CNBC, Mar. 30, 2016–Dhue, Stephanie
Spring home buying season has kicked into high gear, but it wasn’t enough to boost mortgage applications, which fell by 1 percent last week from the previous week, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported.
Category: Top National News
For Mortgage Borrowers, a Property-Tax Trap
Wall Street Journal, Mar. 30, 2016–Martin, Anya
Some home buyers should brace themselves for sticker shock: not from the price of the house, but from the property taxes they’ll pay when the deal closes.
Mortgage Portfolios at National Banks Continue to Dissipate
HousingWire, Mar. 30, 2016–Swanson, Brena
The mortgage portfolio of the top banks in the market has steadily dwindled over the past two years, according to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s quarterly report on mortgages.
MetLife Wins Bid to Shed ‘Systemically Important’ Label
Wall Street Journal, Mar. 30, 2016–Tracy, Ryan
A federal judge overturned U.S. regulators’ determination that MetLife Inc. poses a threat to the financial system, granting the insurer a victory in its quest to avoid stricter rules and potentially undermining a central part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank law.
Distorted Markets: Why Banks Are Better Off Than You Think, And Real Estate Isn’t
Wall Street Journal, Mar. 30, 2016–Brown, Ken
Banks are probably safer than people believe, and real estate, the sector investors are rushing to, has become riskier.
Bankers Battle FHFA Plan to Let GSEs Buy Tax Credits
National Mortgage News, Mar. 30, 2016–Collins, Brian
Bankers are fighting back against a plan that would allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to invest in low-income housing tax credits, arguing they are critical for meeting Community Reinvestment Act requirements.
5 ‘Must-Dos’ at MBA Tech 2016
CU Insight, Mar. 31, 2016–Harbinack Shapiro, Michelle
The annual conference brings together mortgage technology experts, vendors and customers to discover, learn and discuss emerging technologies, trends and issues affecting the industry.
A Mortgage to Help Doctors Settle into New Homes
Philadelphia Inquirer, Mar. 31, 2016–Heavens, Alan J.
The concept behind such mortgages is that while newly minted doctors and dentists are carrying a lot of debt and not making much money, they are guaranteed to be high earners in the future.
Fannie Mae’s Mortgage Portfolio Wind Down Continues
DS News, Mar. 30, 2016–Honea, Brian
Fannie Mae’s gross mortgage portfolio resumed its contraction in February following a rare month of expansion in January, according to the GSE’s Monthly Volume Summary for February 2016.
Hot Housing Markets Pinch Seniors
Wall Street Journal, Mar. 31, 2016–Kusisto, Laura
As young, high-earning workers flock to the San Francisco Bay Area, they are pushing up housing costs for everyone. But particularly hard-hit are people like 80-year-old Lois Plymale.