Mortgage Rate Forecast Week Of November 30, 2009

Mortgage markets improved last week on stronger-than-expected economic data and safe haven buying. The holiday-shortened trading week amplified what should have been modest gains into large ones. Conforming mortgage rates dropped by about a quarter-percent last week, dropping them near their best levels...

Why Mortgage Rates Are Back To All-Time Lows

Home affordability improved this week after the Federal Reserve released its November 3-4, 2009 meeting minutes. The FOMC Minutes is a companion to the Federal Reserve’s post-meeting press release. It’s released 3 weeks after the Fed adjourns and details the internal debates that shape our...

Mortgage Rates This Week : November 23, 2009

Mortgage markets worsened last week on a mixed bag of economic data.  Inflation data came in soft, but so did the start of the holiday shopping season. For the first time in a month, mortgage rates worsened last week, adding roughly 0.125 percent on conforming fixed-rate products, and a little bit more ...

Mortgage Rates This Week : November 16, 2009

Mortgage markets improved last week as foreign buyers of mortgage debt helped to push mortgage rates to a 4-week low. It marked the 3rd consecutive week that rates improved, breathing extra life into this year’s ongoing Refi Boom. Fixed-rate, conforming mortgage rates fell about 0.125 percent on the...

Underwriting Hurdles Increase Banks Raise Mortgage Qualification Standards

Despite the economy’s improvement and prodding from Congress, banks don’t seem ready to open their purse strings just yet. Nationally, mortgage approval standards are tightening. The data comes from a quarterly survey the Federal Reserve sends to its member banks.  The Fed asks senior bank...