Mortgage Loans

Mortgage Loans

Delaware Mortgage Rates for Week of September 6, 2010

John Thomas September 6, 2010 Tags:

This week brings us the release of only two pieces of economic data, but neither of them is considered to be highly important. In addition to the economic releases, we also have two Treasury auctions that may play a role in this week’s mortgage pricing. The financial and mortgage markets will be closed Monday in observance of the Labor Day holiday, meaning we will not see new Delaware mortgage rates until Tuesday morning.

The first release of the week comes Wednesday afternoon. The Federal Reserve will release its Beige Book report at 2:00 PM ET Wednesday. This report details current economic conditions in the U.S. by Federal Reserve regions. It is believed to be a key source of data when the Fed meets for their FOMC meetings and is usually released approximately two weeks prior to each meeting. If it reveals any significant surprises, we may see movement in the markets and mortgage pricing as analysts adjust their theories on the Fed’s next move. Most likely though, it will be a non-event and will not lead to a noticeable change in Delaware mortgage rates. Keep Reading...

Delaware FHA Mortgage Insurance Change Official October 4, 2010

John Thomas September 2, 2010 Tags: , ,

FHA MIP Changes Now Official for Delaware Home Owners and Delaware Home Buyers

With the passing of H.R. 5981 and the resulting Public Law 111-229, FHA was given authority to change the amount charged to borrowers for both the Up Front Mortgage Insurance Premium and the Annual Mortgage Insurance premium. These changes that are outlined in Mortgagee Letter 2010-28, are effective for all FHA case numbers assigned on or after October 4th, 2010.

Here are the 6 things you need to know about these changes:

  1. The Up Front premium is now 1.0 % for all standard FHA programs (purchase money mortgages, full credit-qualifying refinances, streamline refinances)
  2. The Annual premium is now .90% for LTVs GREATER than 95% on 30-year loans
  3. The Annual premium is now .85% for LTVs EQUAL to or LESS than 95% on 30-year loans
  4. The Annual premium is now .25% for LTVs GREATER than 90% on 15-year loans
  5. The Annual premium is now .00% for LTVs EQUAL to or LESS than 90% on 15-year loans
  6. These premiums apply to purchases, regular refinances and streamlines

Please note that this new law also gives FHA the authority to raise the Annual premium at will up to 1.5% for LTVs at or below 95% and 1.55% for LTVs more than 95%. Keep Reading...

Delaware First Time Home Buyer Seminar – September 25, 2010

John Thomas September 2, 2010 Tags: , ,

There will be a Free Delaware First Time Home Buyer Seminar on Saturday September 25, 2010, at 10:00 AM and again at 1:00 PM. The seminar will last about 2 hours and each participant will be able to receive a free copy of their tri-merge credit report. The seminar will cover all of the basics of buying a new home in Delaware. The seminar will cover Delaware FHA loans, Delaware VA loans, Delaware USDA Rural Housing Loans, First Time Home Buyer Loan Programs, and the Delaware FHA 203k Rehab loans.

Each participant will receive a Free Audio CD on Homebuying 101, Credit Scoring Handbook, Homebuying Handbook, and an opportunity to meet with a mortgage planner to be pre-approved to buy a home at the seminar. You will also learn the importance of credit in buying a home and learn valuable tips on how to improve your credit score. Learn what programs are available to help with down payment and closing costs. The new loan limits for conventional and FHA will be covered as well as changes to borrowing 100% financing. Keep Reading...

Delaware Mortgage Rates for Week of August 29, 2010

John Thomas August 29, 2010 Tags:

There are six relevant economic reports scheduled for release this week in addition to the minutes from the most recent Fed monetary policy meeting. With at least one piece of data being posted each day this week, it is fairly safe to assume that we will see another active week in the financial and mortgage markets.

