Mortgage rates still breaking record lows

Mortgage rates, nearly across the board, reached record lows again for the week ending Sept. 23.

The Freddie Mac weekly survey showed the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage reached 4.32% with an average 0.8 point, down to its all-time low from 4.37% last week. Last year, at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 62 basis points higher.

The 15-year FRM reached a new record low at 3.75% with an average 0.7 point, down from 3.82% last week and 4.36% a year ago.

The 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage averaged 3.52% with an average 0.6 point, down from 3.54% last week. And the 1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 3.48% with an average 0.7 point, the only rate to increase from last week at 3.46%.

"Confidence in the state of the economy fell among consumers and businesses, which led to a decline in long-term bond yields and brought many mortgage rates to record lows this week," said Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist at Freddie.

The weekly Bankrate survey of large banks and thrifts showed the average 30-year FRM at 4.5%, unchanged from last week. New record lows came for the 15-year FRM, which fell 2 bps to 3.94%, and the 30-year FRM jumbo loan that dropped to 5.16%.

I am an actual person so if you are interested in refinancing you can receive real time quotes and payment options by calling me directly. You can reach me, Gene Neal at 877-276-6400 Ext 101.

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Burning Down the House

A North Carolina man facing foreclosure reportedly hired another man to burn down his house, according to a Winston-Salem-based news outlet.

Davidson County Sheriff David Grice said homeowner Gregory Ringley, 48, hired David Hill, 40, of Coeburn, Virginia, to start the fire.

The home was actually burnt down on August 16 – and a subsequent investigation found that a flammable liquid was used to start the fire.

Ringley was not only looking to avoid foreclosure, but also interested in collecting insurance money.

He was charged with conspiracy to commit arson and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, while his mother, who drove Hill to the home to set the fire, faces charges of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.

Both were being held on a $100,000 bond, while Hill was charged with second-degree arson and held on a $5,000 bond.

This incident is just one of many odd attempts to avoid foreclosure since the mortgage crisis got underway.

There was the guy who simulated robbery to pay the mortgage, and the other guy who tried to blow up the bank holding his mortgage.

Not to mention the guy who bulldozed his own home after his bank began foreclosure proceedings.

Back in early 2008, the Insurance Information Network of California actually warned homeowners not to resort to arson if facing foreclosure.

Sign of the times…

I am an actual person so if you are interested in refinancing you can receive real time quotes and payment options by calling me directly. You can reach me, Gene Neal at 877-276-6400 Ext 101.

Zero Down !!!!!!

Just a few years after the mortgage crisis swept in, zero down mortgages seem to be making a comeback, according to a piece in the NY Times.

Mortgages with no money down have performed worse than home loans where borrowers have some skin in the game, but proponents believe the lack of down payment wasn’t/isn’t the core issue.

Instead, the combination of zero down financing, lax underwriting requirements (stated income), and exotic loan programs (option arms) has been seen as the problem.

So will the new breed of zero down mortgages perform better than their earlier counterparts?

Affordable Advantage

Fannie Mae recently launched “Affordable Advantage,” a program that allows borrowers to purchase a home for as little as $1,000 down.

Throw in downpayment assistance (to cover closing costs), and you can get a mortgage for as little as 67 cents.

But in order to qualify, you must fully document your income, have a minimum credit score of 680, and actually live in the home.

The only loan offered is a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, making it all the more safer for borrowers (and mortgage lenders).

Currently, they’re available in four states, including Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

And of the 500 loans originated in Wisconsin since March, none are delinquent after six months (slow clap).

USDA Zero Down Loan Program

One of the other few remaining zero down loan programs comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Though it’s reserved primarily for low-income individuals and households, you can have income up to 115% of the median for the area in which you purchase the home (figure that one out).

The property has to be located in a rural area (or exurb) and be modest in size, cost, and design, and borrowers must have “reasonable credit histories.”

But it’s still an easy way around that pesky down payment.

Then there are FHA loans, which only require 3.5 percent down – and before things went so very wrong, you could get 100 percent financing via seller-paid downpayment assistance.

Of course, those loans didn’t turn out so well…


I am an actual person so if you are interested in refinancing you can receive real time quotes and payment options by calling me directly. You can reach me, Gene Neal at 877-276-6400 Ext 101.

Mortgage Comparison Shopping

The Federal Reserve has proposed a new rule that may make it easier for prospective homeowners and those looking to refinance shop around before making a commitment.

