Tag Archives: Mortgage Rates

Serious delinquencies for U.S. RMBS improved across all sectors in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to a new mortgage market index from Fitch Ratings. Furthermore, the agency expects RMBS delinquencies to continue declining this year. According to Fitch, the improvement ""reflects positive selection in the remaining pools, loan modification efforts by servicers, and positive home price trends.""

As home prices continue to climb, real estate agents and homebuyers are maintaining a positive outlook for home values in 2013, a recent survey found. The survey, which was jointly released by Point2Homes and PropertyShark, reported 71 percent of survey respondents predicted home prices will go up or maintain their current level in 2013. The survey included nearly 1,500 real estate professionals and homebuyers.

Amid concurring opinions from industry analysts that the housing market hit bottom last year and is now in gradual recovery mode, the nation's debt ceiling debate brings unwelcome uncertainty. The Center for American Progress (CAP) argues vehemently that neglecting to raise the debt ceiling would be detrimental to the housing recovery and the nation's economy as a whole. ""Not raising the debt ceiling quickly and unconditionally is economic malpractice that could derail a modest economic and jobs recovery,"" said Christian E. Weller, senior fellow at CAP.

While the foreclosure crisis has more than one culprit, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) pointed to the significant role of predatory lending practices in a report on the state of lending. According to data from CRL, among hybrid or ARM option loans originated between 2004 and 2008, 24.7 percent are either seriously delinquent or have become completed foreclosures as of February 2012. To prevent loan originators from directing borrowers toward risky mortgages, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued new rules Friday to ban incentives for selling risky mortgages.

Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey registered little motion among rates for the week ending January 17. The average 30-year fixed rate slipped to 3.38 percent (0.7 point), down from 3.40 percent last week. The 15-year fixed rate averaged 2.66 percent (0.7 point), the same as in the previous week's survey. Bankrate.com, on the other hand, reported more extreme shifts as markets grow increasingly nervous about the country's continued financial uncertainties.

RE/MAX co-founder and chairman Dave Liniger says he expects the national housing market's rebound in 2012 to not only continue into 2013, but he also thinks the year could be the best the industry has seen in a very long time. Liniger also offered his top 10 predictions for the year in a video presentation. According to the RE/MAX research team, Liniger's predictions for 2012 were 85 percent accurate.

After issuing a finalized qualified mortgage (QM) rule on Thursday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) also released its guidance on rules to protect consumers of high-cost mortgages. For borrowers with high-cost mortgages, the bureau's final rule bans potentially risky features such as balloon payments (with some exceptions) and penalties for borrowers who pay off loans early. The rule also bans and limits certain fees and practices, such as fees for modifying loans and fees for requesting a payoff statement.

According to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) was 3.40 (0.7 point) percent for the week ending January 10, up somewhat significantly from 3.34 percent in 2013's first survey. The 15-year fixed average also climbed--though not as drastically--reaching 2.66 percent (0.7 ppoint). The 15-year FRM averaged 2.64 percent previously.

The year 2012 is on its way to becoming the most affordable year housing has seen since recordkeeping began in 1970, according to data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). In November, the NAR's Housing Affordability Index reached 198.2, down 2.5 index points from October, but up 1.5 points from a year ago. Based on data up to November, NAR also projects the index will set a record high of 194 in 2012, beating the high of 186 in 2011.

After going into free-fall for much of 2012, fixed mortgage rates started off 2013 with very slight declines, according to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey. The average 30-year fixed rate was 3.34 percent (0.7 point) for the week ending January 3, down from 3.35 percent in the last week of 2012. The average 30-year fixed rate was 3.91 percent at the beginning of last year. The 15-year fixed average also fell, sliding to 2.64 percent (0.7 point) from 2.65 percent previously. A year ago at this time, the 15-year fixed rate averaged 3.23 percent.