Existing Home Sales Increase In April As Tax Credits End

By , on May 24th, 2010

Dennis Norman

Sales increased for second consecutive month-

With the home-buyer tax credits ending April 30th, it’s not surprising that we saw an increase of home sales in March, and now in April, as buyers rushed to buy before the deadline to have a congract of April 30, 2010. According to the latest report from the National Association of REALTORS(R), existing home sales in the US in April increased 7.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted-annual rate of 5.77 million units in April from a revised level of 5.36 million units in March, and increased 22.8 percent from a year Continue Reading →

Six Charged with Wire Fraud Based on $20 Million Mortgage Fraud Scheme

By , on May 23rd, 2010

A 10-count indictment has been unsealed charging six individuals with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Karen P. Hewitt. The defendants are charged with submitting false and fraudulent mortgage loan applications and related documents to banks and other lending institutions, thereby inducing the institutions to make approximately 36 loans totaling approximately $20,800,000.

The defendants charged with participating in the conspiracy are: Brian Andrew La Porte; Daniel John Schuetz; Michael Wayne Wickware; Roxanne Yvette Hempstead; Darryl Anthony Wallace, aka Darryl Anthony White; and Terrence Smith, aka Terry Lee Smith. The indictment alleges that the defendants devised Continue Reading →

Ponzi Scheme and Mortgage Fraud Mastermind Sentenced to 15 Years, Eight Months

By , on May 22nd, 2010

The founder and head of Chicago Development and Planning was sentenced yesterday to 15 years and eight months in prison, and ordered to pay more than $9 million in restitution for wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering, U.S. Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced.

Patricia Morgen pleaded guilty on Dec. 16, 2009. According to the plea agreement, she admitted creating a scheme to solicit investors for a company called Chicago Development and Planning, with the promise of substantial guaranteed return profit payments. Morgen falsely promised investors that their funds would be used to purchase real property to be rented or Continue Reading →

Mortgage Default Rate Improves In April

By , on May 20th, 2010

Dennis Norman

I know it looks like I’m doing my second post today on the same topic, but I’m really not……my post earlier today was about the rate of mortgage delinquency, which can be defined as homeowners that are late, to varying degrees, on their house payments. This post is about mortgage default rates, which is homeowners that are over 90 days late on mortgage payments, have filed bankruptcy, are in foreclosure or on whom the lender has written off part or all of the balance of the loan. In other words these are the borrowers Continue Reading →

Not Out Of The Woods Yet; Mortgage Delinquences and Foreclosures On The Rise

By , on May 20th, 2010

1st Quarter Delinquencies; Up? Down? He said – She Said…

If you frequent this site, then you may recall that a little over a week ago (May 10th to be exact) I wrote a post that said the delinquency rate for homeowners mortgages had dropped in the first quarter of this year, the first drop since 2006. Now the post title says delinquencies have increased, so what gives?

Well, for one thing, different sources of information. The “good” delinquency report came from TransUnion and they get their data by doing a “random sampling” of their database of 27 million Continue Reading →

St Louis Mortgage Interest Rates Remain Low; FHA To Make Changes

By , on May 19th, 2010

It’s all about Europe debt crisis…

Trading action in the mortgage markets have been and continue to be influenced by the ongoing concern over Europe’s debt crisis. This uncertainty has overshadowed a growing amount of data flow from our own economy that is signaling or own recovery. This uncertainty continues to drive capital into dollar denominated assets. The FHA To Reduce Allowable Seller Concessions this Summer/ Is the Housing Market Recovering for Real…

The percentage sellers can take from the sales price of a home to fund closing costs is being cut from 6% to 3%. According to an announcement Continue Reading →

St Louis Interest Rates Remain Low In Spite of Fed Pull Out

By , on May 12th, 2010

A few months ago, it was widely believed that the Fed’s massive purchase of mortgage backed securities was keeping long-term interest rates artificially low in order to stimulate the economy. It’s been six weeks since the Fed stopped buying mortgage backed securities, and there is no sign that that the end of the purchase program has caused mortgage rates to rise by any meaningful amount.

