News

As prices rise, investors are having a harder time justifying housing market purchases, according to a recent Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse Tracking survey. In May, the share of home purchases from investors fell to the lowest level in more than three years, dropping to 20.2 percent from 22 percent in April, according to the survey.

If an emergency situation were to occur, more than a quarter of Americans said they have no extra savings to cover expenses, according to a recent Bankrate survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. In the survey, 27 percent of Americans reported having no emergency savings in their checking, savings, or money market accounts, while 23 percent held less than three months of savings to cover expenses, which means half have less than three months of funds to cover expenses.

National home prices, along with the 20 largest states, posted positive monthly and yearly gains in April, according to Lender Processing Services (LPS). LPS' Home Price Index (HPI) found prices in April stood at $217,000, up by 1.5 percent from March and up 8.1 percent from a year ago. The national HPI is still 18.2 percent below its June 2006 peak, when the index averaged $265,000. For the second straight month, all 20 of the largest states tracked by LPS saw positive month-over-month growth.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill Thursday extending a state law that provides a grace period of up to 90 days for homeowners facing foreclosure. More specifically, the act provides homeowners with a grace period of up to 90 days when homeowners who are facing foreclosure seek housing counseling.

The recent jump in home prices has led to speculation that the rapid surge in home prices could be the sign of a new housing bubble similar to the one that led to the Great Recession. Is it? The not-so-short answer is, not yet. An increase in prices itself does not signal a bubble. An unsustainable increase, not supported by other data, however, would. In the run-up to the 2006 collapse, the higher prices--which had been trending up for four years--led to a sharp uptick in construction wholly unsupported by demographics.

With demand, prices, and credit conditions all on a path to recovery, Deloitte Banking & Securities research leader Val Srinivas examined the problems still facing originators and how they must adapt to overcome. The biggest challenge to the housing market in general right now is low supply. Also changing the landscape is imminent end of the refinance boom, which has been drawing to a close as mortgage rates start to pick up again.

Nearly 70,000 homeowners received permanent loan modifications in April, while foreclosure sales stood at 59,000 for the month, according to data from HOPE NOW, an alliance of mortgage servicers, investors, mortgage insurers, and nonprofit counselors. Since 2007, 6.39 million struggling homeowners have received permanent modifications, HOPE NOW reported. Completed short sales reached 27,000 in April--a slight adjustment from 28,000 in March.

Foreclosure petitions, which signal the first step in the foreclosure process in Massachusetts, totaled 248 last month, which is the lowest level since 2006 when the Warren Group first began tracking foreclosure data. Foreclosure deeds, or completed foreclosures, fell 68 percent to 251 in May compared to 796 a year ago.

A new concept paper from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) calls for the alignment of underwriting standards and clear representations of warranties as a major step in secondary market reform. In the paper, MBA suggests that FHFA set the parameters for acceptable underwriting criteria by both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and then allow them to offer credit terms within that boundary. In addition, MBA calls for greater clarity in both of the GSEs' representations and warranties framework.

For homeowners who are stuck in their home due to negative equity or a lack of inventory, summer home improvement projects are a way to make the most out of current surroundings, according to Zillow. In a recent survey from Zillow Digs, 60 percent of respondents said they are planning a home improvement project this summer. Out of the different age groups, younger homeowners (18- to 34-year-olds) were more likely to plan a home improvement project for the summer, with 71 percent falling into this category.