Tag Archives: Negative Equity

Delinquencies saw the steepest year-to-date drop since 2002 in May as new problem loan rates inched toward pre-crisis lows, according to Lender Processing Services' (LPS) Mortgage Monitor report released Monday. Since the end of December 2012, the delinquency rate has fallen by more than 15 percent to 6.08 percent in May. ""In large part, this is due to the continuing decline in new problem loans -- as fewer problem loans are coming into the system, the existing inventories are working their way through the pipeline,"" he added. LPS also reported the national equity rate is at 14.7 percent, which translates into 7.3 million loans and represents a 47 percent annual decrease.

Mortgages with higher loan-to-value (LTV) ratios are not only riskier in terms of the likelihood to default, but they can also impact markets by triggering greater losses in home values, according to the Home Value Forecast report from Pro Teck Valuation Services and Collateral Analytics. ""We have found that as home prices decline, homeowners with high LTVs are much less inclined to stay in their homes since they have little or no equity to protect. This leads to more price declines, which has a cascading effect on other high LTV owners and a further depreciation in home values,"" the report authors explained.

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.

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.

Younger Americans are more likely to have a home that is underwater, according to a survey from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation (FINRA Foundation). Based on survey findings, 25 percent of Americans between 18 and 34 years of age said they have an underwater mortgage. On the other hand, 18 percent of adults aged 35 to 54 said they were underwater. The survey also reported more than half of Americans would not be prepared to cover living expenses if a financial emergency, such as a job loss or sickness, were to occur.

The rate of new loans that rolled into serious delinquency fell below 1 percent for the first time since 2007, Lender Processing Services (LPS) reported Monday. The new problem loan rate--defined as seriously delinquent mortgages that were current six months ago--inched down toward pre-crisis levels to 0.84 percent in March. The new problem loan rate averaged 0.55 percent from 2000 to 2004. As expected, when categorizing borrowers by equity position, LPS found borrowers with higher levels of negative equity tended to have higher new problem loan rates.

The broadening housing recovery has firmed up home prices around the country, with the potential to restore many underwater mortgages to a position of positive equity, according to Fannie Mae's economic and strategic research group. Citing data from CoreLogic, the GSE notes that 1.7 million properties moved from negative to positive equity last year. Provided the home price gains seen so far this year continue, Fannie's economic analysts anticipate another 1.8 million properties will rise out of their underwater positions by the end of 2013.

Real estate sales have been weakening in California, but ForeclosureRadar found flipping activity in the state reached its highest level since September 2005. In March 2013, sales for distressed and non-distressed transactions decreased 12.9 percent from a year ago, according to a property report from the analytics firm. On the other hand, flipping activity, which ForeclosureRadar defined as reselling a property within six months, nearly tripled over a one year period ending in March after accounting for 5.2 percent of total sales.

In the fourth quarter of 2012, about 200,000 residential properties transitioned out of a state of negative equity, bringing the 2012 yearly total to 1.7 million properties, CoreLogic reported. According to the data provider, there were still 10.4 million homeowners who were underwater as of the end of Q4; the figure represents 21.5 percent of all residential properties with a mortgage. Out of the 10.4 million properties, 1.8 million have a loan-to-value (LTV) ratio between 100 and 105 percent. Thus, these properties need prices to rise by 5 percent to transfer into positive territory.

Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a nationwide outplacement firm, is predicting a relocation surge in 2013 from job-seeking homeowners who are finally able to list their properties. As home prices improve, more homeowners have been lifted out of negative equity, and thus more free to sell their properties and relocate. ""One factor that has kept unemployment rates high has been the inability of underwater homeowners to relocate for employment opportunities. With home prices bouncing back, even those who may now simply break even on a home sale might consider moving to a region where jobs are more plentiful,"" said John A. Challenger, the firm's CEO.