Tag Archives: Mortgage Debt

Mortgage debt decreased with overall household debt in the second quarter, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported Wednesday. Mortgage balances stood at $7.84 trillion in the second quarter, down by $91 billion from the first quarter. The New York Fed report explained the decrease was partly ""due to reporting gaps associated with the servicing transfer of a higher-than-usual number of loans."" Overall consumer debt continued to fall, ending at $11.15 trillion in the second quarter, down by $78 billion, or 0.7 percent, compared to the first quarter.

During the question and answer session hosted by Zillow, President Obama reiterated his stated goals to bring a gradual end to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to bring private capital into the housing market, and to offer affordable housing options--both rental options and 30-year mortgages. ""We're actually confident that the private market can step in, do a good job, and the government can be a backstop,"" Obama said, adding, ""In some ways it's a return to earlier models.""

After the city of Richmond, California, announced an unconventional plan to ward off foreclosures among underwater homeowners, several industry groups have called into question the constitutionality of the plan. The plan, which ""is fraught with negative economic consequences for the community,"" according to the ""Association of Mortgage Investors (AMI), is for the city to obtain the mortgage loans of underwater properties and help homeowners refinance at their homes' current value.

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.

There's a mortgage debt ""overhang"" that threatens the health of the national economy, and one possible solution to the problem comes in the form of eminent domain, according to a new report authored by Robert Hockett. Of the roughly 11 million underwater mortgages, about 3 or 4 million are in default, foreclosure, or foreclosed and awaiting liquidation, the report, Paying Paul and Robbing No One: An Eminent Domain Solution for Underwater Mortgage Debt, found.

Household net worth jumped by $3 trillion in the first quarter as real estate values grew $836 billion, the Federal Reserve reported Thursday in its quarterly Flow of Funds report. With a drop in mortgage debt, owners' equity in real estate increased a sharp 2.5 percentage points to its highest level since 2007. Owners' equity as a percentage of real estate value has been on a steady upward trajectory since dropping to 36.3 percent in the first quarter of 2009.

Although data shows women generally earn less income than men, results from a recent Experian study found women come out ahead when comparing how mortgage debt is managed. According to the study, men were more likely to have a higher mortgage loan amount compared to women, but men were also more likely to be delinquent by 60 days or more. Experian found the mortgage origination amount for men was $187,245, which is 4.9 percent higher compared to the amount for women. At the same time, 5.7 percent of men were delinquent on their mortgage compared to 5.3 percent of women.

The five banks that took part in the national mortgage settlement are getting close to completing their consumer relief obligations a year after the landmark deal was reached. So far, the five banks--Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, and Ally Financial--have provided $50.63 billion in consumer relief to over 621,700 borrowers, according to an update from the settlement monitor Joseph A. Smith, Jr. The provided relief comes out to about $81,437 per borrower.

In the first quarter of this year, mortgage originations increased, but total outstanding mortgage debt decreased, according to the Household Debt and Credit Report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Delinquencies also improved over the quarter while foreclosure notices declined, according to the report. Total household debt--including mortgages, credit card debt, student loans, and auto loans--declined 1 percent to $11.23 trillion. The two main drivers of the quarterly decline were abating mortgage and credit card debt.

As the Baby Boomer generation heads into retirement, many are plagued with debt, and mortgage debt is their most common financial hardship, according to a study released Monday by Securian Financial Group, a St. Paul, Minnesota-based financial services firm. Among those who are near retirement, 67 percent expect to carry mortgage debt with them into their retirement--the largest debt category cited in the Securian study. This is up drastically from 30 percent in Securian's last study completed in 2009.