Mon, Apr 13 2020, 8:28 AM
The list of things for the housing industry to worry about in the current COVID-19 emergency has been growing steadily over the last few weeks, but a ...
Mon, Apr 13 2020, 8:20 AM
Millennials have lagged most of their predecessor generations in terms of their homeownership rate but when they did begin to buy, they become the fas...
Fri, Apr 10 2020, 2:18 PM
Just as the mortgage industry was coming to terms with unprecedented market volatility due to coronavirus, the details of the CARES Act (the coronavir...
Thu, Apr 9 2020, 3:37 PM
The Fed announced new lending programs totaling $2.3 trillion this morning. The Fed had recently alluded to "additional tools" at its disposal to sup...
Thu, Apr 9 2020, 11:15 AM
Realtors don't expect the 2020 "spring market" is going to happen, but they are optimistic there will be a post-pandemic rebound driven by delayed dem...
Thu, Apr 9 2020, 10:56 AM
As the market looks at this morning’s Federal Reserve huge aid package announcement, while in captivity/quarantivity, testing yourself is important . ...
Wed, Apr 8 2020, 12:08 PM
Any discussion about the challenges faced by a particular industry or even by a particular household requires the same acknowledgement right up front...
Wed, Apr 8 2020, 11:33 AM
American's attitudes regarding buying and selling homes and about their own financial outlook made an abrupt U-turn last month and Fannie Mae's Home P...
Wed, Apr 8 2020, 9:22 AM
While in captivity it is important to keep calm . “Many parents are discovering that the teacher was not the problem.” One of the kids next door phone...
Wed, Apr 8 2020, 8:24 AM
The negative effects of the COVID-19 epidemic appear to have set in last week as mortgage applications, which had managed to increase even after much ...
Tue, Apr 7 2020, 4:53 PM
Black Knight has done an early analysis of the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the housing market . In our summary of the first part of ...
Tue, Apr 7 2020, 4:37 PM
Homeowners who are either already feeling the financial effects of COVID-19 or anticipate it will happen are being proactive in requesting help from t...
Tue, Apr 7 2020, 11:04 AM
Home price gains accelerated for the fourth straight month in February with a 4.1 percent annual increase in the CoreLogic Home Price Index (HPI) The ...
Tue, Apr 7 2020, 9:10 AM
Is there good news out there? You bet! Ying Ying and Le Le mated . That aside, Day 98 of captivity. We’ve all found out that really hot water and suds...
Mon, Apr 6 2020, 4:55 PM
The most important ingredient in the mortgage market is the presence of homeowners--prospective or otherwise--with the means and desire to make monthl...
Mon, Apr 6 2020, 11:25 AM
The Jobless Claims Report and the Employment Situation Report and were both pretty devastating last week with more than 6 million new unemployment cla...
Mon, Apr 6 2020, 10:58 AM
Here's this week's Fed MBS Purchase Schedule.
The daily amount is down from a recent peak of $50 bln to $25 bln . So does that mean the Fed is o...
Mon, Apr 6 2020, 9:07 AM
Twas a rough night since today it’s garbage day. I was worrying all night, “What should I wear to take it out?” Jeannette M writes, “On January 1st I ...
Fri, Apr 3 2020, 1:49 PM
Black Knight has taken what will probably prove to be only their first in-depth analysis of the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the econ...
Fri, Apr 3 2020, 9:26 AM
Home building might be the answer to more than just the housing shortage according to some information provided by Paul Emrath, economist for the Nati...
Fri, Apr 3 2020, 9:16 AM
While in captivity it is important to focus on the friends you’ll see when you’re released . Your borrower doesn’t want the fuss and muss of typing up...
Fri, Apr 3 2020, 9:04 AM
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced how it will be allocating its initial portion of funds from the massive Coronaviru...
Thu, Apr 2 2020, 10:41 AM
Many people have "expert sources" they rely on for insight to potential market movers. I understand this quite well. On the one hand , I used to be...
Thu, Apr 2 2020, 9:30 AM
Yesterday I decided to put thoughts of SRP values plummeting, and EPO & EPD penalties being enforced, out of my mind and get some exercise. My cat Myr...
Wed, Apr 1 2020, 11:46 AM
Nationwide outlays for construction slipped slightly in February. The Census Bureau said public and private sources spent at a seasonally adjusted ann...
