Category Archives: Mortgages
Is now the time to buy?
Is now the time to buy a home? Most prospective homebuyers think so, according to a recent study conducted by Gary V. Engelhardt, a professor at Syracuse University.
Despite high unemployment and slow economic growth, about 80 percent of Americans beli… Continue reading
Upward trend in homebuying
Finally someone is feeling optimistic about home sales. Builder sentiment rose for the third straight month, according to the December survey by National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo. It’s the first consecutive, three-month upswing since 20… Continue reading
Were big banks ’stealing homes’?
Forget for the time being all the Three Stooges document-fumbling surrounding the housing collapse. Set aside the obvious malfeasance of robosigning and rocket dockets.
The question on the table now is, were America’s largest mortgage lenders stealing … Continue reading
Were big banks ‘stealing homes’?
Forget for the time being all the Three Stooges document-fumbling surrounding the housing collapse. Set aside the obvious malfeasance of robosigning and rocket dockets.
The question on the table now is, were America’s largest mortgage lenders stealing … Continue reading
Fannie, Freddie saga heats up
Troubles continue to plague Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the giant mortgage companies that were taken over by the government in 2008 and bailed out by taxpayers.
The Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, sued three former executives at each of the… Continue reading
Student debt blocks homebuyers
More potential first-time homebuyers are living with their parents instead of shopping for a home, further stalling a housing recovery.
Mortgage rates are at record lows and home values have dropped — significantly in some areas of the country — sinc… Continue reading
Higher rates vs. tax increase?
A bid to boost fees that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac charge lenders in order to pay for the proposed payroll tax cut extension for another year is drawing fire from some in the real estate industry who fear that lenders will pass the fees on to borrower… Continue reading
A visa for foreign homebuyers?
As one way to unload the glut of housing inventory languishing on the market, two senators want to introduce a bill today that gives foreigners who buy a home in the U.S. a residence visa.
Foreigners would have to invest at least $500,000 in residentia… Continue reading
Internet mortgage scams
Beware when searching on the Internet for ways to modify your mortgage payments. So far, the federal government has shut down more than 200 scam companies that are promising to help struggling homeowners.
In a separate action, search engines have bee… Continue reading
GMAC out of Massachusetts
GMAC, the mortgage arm of Ally Financial, will cease most of its mortgage lending in Massachusetts.
The announcement came a day after Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley filed suit against GMAC and four other major mortgage servicers, allegin… Continue reading