Given the uncertainty of the monetary crisis in Europe and the mystery of a stock market crash and rebound, markets continue to be very volatile with large swings from day to day– this should continue Continue Reading →

Slight Decline In Number of Underwater Homeowners

By , on May 11th, 2010

Dennis Norman

According to a report released by CoreLogic, there were 11.2 million homeowners that were in a negative equity, or “underwater“, position on their mortgages as of the end of the first quarter of this year. This number is equal to 24 percent of all homeowners with a mortgage in the U.S., which is the same percentage as the prior quarter, however the actual number of underwater borrowers was down slightly from 11.3 million borrowers that were underwater in the prior quarter. In addition, there are an additional 2.3 million borrowers that have less than five percent Continue Reading →

No More Fixed-Rate Loans On New Homes If Missouri Lawmakers Don’t Act Quickly

By , on May 11th, 2010

Dennis Norman

UPDATE – May 17, 2010 – THANKS TO MISSOURI LAWMAKERS (and the efforts of the Missouri Association of REALTORS and St. Louis Home Builders Association, readers of this post that responded, and others) THE MECHANICS LIEN LAW PASSED! ASSUMING THE GOVERNOR SIGNS IT INTO LAW FINANCING ON NEW HOMES AS WE KNOW IT HAS BEEN PRESERVED!

This week, which is the last week of the legislative session in Jefferson City, the Missouri Senate will probably take up debate on HB 2058, which is a bill that makes needed changes to the Mechanic’s Lien Statute in Missouri Continue Reading →

Mortgage Delinquencies Fall in 1st Quarter; First Decline Since 2006

By , on May 10th, 2010

Dennis Norman

Consistent with the report on mortgage delinquencies from LPS that I wrote about last week, today TransUnion released it’s report on mortgage delinquencies showing they fell 1.74 percent in the first quarter of this year, which is the first quarterly decline since 2006. This is good news, however, not to rain on the parade, but we do need to remember that the 4th quarter of 2009 had a record-setting mortgage delinquency rate so to have the rate for the following quarter drop simply means, if you want to do the glass half-empty thing, this quarter didn’t Continue Reading →

Fewer Homeowners Falling Delinquent; More Delinquent Borrowers Bringing Payments Current

By , on May 6th, 2010

Dennis Norman

A report published by Lender Processing Services (LPS) analyzing homeowner’s performance on their mortgages as of March 2010 shows that, while foreclosure and mortgage delinquency rates are still near record levels, the pace may be slowing with fewer new loans becoming delinquent and an increase in the number of people bringing their loans current.

Fewer Borrowers Are Going From Current To Delinquent –

The dark blue line on the chart below represents the number of “new” delinquencies for each period, and as you can see, the number dropped sharply in March for people that moved Continue Reading →

St. Louis Foreclosures and Mortgage Delinquencies Hit Record Levels in March

By , on May 6th, 2010

Dennis Norman

A report released by CoreLogic showed the St. Louis metro area to have a foreclosure rate in March of 1.49 percent up slightly from February’s rate of 1.44 percent and an increase of 39.3 percent from the year prior when the rate was 1.07 percent.

The national foreclosure rate for March remains over twice the rate of St. Louis at 3.23 percent and was an increase of 73.9 percent from a year ago when the national foreclosure rate was 2.32 percent.

No End In Site

Unfortunately, I don’t think we are going to see much, if Continue Reading →

St Louis Real Estate News – World’s Financial Crisis May Help Keep Mortgage Rates Low

By , on May 5th, 2010

Constantly changing headlines involving the European financial crisis (Greece, possibly Portugal) along with the uncertainty of the stock market should make dollar denominated assets, i.e. Treasuries, Mortgage Backed Securities etc. appealing.

