The Norris Group Blog

California Real Estate Headline Roundup

Posts Tagged ‘Countrywide Financial’

By Bruce Norris .

The Norris Group Real Estate News Roundup 1/5/12

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

Today’s News Synopsis:

In some good news for jobs, the number of unemployment claims decreased last week, while at the same time 325,000 new jobs were added in December for the private sector.  Mortgage rates start the year off at the lowest on record according to Bloomberg.  Vacancy rates for apartments are also at their lowest levels since 2001.

In The News:

Housing Wire - “Private sector adds 325,000 jobs in December” (1-5-12)

“Private sector employment grew by 325,000 jobs in December when compared to the previous month, according to the latest ADP National Employment report.”

CNN Money - “Consumer bureau: Now, it can do something” (1-5-12)

“With President Obama’s recess appointment of a new chief to run the consumer bureau, the agency can flex new powers regulating financial products from non-banks — including student loan providers, debt collectors, payday lenders, and mortgage originators and servicers.”

Wall Street Journal - “Apartment-Vacancy Rate Tumbles to 2001 Level” (1-5-12)

“The nation’s apartment-vacancy rate in the fourth quarter fell to its lowest level since late 2001 as Americans continued to favor renting homes instead of buying them.”

Housing Wire - “Jobless claims drop to 372,000 last week” (1-5-12)

“The number of Americans filing initial jobless claims declined last week, coming in lower than analysts’ estimates.  The Labor Department said the seasonally adjusted figure of actual initial claims for the week ended Dec. 31 decreased to 372,000 from 387,000 the previous week, which was revised upward 6,000.”

DS News - “Mortgage Modifications Scams Make Top Ten Scam List for 2011″ (1-5-12)

“Mortgage modification scams made the list of “Top Ten Scams of 2011,” assembled by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Wednesday.”

Inman - “Top 10 US places with a net influx of movers” (1-5-12)

“Only Washington, D.C., and nine states — primarily in the Southwest and Mid-Atlantic regions — were labeled “inbound” by receiving a net influx (over 55 percent) of Atlas moves in 2011, according to Atlas Van Lines’ 2011 annual migration patterns report, released this month. Atlas has tracked annual Atlas shipment patterns for Canada and the U.S., by state, since 1993.”

Bloomberg - “Mortgage Rates for 30-Year Fixed U.S. Loans Match the Record Low of 3.91%” (1-5-12)

“Mortgage rates (NMCMFUS) for 30-year U.S. loans declined, matching the lowest level on record amid signs that demand for housing may be recovering.”

Bloomberg - “Wells Fargo Faces Scrutiny by Investors on Mortgage Bonds” (1-5-12)

“A bondholder group that won an $8.5 billion settlement (BAC) from Bank of America Corp. (BAC) on securities backed by soured home loans may also seek payments from Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC), the nation’s biggest mortgage lenderion.”

Housing Wire – “Fannie Mae to provide loan-level data on single-family MBS” (1-5-12)

“In a push for increased transparency, Fannie Mae plans to provide loan-level data on single-family mortgage-backed securities to help investors.”

Hard Money Loan Closed

San Bernardino, California hard money loan closed by The Norris Group private lending. Real estate investor received loan for $80,000 on a 5 bedroom, 2 bathroom home appraised for $147,000.

California Real Estate Investor Events:

The Norris Group posted a new event. The Norris Group will be at the Real Estate Investor Rewind at CVREIA on January 10, 2011.

Bruce Norris will be speaking at the Apartment Owners Association-Discover Wealth Strategies for 2012 Los Angeles on January 12, 2012.

Looking Back:

Altera Real Estate forecasted an increase in interest rates for 2011. Hope Now reported mortgage lenders completed nearly 1.65 million permanent loan modifications in November 2010. President Obama signed the National Credit Union Stabilization Act.

For more information about The Norris Group’s California hard money loans or our California Trust Deed investments, visit the website or call our office at 951-780-5856 for more information. For upcoming California real estate investor training and events, visit The Norris Group website and our California investor calendar. You’ll also find our award-winning real estate radio show on KTIE 590am at 6pm on Saturdays or you can listen to over 170 podcasts in our free investor radio archive.

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The Norris Group Real Estate News Roundup 12/22/11

Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

Today’s News Synopsis:

DS News reported both 15-year and 30-year mortgage rates are at their lowest on record.  Foreclosures increased over 20% from last quarter despite mortgage delinquencies holding steady.  Bank of America just settled their recent lawsuit with the Justice Department over unfair lending practices.  Claims of unemployment are also at their lowest since April 2008.

In The News:

Housing Wire - “OCC: New foreclosures climb 21.1% in third quarter” (12-22-11)

“Mortgage delinquencies stabilized in the third quarter, though new foreclosures jumped 21.1% from last quarter according to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.”

