Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 10, 2022

Ben Slayton’s Legacy Home Loans , the largest Black-led mortgage banking firm in the country, has launched a special purpose credit program for prospective Black borrowers in six cities across the country. The SPCP loan program will be piloted in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis and Philadelphia.

Loans 448

Loans Closing costs Development Finance 448

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 8, 2022

Bank of America recently announced a loan for lower-income households that doesn’t require homebuyers to come up with a downpayment or closing costs, and doesn’t base the loan on a minimum FICO score. Are we really doing those types of loans and promoting homeownership again without understanding the risks?

Loans 544

Loans Banks Equity Bankruptcy 544

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 5, 2024

Freddie Mac will offer a $2,500 credit for very low-income purchase borrowers to help with down payment and closing costs amid elevated interest rates and low housing supply. The credit can be used for down payments, closing costs, escrow and mortgage insurance premiums.

Mortgages 526

Mortgages Closing costs Finance Loans 526

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 2, 2022

Rocket Mortgage is now offering a conventional loan option for buyers who want to purchase or refinance a manufactured home, which expands the home financing options in a rapidly shrinking industry. But not every manufactured home owner owns the land. billion in the second quarter from $53.8 billion in the first quarter.

Loans 418

Loans Mortgages Land Finance 418

Housing Wire

JUNE 12, 2024

An analysis released Wednesday by Columbia, Missouri -based lender Veterans United Home Loans revealed that the home loan program through the U.S. The VA loan program — which was established in 1944 through the GI Bill — will celebrate its 80th anniversary on June 22. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has contributed $3.9

VA loan 464

VA loan Loans As-is Mortgages 464

Housing Wire

MARCH 21, 2024

Equifax’s Work Number product is too expensive for consumers and the Federal Housing Administration ( FHA ) and Federal Housing Finance Agency ( FHFA ) should potentially do something about it, an influential mortgage trade group argued this week. The trade group urged the regulators to examine Equifax’s pricing practices.

Closing costs 482

Closing costs Loans Title Finance 482

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

FHA loans are a popular option for first-time homebuyers or those who don’t have a lot of cash saved for a down payment, because the loans require a minimum of 3.5% VA loans offer a 100% financing option for qualifying military service members and veterans, and don’t require mortgage insurance. points from the 7.5%

VA loan 482

VA loan Agents Seller concession FHA loan 482

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 9, 2024

Better Home & Finance Holding Co. , The product is available for qualified borrowers with an existing FHA loan who are looking to lower their monthly mortgage payment, reduce their interest rate, shorten their loan term or get out of an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM), the company explained.

FHA loan 448

FHA loan Loans Closing costs Finance 448

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 9, 2023

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac jointly announced this week that they have entered a new critical edit phase for their Uniform Closing Dataset (UCD) as of Nov. 6, informing lenders that they must address quality issues for “fatal data points” before delivering loans to either of the government-sponsored enterprises.

Loans 435

Loans Closing costs Closing Mortgages 435

Housing Wire

MARCH 15, 2024

Mortgage pros have closely monitored the commission lawsuit developments since a Kansas City, Missouri jury determined that NAR, HomeServices of America , and Keller Williams conspired to inflate or maintain high commission rates through NAR’s so-called Participation Rule. You should be finding buyers before real estate agents anyway.”

Industrial 514

Industrial Seller concession Purchase and sale agreement Agents 514

Housing Wire

APRIL 18, 2024

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) this week released its annual Housing Mission Report , offering insights into the actions the agency took in 2023 on a host of issues. The GSEs also purchased 15,000 Special Purpose Credit Program (SPCP) loans “through both lender-sponsored initiatives and their proprietary SPCPs.”

Closing costs 447

Closing costs Loans Design Finance 447

Housing Wire

APRIL 30, 2024

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) this week released its fair lending final rule, following up on a proposal made last year in alignment with plans first laid out in 2022 by the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. FHFA explained some of the actions it has taken to address housing inequality.

Lending 457

Lending Finance Closing costs Closing 457

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 9, 2023

For this reason, many programs now allow funds to be used for buydowns and other popular financing strategies that take the edge off of monthly mortgage payments,” Rob Chrane, founder and CEO of DPR, said in a statement. Buydowns have become a preferred financing strategy for borrowers as mortgage rates have surged.