Unlike many Mondays, tomorrow does bring us one of those reports. July’s Personal Income and Outlays report will be released early tomorrow morning, giving us a measurement of consumer ability to spend and current spending habits. It is expected to show an increase of 0.2% in income and a 0.3% increase in spending. Weaker than expected numbers would be considered good news for the bond market and mortgage rates. Keep Reading...

Delaware Mortgage Rates for the Week of August 23, 2010

John Thomas August 23, 2010 Tags:

This week brings us the release of five relevant economic releases for the bond market to watch in addition to two relatively important Treasury auctions. There is no relevant data or news expected to be released tomorrow, so look for the stock markets to heavily influence bond trading and Delaware mortgage rates until we get to the factual economic reports.

July’s Existing Home Sales will open the week’s data late Tuesday morning. The National Association of Realtors will release this report, giving us a measurement of housing sector strength. It covers approximately 85% of home sales in the U.S. but usually does not have a major influence on bond trading and mortgage rates unless it varies greatly from analysts’ forecasts. It is expected to show a decline from June’s sales, meaning the housing sector is still softening. This would be good news for the bond market and mortgage rates because a weak housing sector makes a broader economic recovery difficult. Keep Reading...

Delaware Mortgage Rates for Week of August 15, 2010

John Thomas August 15, 2010 Tags:

This week brings us the release of four reports that may influence Delaware mortgage rates, but only one of them is considered to be highly important. With no relevant auctions or speeches on tap, I suspect we will see much less movement in Delaware mortgage rates this week compared to the past couple of weeks. There is no relevant data scheduled for release tomorrow, so look for the stock markets to drive bond trading and Delaware mortgage rates.

Three of the week’s four reports will be posted Tuesday morning. The first is July’s Producer Price Index (PPI) that gives us an indication of inflation at the producer level of the economy. There are two readings in the report- the overall index and the core data reading. The core data is more important because it excludes more volatile food and energy prices that can change significantly from month to month. Current forecasts call for an increase of 0.2% in the overall and a 0.1% increase in the core data reading. A larger increase in the core data could push Delaware mortgage rates higher Tuesday morning. If it reveals weaker than expected readings, we may see Delaware mortgage rates improve as a result. Keep Reading...

Delaware Mortgage Rates for week of August 8, 2010

John Thomas August 8, 2010 Tags:

This week brings us the release of five relevant economic reports in addition to another FOMC meeting and two relevant Treasury auctions. The first is Employee Productivity and Costs data for the second quarter that will be released Tuesday morning. It will give us an indication of employee output. High levels of productivity are believed to allow the economy to grow without fears of inflation. I don’t see this being a big mover of mortgage pricing, but since it is the only data of the day it may influence rates slightly during morning trading. Analysts are currently expecting to see an increase in productivity of only 0.1%. A higher than expected reading could help improve bonds, leading to lower Delaware mortgage rates Tuesday. Keep Reading...

MacGray Matters – Financial News – Week of August 2, 2010

John Thomas August 3, 2010 Tags:

MacGray Matter-August 2, 2010

THE ROLLER COASTER RIDE BACK UP:

After a horrible June, the domestic equity markets ended a very positive July. The Dow Jones Industrials was up 0.40% for the week ending up 7.54% for July. The S&P 500 was down 0.10% for the week, ending a July that was up 7.23%. The NASDAQ Composite was down 0.65%, ending July up 7.3%.  All three indices are hovering near break even for the year.

EARNINGS GOOD, GDP..NOT SO MUCH: 

Second-quarter earnings reports continue to be positive, with Merck, Samsung, Chevron, Honda and FEDEX (see below) some of the big names announcing very positive reports. However, the second quarter GDP report was disappointing. The report on GDP for the second quarter of 2010 showed a gain of 2.4%. That was a big drop from the 3.7% rise in the first quarter. There was strength in business investment, which was up 17%, but consumers increased their spending by less than 2%. Consumer confidence data continues to move downward, which explains why consumer spending is not picking up. Keep Reading...