These issues should be enough to limit or prevent mortgage rates from moving higher in the near future.

St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rates – May 5, 2010 *

30-year fixed-rate mortgage 4.875% no points 15-year fixed-rate mortgage 4.375% no points 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage 3.625% no points FHA/VA 30-year fixed rate mortgage 5.125% Jumbo 5/1 ARM 4.125% no points Jumbo 15 year fixed rate mortgage 4.625%

For more Continue Reading →

Home Prices and Interest Rates May Offset Loss of Tax Credits

By , on May 3rd, 2010

61 Percent of Those Looking for or Considering Buying a Home Had No Plans to Use the Tax Credit

Dennis Norman

According to a survey from Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, the majority of people looking for, or considering buying, a home had no plans to take advantage of the First-Time or Move-Up/Repeat Home Buyer Tax Credits.

The survey, which was conducted online during the last week of February 2010, was designed to identify factors affecting today’s home buying decisions. Respondents were people from across the country who were searching for a new home, saving up to Continue Reading →

St Louis Real Estate – Interest Rates Hold Steady, Home Buyers Race To Get Tax Credit

By , on April 28th, 2010

Realtors, home buyers and sellers are rushing to complete sales agreements before the tax credit for home purchases expires this week; home buyers must have a deal by April 30 and close by June 30 to qualify for a tax break up to $8,000 for first-time home buyers and $6,500 for those moving to a different residence. The Treasury Department and the real estate industry have termed the program a success, helping people buy homes. However, many tax experts say it has been singularly cost-ineffective: most of the $12.6 billion in credits through end of February was collected by Continue Reading →

Mortgage Fraud Continues to Climb – Midwest Leads the Way

By , on April 27th, 2010

Incidents of Mortgage Fraud Increase 7 Percent from 2008 to 2009 – Florida, New York and California Top List of States with Highest Mortgage Fraud and Misrepresentation Rates

Dennis Norman

Reported incidents of mortgage fraud and misrepresentation by professionals in the mortgage industry in the U.S. are continuing to climb and increased by 7 percent from 2008 to 2009, according to a new report released today by the Mortgage Asset Research Institute, a LexisNexis® service. While the pace has slowed since the 2007-2008 increase of 26 percent, the continued increase is believed to be attributed to better Continue Reading →

CEO of the Duncan Group In St Louis Pleads Guilty in Multi-Million Dollar Ponzi Scheme

By , on April 26th, 2010

The United States Attorney’s Office announced today that Aaron Duncan, the former CEO and owner of The Duncan Group, has pleaded guilty to fraud charges involving a $3.9 million investment scheme.

According to court documents, Duncan represented that The Duncan Group was involved in real estate investments, including buying, rehabilitating, and selling residential real estate. Duncan solicited investors in Missouri and around the United States to participate in his real estate projects through The Duncan Group by making false representations regarding the security of investments and the rates of returns promised. Bank records revealed that Duncan operated The Duncan Group Continue Reading →

Record Foreclosure Rate Could Hurt Demand For Homes and Slow Recovery

By , on April 26th, 2010

Dennis Norman

In a report just issued by Radarlogic there is some good news for the housing industry as in the report Michael Feder, President and CEO of Radar Logic, states “the evidence continues to support the view that housing has stabilized and is in the early stages of recovery.” However, the report also reminds us that RealtyTrac reported that foreclosure filings set a record in March, with filings reported on 367,056 properties, the “highest monthly total since RealtyTrac began issuing its report in January 2005. The report indicates an increasing concern about the threat that foreclosures pose Continue Reading →

Survey Shows More Than 80 Percent of First-Time Home Buyers Believe Now Is a Good Time to Buy a Home

By , on April 24th, 2010

Dennis Norman

Century 21 Real Estate LLC announced the results of its First-Time Home Buyers and Sellers Survey, which captured and compared the opinions of prospective home buyers and sellers who either purchased or sold their first home within the past year or are planning to buy or sell their first home within the next year.

