Mortgage and Finance - St Louis Real Estate News

Fed Reserve: Housing Sales and Starts Have Flattened Out at Depressed Levels; Foreclosures Likely To Remain High

By Dennis Norman, on April 6th, 2010

Dennis Norman

At the Federal Open Market Committee meeting on March 16th it was suggested that “economic activity expanded at a moderate pace in early 2010″. Unfortunately, when it came to the housing market, the news was not as good and it was noted that “housing activity remained flat and the nonresidential construction section weakened further.” The staff went on to say that activity in the housing sector appears to “have flattened out in recent months” and that “sales of both new and existing homes have turned down, while starts of single-family homes were about unchanged despite the substantial Continue Reading →

Obama Administration HAMP Loan Modification Program Falling Short

By Dennis Norman, on April 1st, 2010

Dennis Norman

The Treasury Department Plans to Spend $50 Billion on HAMP…Is it Going to “help keep “3 to 4 million Americans in their homes” as Promised Though?

Last week Herbert M. Allison, Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability for the U.S. Department of the Treasury, testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform as to “Is the Home Affordable Modification Program Preserving Homeownership?”.

Early in his testimony Allison states that, at the time the HAMP program was announced, President Obama said the program would “enable as many as 3 to 4 million homeowners to modify Continue Reading →

St Louis Real Estate – St Louis Mortgage Interest Rates On The Rise

By Robert Fishel, on March 31st, 2010

NEW FHA Policies Go Into Effect April 5th

Applications for FHA-guaranteed mortgages exceeded an annual rate of 3 million in October; nearly triple the level in 2007. In 2006, when subprime and other Wall Street programs were at full speed, the annual rate for applications was less than 600,000. As a result the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Commissioner David Stevens recently announced a set of policy changes to strengthen the FHA’s capital reserves. The changes announced are the latest in a series of changes Stevens has enacted in order to better position the FHA to manage its risk while continuing Continue Reading →

FHA Offers Alternative For Underwater Homeowners

By Dennis Norman, on March 29th, 2010

Dennis Norman

Last week HUD announced changes to FHA home loan programs to provide refinancing options to homeowners who owe more than their home is worth. Under FHA’s new plan, existing underwater homeowners can refinance their existing non-FHA loan into a FHA loan as long as they are current on their loan and their current lender reduces their total mortgage debt by at least 10 percent of the loan amount.

The total mortgage amount for the borrower after refinancing cannot be greater than 115 percent of the current value of the home, bring the loan amount for Continue Reading →

Help for homeowners facing foreclosure or are underwater

By Dennis Norman, on March 26th, 2010

Dennis Norman

Back in early December I did a post about a new program that was announced in November, the Home Affordable Foreclosures Alternative (HAFA) Program which is scheduled to go into effect April 5, 2010. There was recently supplemental documentation published as well as FAQ’s about the program and I have to admit, it seems to me the government is getting it right with this program.

THE HAFA PROGRAM:

The Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program provides financial incentives to loan servicers as well as borrowers who do a short-sale or a deed-in-lieu to avoid foreclosure on Continue Reading →

February Existing Home Sales Vary By Region and Price

By Dennis Norman, on March 24th, 2010

Dennis Norman

According to the latest report from the National Association of REALTORS(R), existing home sales in the US in February decreased 0.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted-annual rate of 5.02 million units in February from a revised level of 5.50 million units in January, however this does represent an increase of 7.0 percent from a year ago when the rate was 4.69 million units (seasonally adjusted).

February’s Numbers Show Real Estate is “Local”

Reinforcing the fact that “all real estate is local” the February Existing Home Sales report paints quite a different picture of the housing market depending Continue Reading →

St Louis Real Estate – St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rates Increase Slightly

By Robert Fishel, on March 24th, 2010

PLASTIC TAKES PRIORITY.

Consumers are paying more attention to their credit card payments and making sure they are current according to a newly released report from TransUnion. The credit information management company analyzed 27 million anonymous consumer records randomly sampled during the six quarters from 2008 to 2009. Their selection criteria included consumers with at least one credit card and a current mortgage. Consumers who are delinquent on their credit cards and current on their mortgages decreased to 3.6% from 4.1% in the time period of the study. However, during the first quarter of 2008 a “flip” occurred where the Continue Reading →

Feds pulling support of mortgage market- will interest rates increase?

By Dennis Norman, on March 22nd, 2010

Dennis Norman

The Federal Reserve announced it will stop purchasing mortgage-backed securities by the end of March.

In November, 2008, the Federal Reserve announced, in an effort to help the housing market, it would purchase mortgage-backed securities. Then, in March, 2009, the Fed increased the total amount of money they would invest in such securities to $1.25 trillion and estimated that they would complete those purchases by the end of first quarter 2010.

