Today’s Bloomberg BusinessWeek article reported that, for the fifth consecutive week, the number of mortgage applications increased. This streak could be attributed to more people refinancing their loans as mortgage rates hit record lows.
The Mortgage Bankers Association’s index was up 2.7% in the week ending August 27, according to the Bloomberg BusinessWeek article. Refinancing increased …
Continue reading Mortgage Applications Index Increases for Fifth Straight Week
Zimonet.com posted two articles over the past two days on how more homeowners are switching to a 15-year mortgage as a way to pay off their house and get out of debt more quickly. The articles also point out that, although it is an attractive option, it isn’t for everyone.
According to information from CoreLogic, a …
Continue reading 15-Year Mortgage Becoming Attractive to More Homeowners
With mortgage rates at record lows, some homeowners are still not taking advantage of them, but through no fault of their own. Today’s CNNMoney article reports how the new lending requirements are turning away borrowers who, under the old lending rules, would have been eligible for a loan.
Last week, mortgage rates fell for the eighth …
Continue reading Some Homeowners Unable to Take Advantage of Record-Low Interest Rates
Despite mortgage rates falling to their lowest levels in decades, applications for home loans remained stagnant, the Associated Press reported today.
The Mortgage Bankers Association says that overall applications rose 0.6% from the previous week, according to the AP. Applications for refinancing and home purchases increased by seasonally adjusted rates of 0.6% and 0.3%, respectively. The …
Continue reading Record-Low Interest Rates Do Nothing for Mortgage Applications
Mortgage rates are at record lows, the Wall Street Journal reported today. Interest on 30-year fixed loans fell from 4.54% last week to 4.49% this week. This week’s 15-year mortgage rate is 3.95%, down from 4% last week. Five-year adjustable-rate mortgages are at a new low of 3.63%, compared to 3.76% a week ago. One-year …
Continue reading Affordable Financial Services Weekly Finance Review
Remember the old commercials urging people to turn their home equity into cash for new cars, vacations and other luxuries? Well, people are still cashing out, but for a different reason: to decrease the size of their home loan.
MarketWatch reported today that “cash-in refinancing” is the new trend in which borrowers tap their home equity …
Continue reading Homeowners Use Cash-in Refinancing to Pay Down Mortgages
The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that the number of mortgage applications to buy a home fell again to its lowest level in 13-1/2 years. The Mortgage Bankers Association released data showing that applications for new homes dropped by 3.1% last week from the week before.
After seeing a 14-month high two weeks ago, the …
Continue reading Mortgage Applications Fall Again
The Associated Press reported today that there was an increase in the number of applications for home loans last week as people sought to take advantage of the ever-decreasing interest rates. But the people jumping on the low-interest rate bandwagon aren’t those looking to buy a home; it’s those who already own a home.
Data from …
Continue reading Mortgage Applications Rise, But — Still — No Buyers
The Washington Post reported today that 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell to 4.69% this week, down from 4.75% last week. According to Freddie Mac, this is the lowest rate since the government-owned lender tracked such data in 1971. This news should encourage more people to buy a home, but, in reality, the opposite is happening.
Citing the …
Continue reading Can Record-Low Mortgage Rates Propel Home Sales?
Recent government data showed that sales of new homes rose by 26.9% in March, breaking a four-month slump that was the result of both the sagging economy and the brutal snowstorms that blanketed much of the country.
According to the data, 411,000 new homes were purchased in the month of March, up from February’s dismal figure …
Continue reading New Home Sales Bounce Back in March
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