In late-November, the Federal Reserve pledged $600 billion to buy mortgage-backed securities. The announcement drove down mortgage rates and started the Refi Boom.
Then, the Federal Reserve made a second series of statements after its scheduled meeting last Tuesday, causing mortgage rates to plunge again. This started the Refi Boom's second wave.
Because of the surge in refinance activity, mortgage lenders are "backed up"; initial file reviews are taking up to 12 business days in some cases.
Typically, this process takes 2 days.
Underwriting delays are problem for refinancing Americans because when a mortgage rate is locked, it's most often locked for 30 calendar days -- the standard Rate Lock Agreement contract length. If the mortgage doesn't close within those 30 days, the applicant must either pay an "extension fee" to preserve the lock, or risk losing the rate altogether.
30 days may seem like a long time, but let's consider a few external variables:
This leaves 13 days to get from Application to Closing, and of those 13 days, 12 of them are being spent on the initial review. A 30-day rate lock, in other words, may be an inadequate agreement with some mortgage lenders. A 45-day agreement may be required instead.
Typically, 45-day rate locks carry higher rates or higher fees, versus their 30-day counterparts. This amounts to a "tax" on borrowers, a result of the nation's rush to refinance en masse.
As always, the best way to preserve a rate lock is to be as responsive as possible to the process. Return paperwork when asked, schedule appraisals immediately, and arrange to signing closing paperwork on the first available day.
With mortgage rates low, application volume -- and underwriting turntimes -- should remain high into early-2009.
In an effort to limit risky borrower behavior, Fannie Mae has announced a new round of mortgage guideline changes .
Unlike previous its previous 20-plus updates that raised income requirements and minimum credit scores (among other changes), Fannie's latest guideline tweaks focus on the value of its underlying mortgage assets -- home equity.
Effective December 13, 2008, Fannie Mae will require larger equity positions on some of its insured purchases and refinances.
A few of the updates include:
And, while the above changes represent 5 percent equity increases over the current mortgage guidelines, some of the other updates call for increases of as much as 20 percent.
As we head into the election and Congress mulls over another economic stimulus package, it's unclear if mortgage rates will move higher or lower as we close out the year. We do know, however, that getting approved for a conforming mortgage will, in general, be harder come December 13, 2008.
If you're finding yourself on the fence about your next move -- whether it's to buy or to refinance -- consider taking the necessary steps before the guidelines change.
Low, low mortgage rates don't mean much if you don't have enough home equity to get a home loan approval.
(Image courtesy: The New York Times)
Business television is abuzz this morning with talk of "4.5% mortgage rates"; this clip ran on NBC Today. The news stems from a leaked story the U.S. Treasury will intervene in the mortgage market, lowering rates a full percentage point below current levels.
As cited by every journalist in every publication, however, the story is 100% speculation. Naturally, that doesn't stop the press from covering it. When hope for homeowners gets spread in this manner, it's important to remember some facts:
But, perhaps most importantly, nearly every analyst interviewed has expressed a belief that a Treasury-sponsored stimulus would apply to home buyers only. Homeowners wanting a refinance, in other words, would be ineligible.
Mortgage rates are very low today compared to where they've been in 2006, 2007 and 2008. If you think your mortgage rate is too high for this market, reach out to your loan officer to review all of your options. If rates really do reach 4.5%, you can always refinance again later.
Each Wednesday, the Mortgage Bankers Association releases its Weekly Applications Survey, a detailed look at new mortgage applications submitted over the previous 7 days.
This week's report will reveal what most of us already know -- plunging mortgage rates created a flood of mortgage activity.
If you're among the many Americans taking advantage of today's low rates, don't forget that when your rate was "locked", it was locked with an expiration date.
Most likely, that rate lock is for 30 days.
And, while 30 days may seem like a long time, it's not. Especially because rate locks made prior to Thanksgiving lose a combined 14 days to weekends and holidays, plus another 4 days to the Right To Cancel clause.
A 30-day rate lock, therefore, yields just 12 "working" days in which to underwrite and approve the mortgage and that's not a lot of time at all.
Making matters more difficult, many lenders are ill-equipped for boom.
Not only has staff been pared down in expectation of a slowing economy, but December a prime vacationing month, too. Lenders are short-staffed at a very inopportune time.
So, for active refinancing homeowners, the best way to preserve a 30-day rate lock is to be as responsive as possible to the process:
As mortgage rates hang near 3-year lows, the number of refinancing homeowners nationwide will grow, further taxing lenders and their staff. If you already have a loan in process, be pro-active about it to prevent your 30-day rate lock from expiring.
Government action fueled a mortgage market rally last week, leading mortgage rates lower for the second consecutive week.
Despite soft housing numbers and evidence of a slowing economy, mortgage rate shoppers found reason to celebrate:
These 3 elements helped drive mortgage rates to their lowest levels since January 2008 -- in some cases shaving a full percentage point off the offered rate.
Homeowners responded to the dip and refinance activity reached "a frenzy". As evidence, at least one national mortgage bank reported more loans were locked on Tuesday, November 25 than for the first 24 days of the month combined.
However, low rates rarely stick around.
The last time rates fell like they did last week, markets recovered within a week and rates returned to normal. This week provides ample chance for that to happen again.
Throughout the early part of the week, 5 members of the Fed will make public appearances, including Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. With the Fed's next meeting scheduled for December 15, markets will be looking for clues about how the Fed may change the Fed Funds Rate.
When the Fed Funds Rate falls, mortgage rates tend to rise on the news.
Then, on Thursday, retailers start announcing their "same store" sales figures for November. This will clue us in to the true health of the economy because consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of it. If same-store sales are dramatically lower, expect calls for a large Fed Funds Rate cut.
And lastly, Friday brings us the jobs report. As terrible as the employment reports have been this year, it will take an especially higher number of jobs lost in November, or an exceedingly high Unemployment Rate to have much of an impact on mortgage rates.
This month, weak jobs data should be harmful to mortgage rates because more out-of-work Americans may lead to more mortgage defaults nationwide, plus additional Fed Funds Rate cuts.
(Image courtesy: The Wall Street Journal Online)
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