The Fed’s action I think certainly added some liquidity and confidence to the ailing housing market and now, that the time has come Continue Reading →

Housing Recovery ‘Setback’ According to Fannie Mae Report

By Dennis Norman, on March 18th, 2010

Dennis Norman

According to the Economics and Mortgage Market Analysis report just published by Fannie Mae, the weather was the culprit for the slow-down in home sales at the beginning of this year however, we did not get the boost they were anticipating from the extension of the tax credits. “Unfortunately, despite the high hopes associated with the extended and expanded homebuyer tax credit, housing activity appears to have faced a setback that went beyond the impact of adverse weather conditions. ” On a somewhat positive note, the analysts state they view the housing setback “to be a Continue Reading →

St. Louis Real Estate – St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rates Drop Back Below 5 Percent

By Robert Fishel, on March 17th, 2010

LAST CALL FOR HOMEBUYER’S TAX CREDITS!

Prospects are scurrying to sell and/or buy homes before next month’s tax credit deadline.” “It’s been absolutely nuts, I have showings galore and contracts are coming in left and right,” commented one real estate agent. To qualify for the credit, buyers must have fully executed sales contracts in place by April 30 and the deal must close by June 30. First-time home buyers are eligible for up to $8,000. Buyers who have owned a home for five consecutive years within the past eight years can get a credit of up to $6,500. Other Continue Reading →

St Louis Real Estate – City of St Louis Vacant Property Bill Update

By Dennis Norman, on March 12th, 2010

Dennis Norman

Update: March 23, 2010: In spite of the concern of many organizations including the St. Louis Association of REALTORS, the Mortgage Bankers Association and the Title Insurance folks, the Board of Alderman passed the vacant property ordinance on March 12th – Now that lenders and title companies are aware of potential title and lien issues with this bill I have no doubt investors, and even homeowners, are going to run into some roadblocks when trying to finance property in the City of St. Louis – 2/3 of the Alderman voted in favor of the bill:

The Continue Reading →

St Louis Real Estate – St Louis Mortgage Rates still low; higher rates coming though?

By Robert Fishel, on March 10th, 2010

Last Friday’s suprisingly strong payroll figures likely reinforced for many investors that the next time the Fed makes a change to their monetary policy strategy-it will likely to raise short-term interest rates. The actual date of such an event may be months away-but an increasing number of “stronger than expected” economic reports are making it difficult for mortgage interest rates to move lower. A growing number of business economists believe the U.S. central bank’s policy’s are too stimulative and expect the Federal Reserve to raise benchmark interest rates within six months. The Fed has said continued high rates of Continue Reading →

Commercial and Multifamily Mortgage Performance Remains Better Than Other Loans

By Dennis Norman, on March 9th, 2010

Dennis Norman

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its report on the performance of commercial and multifamily mortgages in the fourth quarter of 2009. Their last report from a year ago showed that commercial and multifamily mortgages were among the best performing loans held by banks and thrifts. Now, a year later, the data still looks good and shows that commercial and multifamily mortgages continue to have the lowest charge off rate of all loan types at banks and thrifts and also perform better than their overall portfolios as well.

This is good news for an already-struggling Continue Reading →

St Louis Real Estate – St Louis Foreclosure Rates Still on the Rise

By Dennis Norman, on March 5th, 2010

Dennis Norman

St. Louis Mortgage Delinquencies and St. Louis Foreclosure Rate hit Record Highs

A report released by First American CoreLogic showed the St. Louis metro area to have a foreclosure rate in January of 1.42 percent up slightly from December’s rate of 1.36 percent and an increase of 46.39 percent from the year prior when the rate was 0.97 percent.

The national foreclosure rate for January remains over twice the rate of St. Louis at 3.19 percent and was an increase of 60.3 percent from a year ago when the national Continue Reading →

St Louis Real Estate – Mortgage Rates Hold Steady In the Country’s 8th most affordable city

By Robert Fishel, on March 3rd, 2010

Low foreclosures, stable home prices and affordability make eighth-ranked St. Louis a good bet for home buyers, according to a report released by Forbes.com last Friday. Forbes gathered data from the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo’s Housing Opportunity Index (HOI). The index measures median home prices against median incomes. Additional data overlays included Moody’s one-year forecast for the Case-Shiller Home Price Index of home prices and RealtyTrac’s 2009 foreclosure report. Rankings from all of these data sources were considered in determining the overall score. The top ten best housing metro areas: Pittsburgh, PA Louisville – Jefferson Continue Reading →

Thinking of “walking away” from your mortgage?

