A few years back, the Fed began purchasing mortgage-backed securities in an effort to lower interest rates on mortgages. Over time, the endeavor, known as… Read More »How the Fed Ruined Mortgage Rates Forever

Plenty of strange things happened after the latest housing boom and subsequent bust, but this is perhaps one of the most interesting byproducts. An insurance… Read More »Underwater Mortgage Insurance: Yes, It Exists Now

After much speculation and fear mongering, the FHFA finally announced this morning that the conforming loan limit for mortgages acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie… Read More »2014 Conforming Loan Limits Unchanged (Except for These 18 Counties)

Things are getting nasty in the mortgage world. Former Fannie Mae executive vice president and chief credit officer Edward Pinto slammed the FHA in an… Read More »Former Fannie Mae Executive Says the FHA Is a Predatory Lender

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has been hard at work over the past couple years changing the way Americans obtain mortgages, among other things.… Read More »Know Before You Owe Mortgage Forms Finalized

I’ve brought up the issue of housing affordability several times over the past year, and things don’t appear to be getting any better on that… Read More »Housing Affordability Chalks Biggest Drop Since Second Quarter of 2004

Back in early 2010, the Hardest Hit Fund (HHF) was established by the Treasury to help certain hard-hit states deal with heightened unemployment and foreclosure… Read More »Keep Your Home California Now Considers LTV of 140% or Higher a Financial Hardship

If you were shopping for a mortgage and a bank offered you an extra low rate on a 1-year adjustable-rate mortgage, you’d probably scoff at… Read More »The 1-Year ARM Is Hugely Popular with the Rich Right Now

If you think this year has been slow in mortgage land, don’t ask what next year has in store. A new forecast released by the… Read More »MBA Forecasts $1.2 Trillion in Mortgage Volume in 2014, Down 32% from 2013