Wed, Apr 15 2020, 9:25 AM
While in captivity sometimes it is difficult social distancing . Working from home, and having video meetings, takes some getting used to. I was telli...
Wed, Apr 15 2020, 8:50 AM
Even though many were probably doing it on their phone or tablet while sitting at their kitchen tables, Americans were busy submitting applications to...
Wed, Apr 15 2020, 8:29 AM
There's no question that financial markets have done a great deal to price-in the anticipated economic impact of coronavirus, but have they done enoug...
Tue, Apr 14 2020, 4:54 PM
Mortgage rates were moderately to significantly higher today depending on the lender, the program, and on one's own definition of words like "moderate...
Tue, Apr 14 2020, 11:09 AM
There's a bit of 20/20 hindsight in the observation that MBS strength could/should only last for so long before experiencing a bit of a correction. I...
Tue, Apr 14 2020, 10:48 AM
Freddie Mac's Quarterly Forecast is more upbeat than one might expect . While it acknowledges that, with big chunks of the U.S. economy currently in l...
Tue, Apr 14 2020, 10:13 AM
Bill M. sent, “It's not at all boring to stay in the house. But how come one bag of rice has 22,373 grains and the other bag 24,201?” Yes, things have...
Mon, Apr 13 2020, 5:38 PM
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) says the surge in unemployment claims filed since mid-March resulting from the mitigation efforts to slow the s...
Mon, Apr 13 2020, 5:06 PM
Mortgage rates have been volatile and unpredictable to say the least. Some of this has to do with overall market volatility surrounding the market's r...
Mon, Apr 13 2020, 11:49 AM
In this third article summarizing an analysis by Black Knight of the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic housing the company looks at mortgage ...
Mon, Apr 13 2020, 10:20 AM
It was a rough weekend. The still in our basement blew up, throwing potatoes everywhere and setting us back weeks. That happened just as I was sending...
Mon, Apr 13 2020, 10:10 AM
Markets have already shown how well they understand the uniquely massive economic toll taken by coronavirus. That's why we're able to see things like...
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...