DS News - “Mortgage Rates…How Low Can They Go?” (12-22-11)

“Mortgage interest rates continue to head south. Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the 30-year fixed-mortgage rate as well as adjustable rate products all sank to new all-time record lows this week, while the 15-year fixed rate settled in to match its historic low.”

Bloomberg - “Foreclosures May Push U.S. Housing Rebound to 2013″ (12-22-11)

“Prices for resold homes are down 31 percent since the July 2006 peak, based on the S&P/Case-Shiller Index that tracks 20 major metropolitan areas.“

CNN Money - “BofA settles unfair lending claims for $335 million” (12-22-11)

“The Justice Department announced a $335 million settlement with Bank of America Wednesday over discriminatory lending practice at Countrywide Financial.”

Housing Wire - “Jobless claims down to lowest level since April 2008″ (12-22-11)

“The number of initial jobless claims fell further last week to the lowest level in more than three years. The Labor Department said the seasonally adjusted figure of actual initial claims for the week ended Dec. 17 declined by 4,000 to 364,000 from 368,000 the previous week, which was revised upward 2,000.”

Los Angeles Times - “Key consumer confidence index up for fourth straight month” (12-22-11)

“A leading consumer confidence index rose in December, the fourth straight monthly increase, but the stalemate in Washington over extending the payroll tax cut could cut into those gains.  Consumers were much more positive about the overall economic prospects this month compared to November, according to the latest Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Survey of Consumers released Thursday.”

NAHB- “Statement from NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen on Debate to Extend and Pay for Payroll Tax Deduction” (12-22-11)

“Bob Nielsen, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Reno, Nev., today issued a statement on a congressional plan to pay for extending an expiring payroll tax cut by raising fees charged by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.”

Inman - “Zillow: US home values to drop about $681B in 2011″ (12-22-11)

“The value of overall homes nationwide has likely dropped just over $681 billion this year, according to property search and valuation site Zillow.”

Housing Wire - “Fitch: US could lose AAA rating by end of 2013″ (12-22-11)

“The United States could lose its AAA sovereign debt rating by the end of 2013 if policymakers fail to make inroads in cutting the federal deficit in the next year and a half, Fitch Ratings said Thursday.”

Hard Money Loan Closed

Norwalk, California hard money loan closed by The Norris Group private lending. Real estate investor received loan for $125,000 on a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom home appraised for $205,000.

California Real Estate Investor Events:

The Norris Group posted a new event. Bruce Norris will be speaking at the Real Estate Rewind at IRCA Los Angeles on January 3, 2012.

The Norris Group will be at the Real Estate Investor Rewind at CVREIA on January 10, 2011.

Looking Back:

According to Veros, San Diego home prices were expected to rise 3.5% in 2011.  November 2010 saw an increase in home sales since decreasing significantly in July 2010.  In other news, fewer people were applying for mortgages most likely due to higher rates.  Fannie Mae expected home prices to decline in 2011, although they expected the sale of new homes to decrease and existing sales to increase.  The Obama administration believed the recent robo-signing had resulted in a decrease in foreclosures.

For more information about The Norris Group’s California hard money loans or our California Trust Deed investments, visit the website or call our office at 951-780-5856 for more information. For upcoming California real estate investor training and events, visit The Norris Group website and our California investor calendar. You’ll also find our award-winning real estate radio show on KTIE 590am at 6pm on Saturdays or you can listen to over 170 podcasts in our free investor radio archive.

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The Norris Group Real Estate News Roundup 1/28/11

Friday, January 28th, 2011

Resources:

JPMorgan: Annual homes sales must average 5.5 million to absorb liquidations

It’s Official: 2010 is Second-lowest Year on Record for Homebuilding in California 

Ten indicted in California mortgage fraud scheme 

New-home sales increase in December 

Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey

Mortgage rates inch higher, Freddie Mac says

GOP introduces bill to eliminate HAMP

Today’s News Synopsis:

The Commerce Department said GDP growth increased 3.2% in the 4th quarter of 2010. Freddie Mac reports 30-year mortgage  rates averaged 4.8% this week. A representative of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York expects the foreclosure process to continue to weaken the economy for the rest of the year.

In The News:

NAHB - “Remodelers Expect Market Gains During 2011″ (1-28-11)

“The latest National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Remodeling Market Index (RMI) edged up to 41.5 in the fourth quarter of 2010, compared to 40.8 in the third quarter. An RMI below 50 indicates that more remodelers say market activity is lower compared to the prior quarter than report it is higher. The RMI has been running below 50 since the final quarter of 2005.”

Housing Wire – “NY Fed official sees foreclosure procees weighing down home prices, construction” (1-28-11)

“While many economists are forecasting continued recovery in 2011, one official at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York expects the foreclosure process to remain a drag on the overall economy.”

