Market Studies

A survey of senior loan officers released by the Federal Reserve shows lending standards were mostly unchanged, but demand for residential real estate loans was strengthened. The October survey asked 68 domestic banks and 23 U.S. branches of foreign institutions about the lending standards and loan demand they've dealt with over the past three months. When asked about credit standards for prime mortgages, 59 out of 64 respondents said standards were largely the same. While 34 banks said demand for prime purchase mortgages was about the same, 21 reported ""moderately stronger"" demand, and four said demand was ""substantially stronger"" since July.

The nation’s unemployment rate inched up to 7.9 percent in October as the economy added 171,000 jobs, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported Friday. The labor force--the sum of employed and unemployed--improved in October, causing the bump in the unemployment rate and signaling renewed confidence among those on the sidelines that jobs are available. Job creation for the two prior months was revised upward: 148,000 in September instead of the originally reported 114,000 and 192,000 instead of the 142,000 reported in August.

After aggressively pursuing opportunities to grow, Ocwen Financial Corporation (Ocwen) reported an increase earnings in the third quarter of 2012. The mortgage servicer reported a net income of $51.4 million in Q3 2012, a sharp increase from the same quarter a year ago when net income was a reported $20.2 million. Revenue soared even higher in Q3, spiking 90 percent from last year to $232.7 million.

The mortgage market may be the largest market for consumer finance, but the sector lacks a comprehensive national database, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). This is why the federal agencies are coming together to create a national mortgage database. Borrower profiles, payment history, and the mortgage product and terms will be included in the database, which will be updated monthly.

Fixed mortgage rates fell back slightly to start November as investors anxiously wait for signs of which direction the economy is headed. According to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey the average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 3.39 percent (0.7 point) for the week ending November 1, down from 3.41 percent in the previous week. The 15-year fixed average for the week was 2.70 percent (0.7 point), a slip from 2.72 percent in the last survey. Bankrate.com's weekly survey also demonstrated decreases all around.

If Hurricane Sandy has any impact on the performance of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), it will probably be one that is short-term, according to Fitch Ratings. The global rating agency says a ""modest and temporary increase in mortgage delinquency could occur"" after assessing the potential impact of the storm that has devastated areas in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast coast.

First time claims for unemployment insurance fell 9,000 to 363,000 for the week ended October 27, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Economists expected 369,000 initial claims. It was the second straight weekly decline and the fourth drop in the last six weeks.

The inventory of new homes for sale has fallen dramatically since 2008 to 4.5 months, closing in on its lowest level in 50 years, according to the most recent Home Value Forecast report. ""In recent years, new housing supply has been running at the lowest levels since the 1960's due to the slow down in new home construction, the size of homes being built, and the complicated process for selling/buying distressed properties,"" said Pro Teck Valuations CEO Tom O'Grady.

Completed foreclosures continued their descent into September, falling 31 percent from a year ago, according to data from CoreLogic. The analytics company reported the number of homes lost to foreclosure in September dropped to 57,000. The decline is a steep drop from 83,000 in September 2011, and a decrease from the upwardly revised 59,000 in August. Before the housing crises, completed foreclosures were much lower than the sinking figures reported recently. Between 2000 and 2006, completed foreclosures averaged 21,000 per month.

Apparently, if one loses his or her home to foreclosure, the waiting period to qualify for another mortgage can easily be another decade. According to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, a mere 10 percent of borrowers with a history showing a serious delinquency were able to obtain a mortgage again within 10 years. For borrowers who end their mortgage for a reason other than default, they were able to access mortgage credit about two-and-a-half times faster than those who went into default.