U.S. Housing Market Commentary

Posted by Paul Jackson on 3/31/13 at 9:34am

Today at HW, we're pleased to announce two new tools available on the site. We've come to learn that many readers rely on us for market data: so we're starting out by offering two new data services that represent a very small start towards meeting this demand.

The first is a really neat neighborhood data tool that lets you drill into data on specific neighborhoods across the U.S., or based on your...

Investments
Posted by Kerri Ann Panchuk on 3/29/13 at 7:42am

The latest from Rob Chrisman's Mortgage Daily News:

Want to see how many complaints your competitor is receiving? The CFPB is here for you! Actually, the complaint site is meant to help consumers. Proponents call it wonderful; critics say it is just another step toward Big Brother running society. Regardless of your take, here is how to find the list of consumer complaints...

Servicing
Posted by Troy Freedman on 3/28/13 at 1:24pm

During the course of foreclosures when parties are discussing or attempting loss mitigation, borrowers submit financial records for lenders and servicers to review. 

Sometimes, these records show a borrower’s financial condition to be unhealthy – not due to hardship like loss of job, reduction in income, divorce, medical bills, or funeral expenses – but due to uncontrolled, undisciplined, and/or unnecessary personal discretionary spending.

Review of some financial records...

Servicing
Posted by Peter Wallison on 3/28/13 at 11:27am

Peter Wallison with the American Enterprise Institute took time this past week to defend his positions on housing after Jim Carr with the Center for American Progress publicly challenged Mr. Wallison’s opinion on the ‘misleading’ influence of housing groups prior to the 2008 financial crisis.

HousingWire initially reported on Mr. Wallison’s statements to lawmakers earlier this month. In that testimony, he suggested housing advocates' influence on...

Lending
Posted by Brena Swanson on 3/27/13 at 9:40am

Student debt is not just on the rise, but it has a first-class seat on a rocket ship to the moon. And it's leaving behind the notion of first-time homebuying for overburdened post-graduates.

HousingWire has previously covered the significant rise in student debt, but new data from the latest National Consumer Credit Trends from Equifax reports that the...

Lending
Posted by Jacob Gaffney on 3/26/13 at 1:06pm

Two recent private residential-mortgage backed securitization platforms came to market last week. JPMorgan and Everbank will both market RMBS deals to investors.

While I don't view this as a revival of the market, it is...

Investments
Posted by Jacob Gaffney on 3/26/13 at 9:51am

Last week's testimony by Ed DeMarco, current acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, in front of the House Financial Service Committee touched a nerve with many, many people.

HousingWire reporter Christina Mlynski lead coverage of the events by writing about the protesters and lawmakers who were "firing off questions" to DeMarco. With so...

Servicing
Posted by Scott Goldstein on 3/25/13 at 1:45pm

In recent weeks we have seen a number of articles written about compliance, and about the risks of not following best practices and accepted audit and oversight guidance. Those articles point out, correctly, that the risk of noncompliance is significant, and that servicers are holding you accountable for your supply chain. As a result, there has been a flurry of activity across the industry to respond to new mandates and evolving third-party guidelines. Compliance is arguably more of an...

Servicing
Posted by Kerri Ann Panchuk on 3/25/13 at 12:04pm

There are two types of legal questions – those that are solved by bright-line rules created through code or court precedent. And those that linger without set-in stone standards, just waiting for a plaintiff’s attorney to take up the case and head to the courthouse hoping for a favorable ruling and possibly establishing precedent along the way.

In my experience, the mortgage space as of late is dominated by the...

Lending
Posted by Jim Carr on 3/25/13 at 8:29am

 Online Editor's Note:

Working at HousingWire puts two things into perspective. The first is the realization that housing will always be a critical part of the nation's economy. And the second, and perhaps most significant, is the recognition that the long path to getting housing back on track means listening to a variety of viewpoints and giving all sides of the conversation a chance to be heard.

In response to a recent article...

Lending