Mortgage News

Mortgage News Daily
Lenders Reprice for the Worse. Mortgage Rates Move Higher3/18/2010 2:40 PM

Posted To: Mortgage Rate Watch

Mortgage rates moved a few basis points lower yesterday after producer price data indicated inflation is still not a market moving concern. This data came out early in the morning which allowed lenders to improve rate sheet pricing right out of the gates. After that, mortgage backed securities prices moved sideways for most of the day before closing slightly above the price which they opened. Most lenders left rate sheets unchanged on the day, at very aggressive levels. The economic calendar was packed today. First out was consumer level inflation data, the CPI. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the Consumer Price Index at 8:30 this morning. This index measures the price change of a fixed basket of goods and services purchased by consumers, also known as inflation, the enemy of interest...(read more)

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MBS Finding Support at 101-003/18/2010 1:27 PM

Posted To: MBS Commentary

4.5's down 2 ticks on the day at 101-01 10yr tsy down 8 ticks, bringing yield up to 3.67 S&P down a point, Dow up just over 30 points. Current levels in bonds are at or slightly better than well tested support on the day With no data, and quadruple witching, tomorrow is uncertain. After moving weaker all day in trend channels, MBS and treasuries look to be finding some support at recent lows. Whether that's merely a stop to today's bleeding or a broader consolidation that will reverse course tomorrow remains unknown. What is known is that reprices for the worse have already happened and in some cases may still happen, but the market-based motivations for them are fading for the moment. If you didn't lock last night and find yourself floating right now, tomorrow is too uncertain...(read more)

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Shortening the Short Sale Timeline: Broker Price Opinions3/18/2010 11:52 AM

Posted To: Voice of Housing

Short sales have been hampered by cycle times that can easily last months. One of the critical steps to improving adoption of this loss mitigation tool is to standardize and shorten the time from initial offer to investor acceptance. Using BPOs (Broker Price Opinions) to benchmark and vet purchase offers is a critical step that can save weeks or more from the process. Rather than a buyer submitting an offer and not knowing whether it was accepted or rejected for one or two weeks, they could have a response in just a few days . Anyone who has used or seen the evolution of BPO services over the past six to 12 months understands the comprehensive and statistical data and methodologies that are used to derive a value opinion. This month, appraiser groups told Treasury Secretary Geithner that real...(read more)

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Rumors Keep Markets from Making Another Move. Rates Maintain Weakness. Reprices Possible3/18/2010 10:43 AM

Posted To: MBS Commentary

There is a fair amount of chatter in the marketplace that the Fed is planning on hiking the discount rate again. Remember the Fed bumped the discount rate on February 18, from 0.50% to 0.75%...which caused a lot of commotion in the marketplace in the day's following the announcement. If the Fed does indeed order the N.Y. desk to make this policy adjustment, it doesn't mean much fundamentally because the banking system is still super liquid/flush with excess reserves. We discussed the economics of the discount rate hike in THIS BLOG POST . Re-reading it will give you an edge when clients come calling, nervously interrogating you about how this move will affect their rate. The rumor is affecting the general sentiment of the marketplace though.... Even though the IMF is said to be standing...(read more)

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Discussing the Attributes of Successful Mortgage Operation Leadership3/18/2010 10:06 AM

Posted To: The Garrett Watts Report

My partners and I have visited many mortgage companies over the past year. We perform our FOCIS audit for warehouse lenders looking to identify hidden risks and potential “tapebombs” that may result in unexpected losses. We also perform FOCIS-plus studies for management and boards of mortgage companies who are looking for ways to increase revenues, control cost and better manage risk. Both studies require us to interview the senior management team and other middle management to uncover business practices and leadership styles. One of our key findings is how the leadership and behavior of the CEO influences a company’s management style and corporate culture. Whether it is good or bad leadership, the CEO’s style influences management from the senior level to the leads...(read more)

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ALERT: Treasury Supply Announced. Benchmark Rates Rise. MBS Prices Fall Fast3/18/2010 9:00 AM

