TOM PLANT'S HOUSTON REAL ESTATE BLOG

Mortgage rates have hit a new record low for the 10th time in 11 weeks as investors continue to turn to Treasury bonds as a safe haven; the shift in money is cutting yields, which mortgage rates tend to follow.

Freddie Mac reports that 30-year fixed loans averaged 4.32 percent, down from 4.36 percent a week ago; and the 15-year fixed rate fell to a new low of 3.83 percent, down from 3.86 percent.

Source: Chicago Sun-Times (09/03/10)

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Average interest on long-term mortgages slid to a record low for the eighth time in nine weeks and could dip more. Freddie Mac reports that 30-year fixed loans averaged 4.36 percent this week, down from 4.42 percent a week ago; the 15-year fixed rate fell to a new low of 3.86 percent from 3.90 percent; and adjustable-rate mortgages were also below 4 percent.

The Mortgage Bankers Association’s Michael Fratantoni said the group expects that rates “will begin to rise as the economic situation improves along with jobs.”

Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Sam Spatter (08/27/10)

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Mortgage applications rose 4.9 percent last week as more borrowers refinanced at the lowest rates in decades.

The Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday the gain was fueled by a 5.7 percent increase in refinancing applications. The number of loans taken out to purchase homes edged up by less than 1 percent. The numbers are adjusted for seasonal factors.

Refinancing is at its highest level since May 2009 and makes up 82.4 percent of all new loan activity, its highest share since January 2009.

However, low mortgage rates have done little to boost home sales, which have been hurt by high unemployment, slow job growth, and strict credit standards. Purchase activity is 41.5 percent below its level at the end of April, when two federal tax credits for home buyers expired.

Rates have fallen since spring as investors sought the safety of Treasury bonds, lowering their yield. Mortgage rates tend to track those yields.

Interest rates declined for the week:

• 30-year fixed loan fell to 4.55 percent from 4.6 percent.

• 15-year fixed-rate loan fell to 3.91 percent from 3.99 percent.

• 1-year ARMs decreased to 6.84 percent from 6.90 percent.

The Mortgage Bankers Association’s survey covers more than 50 percent of all applications nationwide.

Source: Associated Press, J.W. Elphinstone (8/25/2010

The Federal Reserve released a proposal Monday to give mortgage applicants three days to change their minds.

The proposal was part of a 930-page document that clarifies and finalizes the new financial reform law.

The Fed’s document says that for closed-end loans secured by real property or a dwelling, a creditor must:

• “Refund any appraisal or other fees paid by the consumer (other than a credit report fee), if the consumer decides not to proceed with a closed-end mortgage transaction within three business days of receiving the early disclosures (fees imposed after this three-day period would not be refundable); and
• “Disclose the right to a refund of fees to consumers before they apply for a closed-end mortgage loan.”

The Fed says this proposal will make it easier and cheaper for consumers to comparison shop. It also acknowledged that borrowers who want to close a transaction in a hurry would be handicapped because most lenders will delay sending out an appraiser for a few days.

Other proposals affecting home buyers included:

• A ban on yield-spread premiums, which encourage mortgage brokers to push buyers toward more profitable mortgages.
• A requirement for lenders to tell borrowers when their mortgage is sold or transferred.
• An explanation of the effects of balloon payments, adjustable loan payment fluctuations, and minimum payments on loan balances.

Source: Bankrate.com, Holden Lewis (08/17/2010)

Shorter-term loans are gaining favor as rates continue to fall.

On average at today’s rates, a borrower refinancing their 6.5 percent loan would save $70,000 over the life of a $200,000 20-year loan vs. a 30-year loan.

These kinds of refinances are particularly popular among people who are approaching retirement, said Peter Iche, president of Carthage Federal Savings and Loan Association in Carthage, N.Y.

Source: USA Today, Stephanie Armour (08/16/2010)

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to a new low of 4.54 percent this week from 4.56 percent last week and an average of 5.25 percent a year ago.

The 15-year fixed loan rate also hit a record low of 4 percent, down from 4.03 percent a week ago and 4.69 percent last year. The five-year adjustable-rate mortgage averaged 3.76 percent, compared to 3.79 percent last week and 4.75 percent a year earlier; and one-year ARMs averaged 3.64 percent, down from 3.7 percent and 4.80 percent, respectively.

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Source: The Wall Street Journal, Nathan Becker (07/30/10)

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The new financial overhaul law that President Obama signed into law is still being dissected, but some regulations that affect homebuying and mortgages have already been defined. Here are the key tenets:

• Lenders must prove that borrowers can afford their mortgages. Government guarantees will be voided if lenders don’t demonstrate that they have thoroughly investigated a borrowers’ ability to pay.

• Banks and other entities that pool mortgages and sell them to investors must keep at least 5 percent of the investments on their own books – an incentive to avoid poor quality loans.

• Low-risk mortgages, mostly 30-year fixed-rate loans, are exempt from many regulations. That should encourage lenders to put homebuyers into “plain vanilla” mortgages.

• Bonuses for brokers based on the cost of a mortgage are banned.

[Editor's note: For more, watch a short video interview with a financial services analysts on the mortgage-related portions of the new law.]

Source: Associated Press, Daniel Wagner (07/21/2010)

Rates on conventional mortgage loans were essentially flat this week, according to Freddie Mac. The average rate for 30-year fixed mortgages didn’t move from last week’s record-low figure of 4.57 percent.

Also, rates on 15-year fixed mortgages reached a new record low this week, falling slightly to 4.06 percent from 4.07 percent last week.

Source: The Wall Street Journal (07/16/2010)

In the wake of a slowing real estate market, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday that the economy is “proceeding” and pledged to hold interest rates at record low, near zero rates.

One piece of good news, released simultaneously with the Fed’s report, was a survey of CEOs of large U.S. companies, 39 percent of whom said they expect to increase the number of people on their payrolls in the second half of 2010.

Source: Associated Press, Alan Zibel (06/23/2010)

Interest on five-year adjustable-rate mortgages averaged 3.89 percent for the week ended June 17, the lowest level since Freddie Mac began tracking the statistic in January 2005.

One-year Treasury-indexed ARMs also fell, dipping from 3.91 percent to 3.82 percent, the lowest average in more than 10 years. Also, 30-year fixed loans settled at 4.75 percent, a slight gain from 4.72 percent last week.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, Amy Hoak (06/18/2010)

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