Mortgage Loans

Mortgage Loans

Delaware Mortgage Rates – May 14, 2008

John Thomas May 14, 2008

Here are the daily thoughts on floating or locking your Delaware Mortgage Rate for May 14, 2008.

As always – consult your favorite mortgage professional who will be able to offer the best advice for YOUR unique situation.

Consumer Prices came in below target expectations today. Both the regular and the core were lower than expected. This rather tame reading on inflation, while normally good for bonds, has caused the stock market to improve markedly causing bonds to lose what little they gained today.

Technically speaking – the FNMA 5.5% 30-year bond which had a major downturn yesterday has since managed to bounce off of the 200 days moving average. Keep Reading...

Delaware Mortgage Rates – May 13, 2008

John Thomas May 13, 2008

Here are the daily thoughts on floating or locking your Delaware Mortgage Rate.

As always – consult your favorite mortgage professional who will be able to offer the best advice for YOUR unique situation.

Retail sales came in exactly on target. Unfortunately, sales minus the ever-fluctuating auto industry came in better than expected. This will give encouragement to the stock market and feed a sell-off of bonds – translating to an increase in rates today. Oil also jumped up today and is looking to finish at an all-time high again.  Look for a re-price late in the day for the worse. Keep Reading...

Free Delaware First Time Home Buyer Seminar – May 31, 2008

John Thomas May 13, 2008

There will be a Free Delaware First Time Home Buyer Seminar on Saturday, May 31, 2008, at 10:00 AM. 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, My Community loans, and First Time Home Buyer Loan Programs. Each participant will receive a Free Audio CD on Credit Scoring, 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. Keep Reading...

Delaware Mortgage Market Weekly Recap – May 12, 2008

John Thomas May 12, 2008

With little economic data on the schedule for last week, the major economic story during the week was the continued rise in oil prices, which hit a new record high of $126 per barrel. Oil prices have nearly doubled since last summer. A major Wall Street investment bank issued a forecast this week that predicted a spike in oil prices to between $150 and $200 per barrel, possibly before the end of the year.

The impact of rising oil prices on mortgage markets could be either positive or negative, depending on a couple of factors. Rising oil prices lead to higher prices for goods and services, and higher inflation usually leads to higher mortgage rates. On the other hand, higher energy costs slow economic activity, which serves to reduce inflationary pressures. In general, stock investors don’t like to see higher oil prices, while mortgage investors are less concerned. Delaware Mortgage Rates ended the week about where they started. Keep Reading...

Weekly Financial News Update – Week of May 12

John Thomas May 12, 2008
For the week the Dow lost -2.39%, the S&P 500 -1.81%, Nasdaq -1.27%, and the Russell 2000 -0.78%. Markets around the world also offered poor weekly returns with the one key exception in Russia which soared +9%.GROWTH:  The US economy grew by +0.6% (in size) during the 1st quarter of 2008 (i.e., quarter-over-quarter change expressed as an annualized result).  The change in the size of our economy from the 1st quarter of 2007 to the 1st quarter of 2008 was +2.5%.  By comparison, China’s economy grew by +10.6% for the 1st quarter of 2008 when compared to the first quarter of 2007 (Commerce Department, Financial Times).MORE INSIGHT ON ECONOMIC PREDICTIONS:

According to a recent report by USA Today, of those economists who believe the US is either already in a recession or will enter into one later this calendar year, 89% of this group anticipates that the economic downturn will be short and shallow in duration and intensity as opposed to long and deep. The Wall Street Journal ran a report at the end of 2007 in which a variety of seasoned financial experts were asked where the markets were headed in 2008. The predictions were mostly bullish – Dow 14,000 – Dow 15,000 – Dow 16,000. A couple more accurately predicted flat markets in the face of staggering oil prices and a weak housing market. But none of the experts expected a 10% decline in the first quarter alongside a massive credit crisis. Keep Reading...

Fannie Mae Changes Policy and Pricing on “Conforming” Jumbos

John Thomas May 12, 2008

Fannie Mae announced a series of new initiatives called “Keys to Recovery” in its first quarter 2008 report this week. The new effort is geared toward providing liquidity, stability, and affordability to the housing and mortgage markets for the long term, keeping struggling borrowers in their homes, assisting prospective home buyers with home purchases, and stabilizing communities affected by the mortgage market downturn. According to the report, the initiatives include:

1) A new refinancing option for up-to-date but “underwater” borrowers with loans owned by Fannie Mae that will allow for refinancing up to 120 percent of a property’s current value; Keep Reading...

House Passes Sweeping Legislation to Rescue Delaware Homeowners

John Thomas May 12, 2008

The U.S. House of Representatives was very busy Thursday, passing The American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act (H.R. 3221) by a vote of 266 to 154, and The Neighborhood Stabilization Act (H.R. 5818) by a vote of 239-188. This sweeping legislation is Congress’ most comprehensive attempt yet to address foreclosures in the housing market. The bill includes versions of H.R. 5830, H.R. 1852, H.R. 1427, H.R. 5579, and amendments to Preserving the American Dream for Our Nation’s Veterans. The plan is projected to help roughly 500,000 borrowers at a cost of $2.7 billion over five years. Keep Reading...

Delaware Mortgage Rate – May 9, 2008 – Float or Lock?

John Thomas May 9, 2008

Here are the daily thoughts on floating or locking your Delaware Mortgage Loan Rate.

As always – consult your favorite mortgage professional who will be able to offer the best advice for YOUR unique situation.

The balance of Trade for last month was slightly lower. Yesterday, two European banks left interest rates unchanged as a fight against inflation.  This helped bonds here in the U.S. tick up a few notches. The new record prices of oil and further problems in the insurance industry have not been helping bonds this morning. Keep Reading...