By Dennis Norman, on March 3rd, 2010

Dennis Norman

You may want to consider possible legal issues before deciding to “walk away”

Homeowners who are considering “walking away” from their home to avoid making their mortgage payment need to know that their mortgage company may try to file a lawsuit to recover the amount owed on the home.

In addition, homeowners who sell their home for less than the amount they owe – a process called a “short sale” — may be sued for the unpaid balance, even after the sale of the home. Finally, homeowners with unpaid home equity loans or second mortgages may also Continue Reading →

Appeals Court Rules Builder Incentive did not violate RESPA

By Dennis Norman, on March 1st, 2010

Dennis Norman

The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit recently consdered an appeal by the plaintiffs of a class action lawsuit again D.R. Horton, Inc. and DHI Mortgage, Co brought by John R. Yeatman and Eleanor E. Yeatman on behalf of themselves and all similarly situated individuals.

The lawsuit stems from the Yeatman’s purchase of a home from DR Horton in 2006 in which the purchase agreement gave the Yeatmans the option of receiving a discount on their closing costs on the house, provided they used DHI Mortgage as their mortgage lender. This was not Continue Reading →

St Louis Real Estate – St Louis Home Prices Increased 1.32 Percent in 2009

By Dennis Norman, on February 25th, 2010

Dennis Norman

According to a report issued this morning by the the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) St. Louis area home prices increased by 1.32 percent in 2009. Granted that’s not much but, hey, after what we’ve seen the last couple of years in the housing market I think this is very good news.

This information comes for the FHFA’s purchase-only price index which is based upon repeat sales of the same single-family properties therefore making it a much more accurate barometer of the market than just looking at median prices of homes sold as many reports do. Continue Reading →

St Louis Real Estate – Mortgate Rates Hold Steady But Expected to Rise

By Robert Fishel, on February 24th, 2010

When considering historically low interest rates, competitive home values along with the $8,000 First-Time Homebuyer and $6,500 Repeat Homebuyer Tax Credits, potential homebuyers still have a great opportunity.

THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW.

The Federal Reserve indicates it will stop buying mortgage-backed securities toward the end of the first quarter. Most mortgage experts believe that mortgage interest rates will rise when mortgages go off “Fed support” as private investors require higher rates to compensate for the risk.

The deadline for the First Time/Repeat Homebuyer Tax Credits is an executed contract by April 30, 2010 with a Continue Reading →

Almost one-in-four borrowers underwater on home mortgage

By Dennis Norman, on February 23rd, 2010

Over Fifteen Percent of Missouri Borrowers are Underwater-Another 5.6 Percent Are Almost Underwater

Dennis Norman

According to a report released today by First American CoreLogic more than 11.3 million U.S. mortgages, or 24 percent of all mortgaged properties, are in a negative equity position meaning the borrowers owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth as of December 31, 2009.

There were approximately 600,000 more borrowers underwater on December 31, 2009 than just three months earlier. In addition, there were an additional 2.3 million mortgages approaching negative equity at the end of last year .

Together, Continue Reading →

St Louis Real Estate – Interest Rates Hold Steady – Paramount Celebrates 40 Years

By Robert Fishel, on February 17th, 2010

More than 380 mortgage lending operations nationwide have ceased operation since 2006, according to the Mortgage Lender Implode-O-Meter website.

However in spite of a tough and demanding economic market, Paramount Mortgage this week celebrated it’s 40 year anniversary!

“Expect Excellence” has been our corporate motto and the driving force in our philosophy of providing exemplary customer service,” states H. John Frank, Jr., President of Paramount Mortgage Company. “We have never forgotten that this is a people business and we treat our clients with respect. We take the time to get to know their home purchasing goals and communicate with Continue Reading →

Mortgage Delinquencies Jump Over 10 Percent

By Dennis Norman, on February 16th, 2010

Dennis Norman

Deceleration in Rise of Mortgage Delinquencies Short Lived

Back in July, 2009 when speaking in North Carolina President Barack Obama announced “we may be seeing the beginning of the end of the recession“. My thoughts then were that was very optimistic and I didn’t agree (for whatever that is worth). Since then some economists have announced the recession is officially over. Technically based upon a few bits of data the recession may be over, but for us real people that are actually living and functioning in this economy I don’t think it is over; at least not Continue Reading →

FDIC’s Sale of IndyMac to One West Bank – Sweetheart deal or not?

By Dennis Norman, on February 15th, 2010

Dennis Norman

Last week a friend emailed me a link to a video titled “The Indymac Slap in Our Face” that was created by Think Big Work Small. I watched the video which gave a recap of the failure of Indymac bank back resulting in it’s seizure by the FDIC in July, 2008, and the ultimate sale by the FDIC of Indymac Bank to One West Bank in March, 2009.