The proposal, which was part of a 930-page document published mid-month in the Federal Register, would allow consumers to cancel mortgage applications within three days and get refunded for certain costs.

Things like application fees and appraisal fees would be refundable, while credit report fees would not.

Mortgage shoppers would be entitled to refunds if they canceled an application within three business days of receiving key disclosures, including the Good Faith Estimate and Truth in Lending Act statement.

The Fed believes such a rule would help consumers shop for the best deal, instead of being locked in with one mortgage lender for fear of losing any up-front costs.

But many lenders believe the rule will have little effect, as most already wait several days before charging any fees.

Others are concerned it could delay an already backed-up process, as there will be a waiting period before anything is acted upon or ordered.

Although, it’s not uncommon for a loan to be “on hold” until it makes it through underwriting and receives a formal decision.

It’s unclear how the rule would affect mortgage brokers, those who work on behalf of banks directly with consumers.

A recent Bankrate.com study found that mortgage closing costs rose more than 36 percent this year, with loan origination fees rising nearly 25 percent and third-party fees jumping almost 50 percent.


I am an actual person so if you are interested in refinancing you can receive real time quotes and payment options by calling me directly. You can reach me, Gene Neal at 877-276-6400 Ext 101.

"Highly Affordable"

Housing affordability remained near its highest level on record for the sixth consecutive quarter, according to the latest survey from the National Association of Home Builders.

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI) indicated that 72.3 percent of all new and existing homes sold during the second quarter were affordable to families earning the national median income of $64,400.

That’s up slightly from the first quarter and just shy of the record-high 72.5 percent seen in the first quarter of 2009.

Before 2009, the affordability index rarely topped 67 percent, and had never reached the 70 percent-mark.

But record low mortgage rates and falling home prices have opened the door for more buyers, less the tighter underwriting environment.

Kinda makes you wonder why no one is interested in buying a home these days – maybe affordability isn’t the driver.

After all, a ton of buyers pre-mortgage crisis couldn’t even afford to make their mortgage payments in the conventional sense, so they opted for mortgage programs with teaser rates like the option arm.

Perhaps they were more interested in the thought of home price appreciation, as opposed to simply living in a home.

Syracuse, NY Most Affordable Housing Market

The most affordable major housing market in the country was Syracuse, NY, pushing Indianapolis-Carmel, IN off the top spot, which it held for almost five years.

Nearly all (97.2%) of the homes sold there were affordable to households earning the median family income of $64,300.

Detroit, Youngstown, and Buffalo also made the list of the most affordable metros.

Meanwhile, the New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ area continued to be the least affordable major housing market during the second quarter, with just 19.9 percent of all homes sold deemed affordable to those earning the median income of $65,600.

Los Angeles, the Bay area, and Honolulu continued to linger at the bottom of the affordability scale during the quarter as well.

I am an actual person so if you are interested in refinancing you can receive real time quotes and payment options by calling me directly. You can reach me, Gene Neal at 877-276-6400 Ext 101.

Countrywide Customers Eligible for Free Credit Monitoring

If you provided personal information to or made mortgage payments to Countrywide Financial before July 1, 2008, you may be eligible for free credit monitoring for two years.

The ruling is part of a settlement finalized today by U.S. District Judge Thomas B. Russell of Paducah, who oversaw more than 36 lawsuits related to a security breach at the company.

The lawsuits are tied to the arrest of former Countrywide employee Rene Rebollo Jr., who was a senior analyst for the company.

Federal investigators claim Rebollo used a flash drive to download personal data from roughly 20,000 customers a week for two years from 2006 through August 2008.

The data included sensitive information ranging from birth dates and social security numbers, to mortgage and credit card information.

He later sold the seemingly valuable data to another defendant, Wahid Siddiqi, for just $500 and the pair earned a combined a $50,000 through sales to third parties, likely mortgage lead companies and similar entities.

Bank of America, which now owns the defunct mortgage lender, denied any wrongdoing, but said a settlement would help the company avoid additional expenses and litigation.

Former Countrywide customers who are able to prove their identity was “stolen” as a result of the breach are eligible for up to $50,000 in compensation for each offense.

The deadline to subscribe for free credit monitoring (Triple Advantage by Experian) is September 7, 2010 – the earliest deadline to file a claim for monetary compensation is October 18.

I am an actual person so if you are interested in refinancing you can receive real time quotes and payment options by calling me directly. You can reach me, Gene Neal at 877-276-6400 Ext 101.