FHA loan 482

FHA loan VA loan Finance Loans 482

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 28, 2024

They will also be offered closing cost credits of up to 0.5% The program is only eligible for loans that close through Newrez. The Newrez Home Rewards program is currently available in 40 states for buy-side credits that allow consumer rebates on the closing disclosure, Newrez said in an emailed response to HousingWire.

Closing costs 448

Closing costs Loan Officer Closing Loans 448

Housing Wire

MAY 1, 2024

First-generation homebuyers as a cohort are “less likely to receive financial assistance from parents to help with the down payment and other upfront costs when purchasing a home,” according to Freddie Mac. Identification of a loan under these conditions is currently optional, the bulletin explained.

Mortgages 459

Mortgages Finance Closing costs Loans 459

Housing Wire

APRIL 15, 2024

Based on the selling guides in use by the GSEs, property sellers are allowed to make financing concessions toward the borrower’s closing costs at a maximum amount of 2% to 9% of the property value. Department of Veterans Affairs seeking similar guidance on VA loans, but Sears said that letter remains unanswered.

Agents 532

Agents Seller concession VA loan Finance 532

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

But the good news is, more buyers have become aware of down payment assistance (DPA) options and are tapping into available resources for help, said Susanne Saller, a senior consultant at Caliber Home Loans. They’re using a DPA program through the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA).

FHA loan 476

FHA loan Loans Closing costs Loan Officer 476

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 14, 2023

Under the new selling guidelines, Fannie Mae said it would allow AOLs to be used on “loans secured by a unit in a condo project” and “loans secured by a property subject to restrictive agreements or restrictive covenants.” The initial version of the GSE’s Equitable Housing Finance Plans were approved in the summer of 2022 by the FHFA.

Title 465

Title Land Finance Loans 465

Housing Wire

MARCH 28, 2024

At the moment, IPCs “include concessions from the seller to the buyer for items that are traditionally paid by the buyer such as loan closing costs or rate buy-downs,” but as buyer agents are customarily paid by the listing agent, their fees are excluded from caps on the IPCs.

VA loan 476

VA loan Closing costs MLS Loans 476

Housing Wire

MAY 8, 2023

Mortgage lender and servicer NewRez on Monday launched a special purpose credit program through Freddie Mac that will provide $3,000 or more in closing cost assistance to qualifying first-time homebuyers. The special purpose credit program is an extension of the government sponsored enterprise’s equitable housing finance plan.

Debt-to-income ratio 435

Debt-to-income ratio Closing costs Finance Lending 435

Housing Wire

AUGUST 4, 2022

Fannie Mae will now buy mortgage loans with lender-funded grants, including down payment assistance, closing costs or financial reserves. The government-sponsored enterprise will start accepting such loans immediately. The loan must be secured by a principal residence.

Loans 508

Loans Principal Banks Closing costs 508

Housing Wire

MARCH 8, 2024

Despite the protests of the title insurance industry, Fitch Ratings does not believe the lender title insurance waiver pilot program for certain refinance transactions announced by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) on Thursday will have an impact on title insurer ratings. Soham Bhonsle, an analyst at BTIG, shares a similar outlook.

Title 459

Title Industrial Land Closing costs 459

Housing Wire

MARCH 7, 2024

In the address, the president will call for a $10,000 tax credit for both first-time homebuyers and people who sell their starter homes; the construction and renovation of more than 2 million additional homes; and cost reductions for renters. The White House estimates that this “will raise an additional $3.79

Construction 535

Construction Closing costs Renovation Title 535

Housing Wire

JUNE 21, 2024

Board staff and participating counselors work closely with the borrowers helping to set up the reverse mortgage with closing costs often several hundreds to thousands of dollars less than similar programs.” The maximum loan amount is determined based on 80 percent of the FHA-determined value of the home.

Mortgages 397

Mortgages Equity Finance Closing costs 397

Housing Wire

APRIL 7, 2021

How are your finances? A stable income means you’re more likely to be approved for a loan , than someone with an unstable income. Not to mention, if your finances are solid, you’ll be able to afford all those extra housing expenses. Or, more importantly, whether it’s high enough to get approved for a loan to buy a house.