According to the video, One West Bank received a cushy, “sweetheart deal” and implied it was related to the fact that the owners of One West Bank include Continue Reading →

St Louis Real Estate – 2009 Ends with St Louis Foreclosure Rate at Record Levels

By Dennis Norman, on February 12th, 2010

Dennis Norman

St. Louis ended 2009 With The Highest Foreclosure Rate and Mortgage Delinquency Rates On Record For the St. Louis Area

According to date from First American CoreLogic, St Louis finished 2009 with 1.43 percent of the homes in St. Louis with a mortgage in some stage of the foreclosure process and 5.73 percent of the mortgages in St. Louis seriously delinquent (90+ days past due).

The St. Louis area has seen increases in the foreclosure rate every month since August, 2008 and the the December 2009 rate is the highest rate recorded since First American Continue Reading →

St Louis Real Estate – Commercial Real Estate: The Next Shoe to Fall?

By Dennis Norman, on February 11th, 2010

Dennis Norman

Big Losses Are Forecast For Commercial Real Estate and Expected to Crush Some Community Banks-Can the Housing Market Avoid the Fallout?

This morning the Congressional Oversight Panel issued a report, “Commercial Real Estate Losses and the Risk to Financial Stability” which expressed concerns about coming losses in Commercial Real Estate and also described how these losses could affect nearly everyone.

The report states the panel “is deeply concerned that a wave of commercial real estate loan losses over the next four years could jeopardize the stability of many banks, particularly community banks, and prolong an already Continue Reading →

St Louis Real Estate – Interest Rates Hold Steady – Still Time for Tax Credit

By Robert Fishel, on February 10th, 2010

There is time left for qualified buyers to take advantage of the 2009 First-Time Home Buyer’s $8,000 Tax Credit & Repeat Home Buyer’s $6,500 Tax Credit. Binding sales contract must be executed by April 30, 2010, the closing can be extended until June 30, 2010. The newly expanded first-time homebuyer and repeat homebuyer tax credit was signed into law a few months ago, but many married, unmarried, or soon to be married tax filers, are confused about claiming these credits. Understandably so. There are numerous scenarios that can come up, e.g. “I am a long-time principal homeowner but my Continue Reading →

Fannie Mae offering buyers incentives on HomePath Properties

By Dennis Norman, on February 8th, 2010

Dennis Norman

Fannie Mae is offering 3.5 percent in closing cost assistance or an equivalaent amount in appliances for people purchasing a Fannie Mae-owned HomePath® property.

Fannie Mae is trying to entice buyers to buy one of their HomePath® homes by offering to pay up to 3.5 percent in closing cost assistance or an equal amount toward new appliances for owner-occupants who close on the purchase of a property listed on HomePath.com before May 1, 2010. First-time homebuyers, and some long-term homeowners, will also be eligible for the Homebuyer Tax Credit.

Properties eligible for this incentive are listed Continue Reading →

St Louis Real Estate – Foreclosure Rates in St Louis Increase Again

By Dennis Norman, on February 5th, 2010

Dennis Norman

In spite of what is being said in the press about the real estate market improving and the effectiveness of the government’s programs to help keep people in their homes, the rate of foreclosure just keeps increasing.

A report released today by First American CoreLogic showed the St. Louis metro area to have a foreclosure rate of 1.43 percent up slightly from November’s rate of 1.35 percent and an increase of 66.67 percent from the year prior when the rate was 0.87 percent.

The national foreclosure rate for December was again over double the rate Continue Reading →

Bank of America to do HAMP Second-Lien Modification Program

By Dennis Norman, on February 4th, 2010

Dennis Norman

Bank of America announced that it is the first mortgage servicer to sign an agreement formally committing to participation in the pending second-lien component of the federal government’s Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP).

Bank of America has systems in place to begin implementing the Second Lien Modification Program (2MP) with the release of final program policies and guidelines by federal regulatory agencies, which is expected soon. 2MP will require modifications that reduce the monthly payments on qualifying home equity loans and lines of credit under certain conditions, including completion of a HAMP modification on the first Continue Reading →

St Louis Real Estate – Mortgage Rates Hold Steady-FHA Makes Changes

By Robert Fishel, on February 3rd, 2010

FHA loans gained in popularity for borrowers as applications for FHA-guaranteed mortgages exceeded an annual rate of 3 million in October; nearly triple the level in 2007. In 2006, when subprime and other Wall Street programs were at full speed, the annual rate for applications was less than 600,000.

As a result the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Commissioner David Stevens recently announced a set of policy changes to strengthen the FHA’s capital reserves. The changes announced are the latest in a series of changes Stevens has enacted in order to better position the FHA to manage its risk Continue Reading →