Daily Dose

Builders and developers have reported that credit conditions for acquisition, development, and single-family construction (AD&C) have been easing in the past few months. Eased lending standards are linked with growth in the volume of residential construction loans held at banks, and by extent, the growth in residential construction as a whole. Sales of brand-new homes are expected to jump 10.7 percent this year as the historically low inventory has been pushing for increased construction.

On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced its proposed 2018 budget. Included in the budget are several cuts to Department of Housing and Urban Development programs, including cutting the funding to the Community Development Block Grant Program, as well as the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, HOME Investment Partnerships Program, and the Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program.

News spread quickly through the mortgage industry on Monday that long-standing auction house Hudson & Marshall (H&M) is being acquired by Fidelity National Financial (FNF). While industry reactions poured in, FNF's “hold” ratings began to switch to “buy” in many research firms. As part of this acquisition, FNF company ServiceLink is launching ServiceLink Auction.

The most pressing problem facing the housing industry today is the tight inventory and millennials may be partly to blame. As many young potential buyers move into cities and away from the suburbs, housing construction has been notoriously weak. Cities like New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Los Angeles have seen their suburban areas shrink.

With thousands of down payment assistance programs out there, what assistance is being given out to veterans? A recent report highlights the most important of these programs available to military and veterans. On top of VA loans, veterans can expect to cut down their down payment entirely with these programs.

With inventory dropping, including the distressed sale inventory, investors are moving to built-for-rent sales. A recent report noted that more and more investors are building rental homes themselves to make up for the gaps. Putting the blame on tight mortgage standards and rising prices, many younger buyers are holding off on buying a home, and investors are cashing in on the desire for detached-homes without the down payment.

Former senior loan officer at JPMorgan Chase & Co. admitted to a $33 million mortgage fraud scheme recently. A Florida federal judge accepted the plea and set the sentencing date for August 17. In exchange for shorter sentencing and other charges to be dropped, the $33 million will be paid in restitution.

On Wednesday, at 9 a.m. EST, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) will release its House Price Index (HPI) for March. The Index covers single-family housing, using data provided by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Previously, the FHFA reported in its February HPI that home prices rose 0.8 percent month-over-month. In the report, January’s former unchanged index was revised to a 0.2 percent increase.

Credit risk transfer (CRT) or sharing is the process in which the government-sponsored enterprises bundle up the mortgages they buy from lenders and sell a portion of the risk to private investors. Instead of the GSEs shouldering the loan risk alone, selected investors help offset any potential risk from loan defaults. CRT began as a test in 2012 and is now quickly ramping up as investor interest and governmental oversight grows. Governmental oversight makes sense—we don’t want another 2007. But why are more investors becoming so interested in CRT?

Many young homebuyers are more focused on personal achievements, such as dream jobs and travelling, than “traditional,” long term life milestones, such as marriage and parenthood. Shifting priorities along with high down payments and the amount of time required to save for these payments are among the reasons why millennials aren't quite settling yet.