As a subplot to the entire mortgage drama, two feuds recently emerged or more accurately re-emerged among some major mortgage players. First, in testimony before the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, North Carolina Commissioner of Banks, Joseph A. Smith, Jr. representing the Conference...
A lot has happened to the subprime market and the players in it since the virtual meltdown two weeks ago. This does not purport to be a definitive roundup of activities in the last week, there has been a lot going on. New Century Financial continues its downhill spiral. While it voluntarily stopped accepting...
In the midst of the upheavals surrounding the subprime market a new study has emerged that appears to quantify the problem and, at the same time, offer hope that it isn't as bad as it seems. Christopher L. Cagan, Ph.D., Director of Research and Analysis of First American CoreLogic recently released Mortgage...
In October a covey of federal agencies including the Federal Reserve, The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the National Credit Union Administration published what was called " final guidance " on underwriting nontraditional mortgage products. This guidance was designed to address risks associated...
In the wake of a tough couple of weeks that have rattled the sub-prime lending industry, Freddie Mac announced on Tuesday that it was cracking down on underwriting standards for those loans it purchases. The mortgage giant announced that it will cease purchasing subprime mortgages that "have a high likelihood...
Freddie Mac 23rd Annual Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) Survey released last week contained few surprises. The three major findings were: A decline in the market share of ARMs as savings from these loans as compared to fixed rate loans shrank; Greater lender discounts to entice borrowers into taking out...
The Federal Reserve Board seldom giveth, but they did send home buyers and owners as well as real estate professionals a bit of a holiday present last week. The Board in conjunction with the Office of Thrift Supervision issued a revised version of its venerable Consumer Handbook on Adjustable-Rate Mortgages...
ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, has just issued the results or a large scale study of the potential impact of upcoming adjustments to adjustable rate mortgages . ACORN bills itself as the nation's largest community organization of low and moderate-income families. It...