Debt-to-income ratio 476

Debt-to-income ratio Fixed-rate mortgage Finance Loans 476

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 19, 2024

The Bipartisan Congressional Real Estate Caucus is calling on the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to cease its pilot program for title insurance waivers until the program is vetted and the agency seeks public input on it. According to the letter, the average cost of a title claim and associated expenses is $26,000.

Title 418

Title Title search Closing costs Loans 418

Housing Wire

MARCH 1, 2021

After all, in January 2021, 30-year loans accounted for a whopping three-quarters of all mortgage originations in the country. In fact, they could actually cost you more (often significantly more) if used incorrectly. Want to make sure you’re getting the best deal and making the right choice for your finances? USDA loans.

Mortgages 459

Mortgages VA loan Loans Loan Officer 459

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 10, 2022

The government-sponsored enterprise saw a 20% growth in its single-family mortgage portfolio from 2020 to 2021, driven by soaring home prices and an increase in the average size of loans it acquired. trillion in single-family loans in 2021, about two-thirds of which were refinances. It reported $2.7 Overall, Freddie Mac purchased $1.22

Loan Officer 418

Loan Officer Finance Loans Banks 418

Housing Wire

JULY 7, 2022

Can Fannie Mae ’s housing equity plan make a meaningful dent in the 30 percentage point racial homeownership gap without a broad review of loan pricing? Top brass at Fannie Mae, in a Thursday webinar discussing its new equitable housing finance plans, argued it can. More than 40% of those borrowers are Black or Latino, he added.

Equity 448

Equity Lending Closing costs Development 448

Housing Wire

APRIL 8, 2024

The comments follow a Hunterbrook Media report from last week stating that UWM pressures brokers to send loans its way, resulting in higher costs to customers. “We think the premise of the thesis is misplaced,” Eric Hagen and Jake Katsikas wrote in the company’s weekly mortgage finance roundup.

Loans 432

Loans Loan Officer Mortgages Closing costs 432

Housing Wire

JULY 26, 2023

United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM), the country’s largest wholesale lender, expanded its debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) loan options to four after launching its first product in March. With the expanded options, investors could get loans starting as little as $50,000 and up to $2 million. UWM originated $38.8

Investor 370

Investor Closing costs Loans Mortgages 370

Housing Wire

AUGUST 14, 2023

Fannie Mae is no longer considering a pilot program that would bypass traditional title insurance by granting certain mortgage lenders a waiver on title insurance requirements for loans sold to Fannie, according to an announcement earlier this month.

Title 370

Title Closing costs Finance Land 370

Housing Wire

JUNE 9, 2022

Renovation financing startup RenoFi now offers a fixed-rate home renovation loan, which allows homeowners to borrow as much as 90% of their home’s after-renovation value — a move to target homeowners who don’t qualify for a home equity line of credit (HELOCs). Presented by: Auction.com.

FHA loan 370

FHA loan Renovation Equity Loans 370

Housing Wire

JULY 4, 2024

Current market challenges The real estate market is currently characterized by a complex interplay of factors: Interest Rate Volatility: Fluctuating interest rates have made it difficult for potential buyers to predict the cost of financing a home. Change is constant, and as professionals, we must adapt.

Pre-qualification 476

Pre-qualification Pre-approval Seller concession Finance 476

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 1, 2022

As mortgage rates hit 7% and above, loan officers are seeing new borrowers increasingly interested in options that can help reduce their initial mortgage payments. Temporary rate buydowns are not new, but many loan officers may not be familiar with the option. So what is a 2/1 rate buydown?

Seller concession 468

Seller concession Loan Officer Closing costs Mortgages 468

Housing Wire

MAY 17, 2024

The grant can be combined with state and local homebuyer assistance to lower the interest rate and/or reduce the closing costs and down payment. It also offers a homebuyer grant that distributes up to $7,500 in eligible areas.

Lending 480

Lending Closing Banks Closing costs 480

Housing Wire

AUGUST 5, 2022

Even if home prices experience modest declines in the coming months, many homeowners will still have adequate equity to make a HELOC an attractive alternative for their financing needs. Not only would the homeowner incur closing costs, but in most cases, the borrower would also have to stomach a higher rate on the existing mortgage balance.

Equity 448

Equity Lending Closing costs Mortgages 448