Tagged: Mortgage

Borrowers With Good Credit Scores to Foot the Bill for Higher Risk Borrowers 24

Borrowers With Good Credit Scores to Foot the Bill for Higher Risk Borrowers

It is disheartening to think that those of us who have worked hard to maintain good credit scores will now be penalized with higher mortgage rates and fees, just so the government can subsidize people with riskier credit ratings. It’s no surprise that the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) new rule forcing homebuyers with good credit scores to pay higher mortgage rates and fees is causing a stir. The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s push for affordable housing is admirable, but it should not come at the expense of those with good credit scores who are trying to buy or refinance...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac / Federal Housing Finance Agency / FHFA

DEI Bosses at Financial Institutions Have a Problem - Diversity 12

Top DEI Bosses Have a Problem – Diversity

The ranks of the new DEI bosses at the financial institutions are no more diverse than the appraisers their institutions see as the enemy. If the lack of diversity of appraisers is inherently bad, how could the same not be said for the DEI bosses?  A full 93 percent of U.S. birdwatchers are white. Just 4 percent are African-American and a paltry 1 percent are Asian-American. Just 5 percent are Hispanic (which includes both blacks and whites). This was according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as reported in National Geographic a number of years ago. Another study found...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac

Ocwen Financial Is in Trouble. Appraisers Need to Protect their Businesses 13

Ocwen Financial Is in Trouble

VaCAP concerned about Ocwen financial deteriorating condition… We have all been there; you are busy and you lose track of your accounts receivables. Suddenly, you have 45, 60 and 90 day past due invoices. VaCAP wants to remind you to pay attention not only to your receivables, but industry news to make informed decisions going forward. Two days ago HousingWire reported Ocwen Financial is in trouble with the New York Stock Exchange. According to the article, Ocwen stock has been trading below $1.00 for more than 30 days in violation of the NYSE rules. Ocwen runs afoul of NYSE after stock stays below...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / VaCAP / Virginia Coalition of Appraiser Professionals

Low Mortgage Rates and Plentiful Appraisal Waivers - Appraisers Blogs 9

Low Rates and Plentiful Appraisal Waivers

The graph below comes from Len Kiefer, the data guru at Freddie Mac. Are we due for even lower rates? Who knows. But they have been lower not long ago. Theoretically, appraisers should have been really busy since about November 2018 through this past year. Were you? Me, not so much, but I don’t work for many AMC’s either. The fact that the GSEs and others have diminished the value of getting an appraisal done has adversely impacted our work. Waivers are plentiful now, and the raising of the de minimus threshold to $400K for non-GSE loans has reduced the...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News

Sweat Equity as Down Payment. No Money to the Table! - AppraisersBlogs 15

No Money to the Table!

Freddie Mac has an Enhanced Sweat Equity Program where borrowers (aka purchasers) can purchase a home and use sweat equity as a down payment and closing costs. No money to the table! Here’s what’s allowed: Sweat equity to be used for the entire amount of down payment and closing costs with maximum 97 percent LTV/105 percent total LTV (affordable seconds). Sweat equity for manufactured homes up to a maximum LTV ratio of 95 percent. Sweat equity as an eligible source of funds for: All repairs and improvements to be completed by the borrower that are listed in the sales contract...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac / VaCAP

Rural Areas Appraisers at Risk by Dangerous Pending Bill in US Senate 22

Dangerous Pending Bill in US Senate

Appraisers, If you work in Rural Areas [that definition is referenced in (b)(1) below], your appraisal livelihood is threatened by this pending bill in Congress. This bill, if signed into law, will allow lenders to bypass appraisals for any property with a ‘transaction value’ of $400,000 or less (this is moving the de minimus goal post) if the lender was unable to find an available appraiser to complete an appraisal “within a reasonable amount of time”… that time frame apparently as determined by a regulator agency with jurisdiction over the lender. The bill shows ‘exceptions’ to this as per other laws. Appraisers...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Political Action / Trending

Reform America's Broken Housing Finance System 12

Reform Our Broken Housing Finance System

Hensarling Lays Out Principles for Housing Finance Reform, Expresses Support for Bipartisan Approach “I stand ready to negotiate….with any other stakeholder that shares my belief that America deserves a sustainable housing finance system, and deserves one now.” WASHINGTON – House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) today outlined reforms to fix America’s broken housing finance system. During a speech at a conference on the future of the U.S. housing market, Chairman Hensarling said he would work on a bipartisan basis to come up with a reform package provided it included certain key principles. He also pointed to a proposal authored...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac / Federal Housing Administration

Where is all the mortgage work 14

Where is all the Mortgage Work?

We should be busting with mortgage work. Where is all the mortgage work? I talk to appraisers and they all ask the same question. With the looming spring market and low interest rates, we should be busting with mortgage work. But the appraisers I know tend to get a reasonable and customary fee of above $400. So is it going to the bottom third? Now don’t get me wrong; I am quoting 2 to 3 weeks due to our back log. But outside of VA’s it’s everything but first mortgage work. I am fine with it because it’s less hassle....

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / Customary & Reasonable Fees / Dodd-Frank Act / C&R Fees

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Mortgage Applications up by 49%

Appraisers, The Mortgage Bankers Association tracks applications and publishes info weekly.  There has been an incredible jump in applications by +49%!  Huge! Means we’ll start getting busy in about a week or so. Click here for more info. For appraisers who do FHA assignments, it’s likely that those assignments will be fewer now through January 25. On the 26th, the Mortgage Insurance Premium cost applying to FHA backed loans will drop significantly. This will allow more borrowers to qualify for FHA loans. With this change, FHA has allowed lenders to ‘drop’ a previously accepted Case Number from the current loan doc, and are...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Federal Housing Administration / FHA

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Before, During, and After the Sale: Tips for Those Purchasing a Home in Today’s Economy

The average homebuyer in today’s market is justifiably on edge, bombarded with news stories about others who made poor financial and lending decisions and are now paying the price for their mistakes. While it’s true that there seems to be a higher incidence of underwater homeowners who didn’t plan their purchase correctly, that’s always been the case in the real estate market to some extent. Proper planning before the sale, and taking a few recommended steps after the sale has closed, will save future homeowners from the plight of their early-2000s predecessors. Whether it’s taking advantage of low interest rates,...

Appraisal

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