Four times annually, the Federal Reserve surveys 84 different banks about general banking conditions. One of the survey questions asks about current mortgage lending standards and whether they are loosening or tightening. The chart above is from the April 2008 survey and it illustrates what we a
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05/11/2008
When the everyday "Cost of Living" increases, our dollars don't go as far as they used to. Economists call this inflation. One popular method of measuring inflation is to track prices for 84,000 individual items and lump them together into a "basket". If the overall price is higher, then the e
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05/11/2008
The ubiquity of "free" credit reporting services like FreeCreditReport.com, TrueCredit.com, and AnnualCreditReport.com have helped breed a new generation of credit-aware Americans. Because credit ratings have more importance to everyday life than in years past, this is a welcome development.
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05/11/2008
Mortgage rates ended higher last week on stronger-than-expected jobs data, strong consumer spending, and an appetite for riskier investments.But, investors were most excited about the Federal Reserve's hint that its rate-cutting cycle may be over.The week was quiet until Wednesday when the Federa
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05/05/2008
RealtyTrac released Q1 2008 foreclosure statistics and the data follows an interesting statistical phenomenon most commonly known as the "80/20 Rule".The 80/20 Rule states that 80 percent of the effects come from 20 percent of the causes.In this case, 80 percent of bank repossessions in the first
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05/01/2008
The Fed lowered the Fed Funds Rate by a quarter-percent to 2.000% yesterday.Because it is tied to the Fed Funds Rate, Prime Rate also fell by a quarter-percent. Prime Rate is now 5.000%. Holders of home equity lines of credit and credit card debt benefited from the change and will see lower inte
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05/01/2008
As you know. MI became tax deductible for 2007 and has recently been extended through 2010. This tax deductibility applies to single financed premium MI (the type of MI that is paid by the borrower, one time, up-front at the settlement table). I often get asked if this deduction is all taken in t
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05/01/2008
Mortgage markets lost ground last week on inflation concerns and a general feeling that "the worst may be over" on Wall Street. As investors moved money into the stock market, mortgage rates ticked higher for the second straight week.The biggest story from last week was the rising cost of gasolin
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04/29/2008
RealtyTrac released Q1 2008 foreclosure statistics and the data follows an interesting statistical phenomenon most commonly known as the "80/20 Rule".The 80/20 Rule states that 80 percent of the effects come from 20 percent of the causes.In this case, 80 percent of bank repossessions in the first
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04/29/2008
Let me share a narrative from another industry that resonates with the mortgage industry. In his book, Blown to Bits, Philip Evans tells a fascinating tale about the evolution of Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. The company built a dominant brand (Your family owned a complete set of Britannica’s, ri
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04/26/2008
