5.7 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from the prior week and the unadjusted index was up 6 […]
Homeownership Rates Fall Across the Board
The U.S. Census Bureau says the nation’s Homeownership Rate was at 65.4 percent in the second quarter of 2021. This is down from both the previous quarter’s 65.6 percent, and a year earlier when it was reported at 67.9 percent. However, the Bureau cautions,” When interpreting these estimates and comparing with prior quarters and years, […]
Existing Home Sales Rise Slightly for the First Time in Four Months
Existing home sales snapped a four-month losing streak in June. Sales of pre-owned single-family houses, townhouses, condominiums, and cooperative apartments, rose 1.4 percent on a seasonally adjusted annual basis to 5.86 million units, 22.9 percent higher than the 4.77 million rate in June 2020. Activity was higher month-over-month in three of the four major regions […]
Delinquencies Fall Below Pre-Great Recession Average
The national delinquency rate dropped by 7.62 percent in June and is now 42.39 percent below its rate at the worst of the pandemic. Black Knight, in its monthly report, says the June rate, at 4.37 percent, was also back below its pre-Great Recession average. Still, there are 2.32 million homeowners who are 30 or […]
Existing-Home Sales Expand 1.4% in June
Existing-Home Sales Expand 1.4% in June Existing-home sales rose month-over-month in all major U.S. regions except the South, and all regions saw double-digit gains year-over-year. Media Contact: Quintin Simmons 202-383-1178
National Association of Realtors® Announces 2022 Leadership Academy Class
NAR Announces 2022 Leadership Academy Class The Leadership Academy prepares state and local volunteers for future leadership positions at NAR. Media Contact: Wesley Shaw 202-383-1193
Big News For Refi Rates As Adverse Market Fee is Removed
It was big, bad news when it came out last summer. Almost a year later, the 50 basis point “adverse market fee,” which affected a majority of refinance mortgages has been eliminated! Backstory In early August 2020, Fannie and Freddie (who collectively buy or guarantee a vast majority of all mortgages) announced that virtually all […]