Federal Housing Administration (FHA) said it will hike mortgage insurance premium (MIP) again. Its also setting in place regulation that will prevent all new borrowers to cancel their mortgage insurance premium even if the loan-to-value requirement is met during the life of the loan. This was announced in the FHA press release issued on November 12, 2012. FHA mentioned that over the past year it has been critical to housing recovery by insuring 1.2 million single family mortgages, with 78% loans to first time home buyers. FHA accounted for 50 percent of home…
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From $900 billion to $1.7 trillion – Mortgage Origination Breaks All Predictions in 2012
Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) is now predicting that the mortgage origination volume for 2012 can exceed $1.7 trillion. This is almost double of what they predicted before the year began - a meager $900 billion. Quarterly Data Report and The National Mortgage News are forecasting $1.75 trillion in fundings this year, 70% of which will be refinancing. Last year mortgage bankers funded $1.436 trillion. See the historical and projected production in the chart below (source MBA) “We expected 2012 originations to be front-loaded in the first half of the year, with refis falling…
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Key Tax Issues After The Presidential Elections – Romney and Obama Wont Tell You This
Whatever the outcome of the presidential election on Nov. 6, the next Congress and president will face a pile of unfinished tax business. Some of this stuff has been lying around since 2010, and dealing with it can't be postponed much longer -- just ask the beleaguered Internal Revenue Service personnel who can't get any closure on what the 2012 tax forms will look like. Here's the story on the most important unresolved personal tax issues -- complete with fearless predictions. Payroll Tax Holiday For 2012: the so-called payroll tax holiday cuts the…
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California Mortgage Rates Edged Up Again Last Week
30 Year Fixed and 15 Year Fixed Mortgage Rates continue to edge up for California Refinance and Home Purchase borrowers. In the latest Freddie Mac survey, the 30 Year Fixed rates are at 3.41% with 0.7 points up from 3.37% last week. The 15 Year Fixed rates are at 2.72% with 0.6 points, up from 2.66%. Adjustable rate mortgages (ARM) remained the same as last week. BankRate.com reported a 3.47% rate for 30 Year Fixed Mortgage and 2.85% for 15 Year Fixed Mortgage. Note that these average rates are for conforming mortgage loans…
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Is Qualified Mortgage Rule Biggest Risk To Real Estate Recovery?
Banks are talking about it, Credit Unions are talking about it, Loan Officers are talking about it, heck even the President and wanna be President are talking about it. Not too many people know exactly what it is and how it will pan out - but one thing is for sure, it definitely has the potential of derailing the nascent real estate recovery. As part of implementing the Dodd-Frank act, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) plans to finalize the rule for "qualified mortgage (QM)" in January 2013. This proposal is the first ever…
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Average 30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rates Continue To Be Under 3.5%
Both Freddie Mac and BankRate.com in its latest survey announced that the average 30 Year Fixed mortgage rates continue to be under 3.5%. While Freddie Mac reported a rate of 3.37% with 0.7 in points, BankRate.com reported 3.46%. Per Freddie Mac, rates went down 3 basis points from last week while Bankrate.com rates actually went up from last week. In my own experience as a Loan Officer, I have seen rates going up from last week, so the Bankrate.com survey to me looks more accurate. Note that these surveys are for loan amounts…
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How to Build a Good Credit from Scratch
Establishing a good credit history has never been as important as it is today. It's not just that you'll need good credit to get decent rates when you're ready to buy a home or a car. Your credit history can determine whether you get a good job, a decent apartment or reasonable rates on insurance. It's a classic Catch-22: You've got to have credit to get credit. So where do you start? If you're just starting out, you have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a credit history the right way. Here's what to…
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Dos and Don’ts during your California Mortgage Loan Process
It is very tempting to start thinking about decorating your new home the moment you initiate the mortgage process. But as a Lender, there are certain things I caution my clients against to ensure their California mortgage gets approved smoothly. When you fill out a credit application, they run a credit report for the underwriter. Each lender and each loan program has different guidelines they must follow. You should not do anything that will have an adverse effect on your credit score while your loan is in process. We know it's tempting. If…
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How to De-mystify Mortgage Rate and Become a Better Rate Shopper
Shopping for the best Mortgage rate possible has always been the primary objective when borrowing a home loan. As well it should be! The challenge with this strategy is that there is much misleading information released on the subject by various media. Internet websites and email marketing, along with other media such as radio, television, and billboard advertising, have brought the importance of interest rates to the forefront of consumers' minds. Bait and Switch Technique The problem with this type of marketing is that it is designed to make the lender's phone ring.…
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Low Housing Inventory, Low California Mortgage rates: What should prospective buyers do?
Fixed term mortgage rates have broken another record low period. While on the rate side, this is great news for consumers wishing to buy a new home, it does not sound as appealing when taking into stock the low homes for sale inventory in California. The other dampener in the deal is the stringent lending criterion which makes getting a mortgage tough in today's market. What's up with the California mortgage rate? Per Mortgage News Daily.com, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is at 3.31% today vs 3.33% yesterday. FHA 30 yr Fixed rate, remains…
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