Wed, Apr 1 2020, 9:43 AM
This morning's ADP Employment showed a loss of 27k jobs. Forecasts called for a loss of 150k jobs compared to last month's report that was strongly p...
Wed, Apr 1 2020, 9:19 AM
“I hadn’t planned on giving up quite this much for lent.” So true. It is a different world than only a month ago. Of course rates are going to stay at...
Wed, Apr 1 2020, 8:54 AM
In an earlier article , (before more pressing issues shelved the topic) we summarized highlights from a recent New York Times Magazine article about t...
Wed, Apr 1 2020, 8:27 AM
Well this was a surprise. In a week when unemployment claims soared to the highest level in probably ever and several large states went into a COVID-1...
Tue, Mar 31 2020, 5:30 PM
There are too many counter-intuitive and frustrating developments in the mortgage market to comprehend all at one time, let alone discuss. That's not ...
Tue, Mar 31 2020, 2:27 PM
CURRENT FED MBS BUYING SCHEDULE AND PURCHASE LOOKUP TOOL
I'm changing up this Q&A to make it shorter, denser, and better. If it's too pithy for you...
Tue, Mar 31 2020, 10:58 AM
Home prices entered 2020 still on the uptick according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller indices. The U.S. National Home Price Index, which covers all...
Tue, Mar 31 2020, 9:42 AM
I don't know much about porridge. I'm not even sure I've ever eaten it. I do know one thing about it though: the temperature has to be "just right" ...
Tue, Mar 31 2020, 9:03 AM
Remember when all we had to worry about was Amazon taking over mortgage banking? The sun hits different here in March – see joke at bottom. (Thirty da...
Mon, Mar 30 2020, 11:29 AM
Among responses to the job losses and reduced income already emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic has been a moratorium on foreclosures and a requireme...
Mon, Mar 30 2020, 10:41 AM
Pending home sales, which jumped 5.2 percent in January, did not retrench as expected last month. The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) said its...
Mon, Mar 30 2020, 8:50 AM
After a long time in captivity with the same people, one may become, uh, less than enamored with their pals. “12 th day of self-isolation and it’s lik...
Mon, Mar 30 2020, 12:19 AM
Here is this week's MBS buying calendar.
It differs from last week's in that there is now only $40bln of purchases per day rather than $50bln.
S...
Fri, Mar 27 2020, 10:50 AM
I devoted years of my life championing the cause of educating mortgage originators on the realities of MBS price movement. The most compelling call...
Fri, Mar 27 2020, 9:33 AM
While in captivity it is important to have good communication . (Early anecdotal chatter indicates that the remote workforce has signs of improved pro...
Fri, Mar 27 2020, 9:11 AM
Freddie Mac reported this week that its total mortgage portfolio increased at an annualized rate of 5.5 percent in February , up from a 4.3 percent ga...
Thu, Mar 26 2020, 5:17 PM
I will do my best to speak to both consumer and mortgage industry people on this topic. It affects everyone. With that in mind, the following is a l...
Thu, Mar 26 2020, 11:13 AM
New home building, which only recently and belatedly caught fire, is already feeling the effect of the COVID-19 virus response. The National Associati...
Thu, Mar 26 2020, 9:08 AM
While in captivity it is important to keep busy . Every day people ask me where I think rates will be next week. Here you go: my forecast ! After you ...
Wed, Mar 25 2020, 6:42 PM
Depending on what you're looking at, when you look, and where you look, mortgage rates could either be amazing or terrible. Large, upstanding, secure,...
Wed, Mar 25 2020, 9:56 AM
The pace of annual price increases ticked slightly higher in January according to Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI). The i...
Wed, Mar 25 2020, 9:26 AM
It's no secret that volatility has been a big deal in the bond market (and most other markets) recently. But there's no comparing the drama seen in T...
Wed, Mar 25 2020, 9:03 AM
While in captivity it is important to have a hobby . “Dad, why is my sister named Paris?” “Well, uh, that’s because we were in Paris when she was conc...
Wed, Mar 25 2020, 8:15 AM
The volume of mortgage applications plummeted last week as households, rattled by COVID-19 fears, self-isolated in their homes and businesses were shu...
Tue, Mar 24 2020, 6:36 PM
There is a LOT of misinformation flying around out there about the mortgage market, the Fed, and the various impacts on rates from the government's co...
