Mortgages
Will higher gas prices translate to higher mortgage rates?
Gas prices are rising in the US and it makes you wonder: will mortgage rates soon be rising as well? The questions are not unrelated. In basic terms, the price paid for gasoline at the pump has very little to [...]
FHFA rule restricts mortgages for properties with private transfer fees
FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has sent a final rule to the Federal Register on private transfer fees. The final rule limits Fannie
Treasury nets $25 billion in mortgage-backed securities
Chalk another economic one up for the Obama Administration. Remember how those toxic mortgages were bundled as securities and sold as investments to many poor saps before many of
30-year fixed-rate mortgage dips back below 4 percent
The average interest rate on 30-year fixed rate mortgages (FRMs) was 3.99 percent, with an average 0.7 point, for the week ending March 29, down from 4.08 percent
How financial market indexes shape your ARM
Index rates are a key component of the interest rates you pay for adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) used to finance or refinance a home, as well as home
Most consumers don’t have a clue about HAMP, HARP
Recent enhancements to government programs designed to bail out more underwater homeowners and save others from foreclosure could be lost on millions of Americans. Most consumers don't even know
Mortgage rates up above 4 percent, to late 2011 levels
The average interest rate on 30-year fixed rate mortgages (FRMs) 4.08 percent, with an average 0.8 point, for the week ending March 22, up from 3.92 percent
National Mortgage Settlement generates controversy, scams, consumer guides
Along with the relief it's supposed to bring to millions of Americans, last week's official court filing of the $25 billion National Mortgage Settlement came with controversy, scams
Mortgage rates rise with bond yields
The average interest rate on 30-year fixed rate mortgages (FRMs) averaged 3.92 percent, with an average 0.8 point, for the week ending March 15, up from
Strategic defaults on the rise, unfortunately
Apparently, homeowners aren't getting the message that strategic defaults are anything but strategic. A growing number of homeowners say, even if they can afford to make mortgage payments, they
Fixed mortgage rates at, near all-time lows
The 15-year fixed mortgage rate (FRM), a popular choice among refinance borrowers, averaged a new all-time record low of 3.13 percent, the week ending March 8, according
Mortgage rates edge lower as FHA refinances get easier, cheaper
Rates on the most popular types of mortgages declined slightly, just in time to allow refinancing homeowners to also cash in on cheaper Federal Housing Administration refinances, according
Mortgage servicers fiddled while homeowners were burned by foreclosure abuse
The National Mortgage Settlement prompted California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris to call for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to temporarily suspend all foreclosure sales in California as
Mortgage interest rates remain low, but mixed this week
The average interest rate on 30-year fixed rate mortgages (FRMs) was 3.90 percent, with an average 0.8 point, for the week ending March 1, down from 3.95 percent
California vies for ‘Homeowner Bill of Rights’
California's attorney general and a host of Golden State legislators are pushing to secure a Homeowner Bill of Rights designed to protect homeowners from abusive mortgage practices and
National Mortgage Settlement spawns fraud moving faster than official settlement relief
• On. Feb. 9, the day federal and state officials and banks signed off on the National Mortgage Settlement, Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange and the state's Banking
Two more years of 4% interest rates?
The Federal Reserve recently announced that they intend to keep the Federal Funds Rate in a band between 0 percent and 0.25 percent into late 2014. This adds nearly
30-year mortgage rate up from record low
The average interest rate on 30-year fixed rate mortgages (FRMs) rose to 3.95 percent, with an average 0.8 point, for the week ending Feb. 23, up from the
Foreclosure reviews for 4.5 million consumers extended three months
Eligible consumers have an extra 90 days to seek a review of their foreclosure under a federal settlement that forces mortgage servicers to address institutionalized foreclosure abuses. The Office
Obama budget proposes Mortgage Debt Relief Act extension
The Mortgage Debt Relief Act (MDRA) of 2007 is getting a vote of confidence from the Obama Administration. And that could save you tens of thousands of dollars. The administration's
