Daily Archives: July 21, 2014

Purchase Mortgage Applications Plunge | Bedford NY Real Estate

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It might be hot outside but its freezing in the inboxes of hundreds of the nation’s mortgage lenders. Last week applications fell to their lowest level since February.

Maybe it’s just a sign that the selling season is winding down. More likely it’s something a lot more serious—yet another signal that the housing recovery is seriously sick and keeps getting sicker.

Mortgage applications decreased last week from the previous week, led by a drop in purchase loan requests. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s index revealed that loan application volume fell 3.6% on a seasonally adjusted basis for the period ending July 11 after increasing the previous week, which included an adjustment for the July 4 holiday.

The dip in mortgage activity was mainly attributed to an 8% decline in purchase applications. These applications, where the average loan size sought was $268,500, plunged to their lowest level since February, the Washington-based trade group said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, refinance activity was only down 0.1% from the prior week.

Yet this time no one is attributing the decline to interest rates. Bankrate reports that mortgage rates dropped to record lows again last week after a sluggish employment report disappointed investors. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell 8 basis points to 3.79 percent. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage fell 8 basis points to 3.05 percent. The average rate for 30-year jumbo mortgages, or generally for those of more than $417,000, fell 3 basis points to 4.44 percent.

 

 

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http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2014/07/purchase-mortgage-applications-plunge/

 

Mortgage Defaults Sink Below 1 Percent | Pound Ridge Real Estate

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Mortgage default rates fell below one percent for the first time in years, providing further evidence that the foreclosure era is all but over.

Data through June 2014, released today by S&P Dow Jones Indices and Experian for the S&P/Experian Consumer Credit Default Indices, a comprehensive measure of changes in consumer credit defaults, showed decline in default rates. After eight consecutive months of rate declines, the first mortgage default rate fell to 0.89.

“Consumer credit default rates continue to drift lower and have reached a historical low,” says David M. Blitzer, Managing Director and Chairman of the Index Committee for S&P Dow Jones Indices. “Recent economic reports are encouraging with the unemployment rate now at a six year low and strong job creation in recent months. The continued declines in consumer default rates confirm other indicators of an improving economy. Credit standards for mortgage loans continue to be somewhat restrictive and may be contributing to low first mortgage default rates.

 

 

 

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http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2014/07/mortgage-defaults-sink-below-1-percent/

Valuation Fraud Soared 27 Percent in Q1 | Chappaqua Real Estate

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The national Property Valuation Fraud Risk Index rose 27 percent in the first quarter and 17 percent from a year ago, evidence that an epidemic of fraudulent home valuations is sweeping certain real estate markets on the East and West Coasts.

Property valuations are increasingly being manipulated by individuals who purchase and list multiple properties in the same neighborhoods to dominate values in hyper local markets ienabling them to set fraudulent sales prices to their advantage, according to a report from Interthinx, a subsidiary of First American that helps lenders minimize risk and review appraisals.

Another contributing factor observed is the rise in the number of properties being appraised well above traditional valuation thresholds to artificially create equity.

 

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“This quarter’s report is a reminder that lenders need to be aware of emerging fraud risks. The rise in property valuation risk is troublesome because collateral values are a critical element in making sound lending decisions,” said Jeff Moyer, president of Interthinx. “To make lending decisions with increased confidence in the loan’s quality, we recommend that lenders use automated tools early in the valuation process to double check opinions of value, quality of work and regulatory compliance on issues such as licensing.”

California continues to be the riskiest state with a Mortgage Fraud Risk Index of 146, and it contains eight of the 10 riskiest Metropolitan Statistical Areas, (MSAs) and eight of the 10 riskiest ZIP codes. California also continues to dominate the type-specific lists with four of the 10 riskiest MSAs for property valuation fraud, seven of the 10 riskiest MSAs for identity fraud, six of the 10 riskiest MSAs for occupancy fraud and eight of the 10 riskiest MSAs for employment/income fraud.

 

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http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2014/07/valuation-fraud-soared-27-percent-in-q1/