The Truth About Mortgage Blog
Welcome to a warm, friendly, and most importantly unbiased place to learn about mortgages, ideally before you make contact with a real estate agent or lender. The more you know, the better you’ll feel, and hopefully all that hard work will help you snag a lower mortgage rate too! View all mortgage help topics to get started or check out the latest mortgage tips and news below.
Latest Posts
Mortgage Forbearance Rate Hits 7%, Fannie/Freddie May Offer Partial Claim to Repay
Here we go again – the latest Forbearance and Call Volume Survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) revealed that the total number of loans in forbearance increased from 5.95% to 6.99% as of April 19th, 2020. That means roughly ... Read More »
12 Reasons Today’s Housing Market Is Not the Great Recession All Over Again
While it’s becoming easier to compare the housing bust that sparked the Great Recession with today’s uncertain climate, the two just aren’t the same. You’re probably going to see lots of articles warning of the next housing crash, claiming homeowners ... Read More »
FHFA Says No Lump Sum Due Once Mortgage Forbearance Ends
It’s Monday and I’ve got some good news for homeowners regarding mortgage forbearance. This morning, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced, or rather reiterated, that homeowners currently in forbearance with a Fannie Mae- or Freddie Mac-backed mortgage are not ... Read More »
Quicken Loans Officially the Biggest Mortgage Lender in the Country
Back in early 2018, Quicken Loans proclaimed it was the largest mortgage lender in the country, thanks to a solid fourth quarter in 2017. It managed to originate $25 billion in home loans, beating out its long-time rival Wells Fargo ... Read More »
It’s Going to Be Harder to Get a Mortgage Thanks to COVID-19
While the first quarter was booming for many mortgage lenders (see Quicken’s record month), the second quarter and beyond might be a different story as COVID-19 becomes a harsher reality. Over just the past five weeks, some 26.4 million Americans ... Read More »
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Agree to Buy Mortgages in Forbearance
While the CARES Act has allowed millions of homeowners nationwide to put their mortgage payments on hold, doing so has left lots of questions for mortgage lenders. One being how they’d continue to pay investors while the loans they service ... Read More »
Nearly 6% of Mortgages in Forbearance as FHFA Provides Relief to Loan Servicers
With each week that goes by, the mortgage forbearance rate climbs to new highs thanks to the coronavirus (COVID-19). The more or less complete shutdown of the world economy has led to skyrocketing unemployment and the inability for many to ... Read More »
Introducing the Livestream Open House
Necessity is the mother of innovation, and with that comes the so-called “Livestream Open House,” which has just been launched by Realtor.com in the face of COVID-19. To combat the ill effects of the coronavirus on the housing market, companies ... Read More »
Nearly 3 Million Homeowners Already Receiving Mortgage Forbearance
We’re now getting more information on just how many Americans might be receiving mortgage relief due to the crippling effects of coronavirus. It’s only been a couple weeks since mortgage forbearance programs were officially launched, including the relief that’s part ... Read More »
Could a Cash Out Refinance Be a Better Solution Than Mortgage Forbearance?
The current solution for those struggling to make mortgage payments due to COVID-19 is mortgage forbearance. It allows homeowners to “pause” mortgage payments for anywhere from six to 12 months while their income is reduced or completely nonexistent. Once it ... Read More »
