The U.S. Housing Market saw more signs of a decline in the latest report of pending home sales for existing homes. The National Association of Realtors index of pending home sales dropped 2.6%. This index measures the number of Americans signing contracts to buy previously owned homes. The index had shown a gain of 3.7% in October which was a sign that market might be stabilizing, but this latest report is another sign that 2008 is going to be another tough year for the housing market.

This report supports statements made by the Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson when he forecasted on Tuesday that the housing recession will continue and will be the biggest risk to economic expansion. Keep Reading...

Yesterday, President Bush signed H.R. 3648, The Mortgage Forgiveness Act of 2007, into law, sparing homeowners the tax burden associated with canceled mortgage debt. Prior to this action, forgiven mortgage debt due to foreclosure, short sale, or deed in lieu of foreclosure, was considered taxable income. The new law, however, temporarily waives these taxes for debts forgiven (as high as 35%) from the beginning of 2007 to the end of 2009. The bill also extends the tax deduction for mortgage insurance premiums through 2014. Keep Reading...

Today the Federal Reserve Board, under the authority of the Truth in Lending Act, unanimously voted to propose important changes to the mortgage industry. According to Business Week, the following proposed changes would affect subprime loans or those loans the Fed defines as “higher-priced mortgage loans” (loans with rates at least 3 percentage points above a comparable Treasury security for first mortgages and 5 percentage points for second loans, or home-equity loans):

• Creditors would be prohibited from engaging in a pattern or practice of extending credit without considering borrowers’ ability to repay the loan.
  
• Creditors would be required to verify the income and assets they rely upon in making a loan.
  
• Prepayment penalties would only be permitted if certain conditions are met, including the condition that no penalty will apply for at least sixty days before any possible payment increase.
  
• Creditors would have to establish escrow accounts for taxes and insurance.

The Fed also proposed another set of rules for all mortgages, including what the Los Angeles Times called “stricter disclosures on ‘yield spread premiums.'” These rules include: Keep Reading...