The first Friday of every month is almost always one of shock and awe; the release of the monthly employment data is rarely a calm event. The March data released last Friday did disappoint in terms of surprise. The news improved Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) price by 40 basis points (bps) on Friday and 122 bps for the week. MBS usually goes up in price on a weak economy news. The increase in MBS has an inverse effect on mortgage rates i.e. when MBS prices go up, mortgage rates go down. Get a…
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Refinance
Employment News Takes Mortgage Rates To Highest Levels In Over a Year
After weeks of worsening rates, it seemed California mortgage rates were getting stable. But the employment report and some other news last week delivered a knockout punch to any hope of rates getting better. Mortgage rates are directly impacted by how mortgage backed securities(MBS) are traded on wall street. If MBS fall in price, the rates go up. On Monday and Tuesday the MBS fell by 9 basis points (bps) each. Thats only a minor impact on rates. But then on Wednesday and Thursday it went down by a whopping 66 bps. If…
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FHA Wont Allow Cancellation Of Mortgage Insurance Anymore; Increases Premium
FHA recently announced changes to mortgage insurance premium for home loans insured by the agency. The new guidelines will make FHA loans more expensive. You will also need to pay mortgage insurance for the life of the loan in most cases. Changes to FHA Annual Mortgage Insurance Premium The below chart shows the changes coming to FHA mortgage insurance premium. This goes into effect for loan applications on or after March 1, 2023. Can I cancel FHA Mortgage Insurance Premium? For all mortgages regardless of their amortization terms, any mortgage involving an original…
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Another Week, Another Increase In California Mortgage Rates
According to Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) weekly mortgage application survey, California mortgage rates has now increased seven of the last eight weeks. Most of the big banks are now advertising Annual Percentage Rates (APR) just under 4%. 30 Year and 15 Year Fixed Mortgage Rates The average interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($417,000 or less) was up six basis points to 3.73%. The rate for 15-year Fixed Rate Mortgages also increased, by five basis points to 3%.The average interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages for high balance loans…
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Mortgage Rates Skyrocket – Crosses 4% Mark At Some Banks
Mortgage Rates have skyrocketed to their highest levels since August 2012, prompting some banks to increase the rate to 4% and beyond. On Friday, MBS (the mortgage backed securities that directly influence mortgage rates) tanked 62 basis points. That came after 26 basis points drop on Thursday. More bad news continued on Monday when long-term rate-indicative 10-year Treasury note yields touched 2 percent for the first time since April 2012. When MBS prices are falling, that means investors are paying less for mortgages. This causes closing costs, rates, or both to move higher.…
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Is HARP-3 For California Homeowners On It’s Way? #MyRefi
Refinancing help for underwater California homeowners whose loan is not backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac may soon become a reality. Unofficially billed as HARP-3, it is one of the top priorities of Obama government. Obama government is considering expanding the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) to include homeowners who are underwater but whose mortgage is not backed by government sponsored enterprise (GSE) namely, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. According to Core Logic, at the end of June 2012, about 22% of all homes or around 10.8 million homes were underwater meaning…
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Why 30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rates Should Be At 2.75% And Why They Aren’t?
Ben Bernanke must be tearing his hair (whatever is left of it). He has increased Fed's balance sheet to an all time high of almost $3 trillion mostly through bond purchases. But the mortgage rates haven't declined as much he would have hoped. He is frustrated that the lower yield on mortgage backed securities are not being passed on to the borrowers in form of lower mortgage rates. In fact, he called the trend "unfortunate" and Federal Reserve Bank of New York held a workshop to examine the issue. Imagine 30 year fixed…
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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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