More than 80 percent of first-time home buyers and sellers feel the current housing market is more affordable today than this time last year, despite the fact that 40 percent of all respondents are more worried about the economy compared to this Continue Reading →

Last Minute Review of Homebuyer Tax Credit and Interest Rate Update

By , on April 21st, 2010

First-time homebuyers made up a record high share of sales in March, according to the latest Campbell Surveys poll of more than 1,500 real estate agents nationwide; First-time homebuyers accounted for 48.2% of all home purchases. The March uptick comes ahead of the extended tax credit deadline.

Who Qualifies-

First Time Home Buyer $8,000 Tax Credit The primary home buyer and/or spouse may not have owned a home in the previous three (3) years to qualify. Buyers cannot be claimed as a dependent by another taxpayer or be under the age of 18. Repeat Home Buyer $6,500 Tax Credit Continue Reading →

Housing Recovery Dependant on Inventory Reduction

By , on April 19th, 2010

Dennis Norman

Housing is stabilizing but excess inventory and shadow supply are hindering recovery according to the April 2010 Economic Outlook released today by Fannie Mae’s Economics & Mortgage Market Analysis Group.

The report projects that new home sales (which are at record lows) will be slow to recover until inventory of existing homes and the foreclosure overhang are worked off. The comments about existing home sales were more optimistic saying key indicators for existing home sales, including pending home sales and purchase applications, are showing good signs of a pickup.

Jobs, a driving force for housing, are Continue Reading →

St. Louis Real Estate News – Who are the homebuyers?

By , on April 14th, 2010

First-time home buyers comprised an unprecedented 47 percent of the market last year according to a recently published report by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). NAR’s report, 2009 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, points to the federal tax credit and the historic affordability of housing as the most likely reasons first-time buyers scored so high in sales. According to NAR, housing economists predict that “2010 will be an even bigger year for first-timers.” Who are these people, and what do they want? Most are married – Forty-nine percent are a married couple. Single females comprise a quarter Continue Reading →

Delinquent Home Mortgages 21.3 Percent Higher Than Last Year; Foreclosure Rates at Record High

By , on April 12th, 2010

Dennis Norman

A report published by Lender Processing Services (LPS) analyzing homeowner’s performance on their mortgages as of February 2010 has some data that is encouraging but that data is overshadowed by data that shows the problems int he U.S. housing market are far from over.

Let’s start with the good news…

Delinquencies on home mortgages declined in February by 1.45 percent from January and the percentage of loans that were 90 days late or more in February were at the lowest rate in 17 months. The decline in home loans that were 90+ days delinquent from December Continue Reading →

Homes are affordable; Should you buy? Rent? Do home prices need to fall further?

By , on April 9th, 2010

Dennis Norman

I thought I would end the week by giving everyone something to dwell on and contemplate over the weekend. Actually, I set out this morning to do a post about the National Association of REALTORS(R) (NAR) Housing Affordability Index for February which was recently published. As I was reviewing the data in the report I started giving “affordability” a lot of thought, went down a few rabbit trails, did a few hours of research and ended up with an analysis of home affordability.

The NAR Report:

Since this was the initial topic I thought I should Continue Reading →

St. Louis Real Estate – St. Louis Interest Rates Rise

By , on April 7th, 2010

Interesting results from Fannie Mae National Housing Survey

Fannie Mae released results of the Fannie Mae National Housing Survey, a comprehensive research project that surveyed more than 3,000 consumers to assess their confidence in homeownership as an investment, the current state of their household finances, their views on the U.S. housing finance system, and their overall confidence in the economy.

It appears that Americans continue to value homeownership and think about their homes in ways that go much deeper than the financial investment. The survey also found that the public strongly believes in the importance of upholding the Continue Reading →

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

By , 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 →

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

By , 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 →

Help for homeowners facing foreclosure or are underwater

By , 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 , 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 , 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 →

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