Posted To: MBS Commentary

Treasury has announced the terms of next week's government fundraiser. As expected, supply sizes were all unchanged from the previous auctions. A total of $118 billion in TSY notes will be sold. Here is the schedule: Tuesday: $44 billion 2 year notes Wednesday: $42 billion 5 year notes Thursday: $32 billion 7 year notes Settlement is March 31 Because the majority of debt supply is concentrated in the front end of the yield curve, traders have been selling the curve---aka trading the "flattener". The yield curve can flatten one of two ways: Bear or Bull A bull flattener is when yields in the long end of the curve are falling faster than yields in the front end of the yield curve. For instance if 10yr TSY note yields are falling faster than 2yr TSY notes, then the spread between...(read more)

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Fannie Mae Cuts Home Sales Forecast. Reduces Origination Outlook Again3/18/2010 8:55 AM

Posted To: MND NewsWire

While investment in residential real estate still looks relatively strong for 2010 compared to 2009, the results in the first quarter have been less robust than expected according to Fannie Mae's Economics and Mortgage Market Analysis for March. The research piece opens with the following statement: "Severe weather was disruptive to economic activity during the first two months of the year. If economic fundamentals have not deteriorated , the weather impact will likely fully reverse at some point, and we expect most economic indicators affected adversely by the weather to rebound in the months ahead " But the monthly report was quick to call attention to those economic fundamentals, pointing toward a much more anemic response to the extension of the housing tax credit than expected...(read more)

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The Cost of Labor in the Mortgage Market; FHA Origination Down 10% in January; Wells to Modify 2nd Liens; Condo Questions3/18/2010 8:20 AM

Posted To: Pipeline Press

Whether it is a house, a bushel of wheat, or a share of stock---when a buyer and seller come together an item trades hands. A lower price will always benefit the buyer. Is that the case in the labor market, where buyers (employers) and sellers (employees) come together? Not necessarily, since the employee, given a low wage, will likely be less motivated to perform services. What will typically happen is employers will pay more than the base wage for a given task, and employees will often work for less than the maximum that employers will pay. Therefore the labor market is not quite like other markets. I mention this because the cost of labor in the mortgage business , whether it is for underwriters or loan agents, has always been a huge piece of the overhead pie for company owners. I have heard...(read more)

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Consumer Level Inflation Tame in February. Emergency Jobless Benefits Hit Record High3/18/2010 6:42 AM

Posted To: MBS Commentary

Good Morning. Inflation data has hit screens. The Consumer Price Index was UNCHANGED in February (+0.0018)...this is cooler than consensus forecasts which called for a 0.1% gain. The CORE CPI print, which strips out food and energy, rose 0.1% in February---on the screws. Year over year, the consumer price index is up 2.1%, slightly below economist expectations for a read of +2.3%. Ex-food and energy, consumer price levels were up 1.3% YoY. GASOLINE was a big contributor to weakness...don't expect that category to be so helpful next month---gas prices have been on the rise lately. Housing prices were all unchanged. Overall, another round of tame inflation data. Jobless Claims data was also released. New claims fell by 5,000 to 457,000 in the week ending March 13. This is slightly worse than...(read more)

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The Day Ahead: Data Deluge Hits Cautious Markets3/18/2010 6:19 AM

Posted To: MND NewsWire

The day ahead offers several fresh data points and a range of speakers from the Federal Reserve. Traders are being cautious as equity prices are slightly down after earlier gains in the week. 90 minutes before the opening bell, Dow futures are up 9 points to 10,663 and S&P 500 futures are flat at 1,161. Key Events Today: 7:30 ― Elizabeth Duke , a governor of the Federal Reserve, and Sheila Bair , chairman of the FDIC, speak to the American Bankers Association government relations summit in Washington. 8:30 ― Unlike the PPI from Wednesday, the Consumer Price Index should be less impacted by falling energy prices. Economists expect to see 0.1% price gains on the headline and the core index, following a 0.2% gain in the headline and a drop of 0.1% in the core. “Declining rent prices...(read more)

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Andrew Cook
Coldwell Banker Honig-Bell  
Mobile:(815) 530-7800
Fax:    (815) 634-4121
Email Andrew

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