Housing Wire – “GDP growth accelerates in 4Q” (1-28-11)

“The Commerce Department said GDP growth rose an inflation-adjusted 3.2% in the final three months of 2010, up from 2.6% growth for the third quarter. Analysts surveyed by Econoday projected fourth-quarter GDP growth of 3.5% with a range of estimates between 2.9% and 5.4%. Economists polled by MarketWatch were also expecting GDP growth of 3.5% for the quarter.”

Housing Wire - “Trepp sees correlation in CMBS payoffs, what’s owed investors” (1-28-11)

“Trepp broke down the eventual fate of the $30.2 billion in CMBS loans that were due to pay off in 2010. It found ‘a tight correlation between a loan’s debt yield and the likelihood that a loan would pay off.’ Analysts found that 28% of the loans with yields of 8% or less managed to pay off. That increased to 43% of loans with debt yields between 8% and 10%, and ballooned to 75% of loans with debt yield higher than 14%.”

Bloomberg - “Mozilo Predicted U.S. Housing Collapse as Fed Overlooked Risk” (1-28-11)

“Former Countrywide Financial Corp. Chief Executive Officer Angelo Mozilo warned as early as 2004 of a possible housing-market collapse while the Federal Reserve overlooked the threat a year later, according to documents released by the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission.”

Realty Times – “Bond Yields Rise and So Do Mortgage Rates” (1-28-11)

“30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.80 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending January 27, 2011, up from last week when it averaged 4.74 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 4.98 percent.”

Realty Times - “Property Rights of Unmarried Couples” (1-28-11)

“When a married couple gets divorced, the distribution of their marital property is governed by Domestic Relations law. But, what happens if unmarried property owners call it quits?”

Looking Back:

One year ago, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell by 0.01 percent from the previous week. Research from RealtyTrac showed that California and Florida accounted for 17 of the nation’s 20 worst housing markets. The Federal Reserve declared that the U.S. economywas in recovery.

For more information about The Norris Group’s California hard money loans or our California Trust Deed investments, visit the website or call our office at 951-780-5856 for more information. For upcoming California real estate investor training and events, visit The Norris Group website and our California investor calendar. You’ll also find our award-winning real estate radio show on KTIE 590am at 6pm on Saturdays or you can listen to over 170 podcasts in our free investor radio archive.

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The Norris Group Real Estate News Roundup 1/4/11

Tuesday, January 4th, 2011

Today’s News Synopsis:

Nearly 5% of Freddie Mac’s single-family mortgages are seriously delinquent. The FOMC chose to keep the federal funds target rate between 0 to 0.25%. Office buildings added 2.5 million square feet of occupied space in the 4th quarter, according to REIS. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports jobless rates rose in 49% of all U.S. metro areas.

In The News:

Yahoo - “10 resourceful real estate tips for 2011″ (1-4-11)

“If your home has been on the market far too long, there’s a good chance you’re not facing market realities. The value of your home isn’t what the tax assessor says it is, or the sum on that two-year-old appraisal you have filed away. It’s not what a similar-size home that sold across town. It’s what a buyer is willing to pay today.”

Housing Wire – “Freddie Mac’s seven facts about the foreclosure process” (1-4-11)

“Freddie owns or guarantees 12.4 million single-family mortgages, and roughly 500,000 are seriously delinquent, roughly 10% of all serious delinquencies in the industry. However, Freddie reported $13.5 billion in homes that were already repossessed through foreclosure, adding $6.8 billion in the third quarter.”

Housing Wire – “FOMC minutes show little motivation to change QE2, ZIRP” (1-4-11)

“At its Dec. 14 meeting, the FOMC chose to keep the federal funds target rate at next to nothing – 0% to 0.25% — as it has for two full years now, and maintained plans to reinvest principal payments from its securities holdings into about $75 billion of long-term Treasury securities each month through the end of the second quarter.”

Housing Wire - “BofA pact represents 44% of total Fannie repurchase claims” (1-4-11)

“Fannie Mae said the agreement reached with Bank of America regarding repurchase requests on mortgages sold to the GSE by Countrywide Financial Corp. addresses about 44% of the $7.7 billion in repurchase claims the company had outstanding with all of its seller servicers as of Sept. 30.”

Housing Wire – “Amherst finds mortgage market underestimates looming defaults” (1-3-11)

“Mortgage-backed securities analysts at the fixed income dealer took a look at $1.3 trillion in outstanding nonagency mortgages from a year ago to see how they’re doing as of November 2010. They found that the $485 billion of nonperforming loans, those more than 60 days delinquent, dropped to $414 billion through either modification or liquidation.”

Bloomberg - “U.S. Office Market Has First Gain in Occupied Space Since 2007, Reis Says” (1-4-11)

“Office buildings added 2.5 million square feet (232,000 square meters) of occupied space in the fourth quarter, compared with a loss of 14 million square feet a year earlier, Reis said in its report. It was the first rise in net absorption since the fourth quarter of 2007.”

Bloomberg - “Wall Street Banks Preparing $4 Billion of Commercial Mortgage-Bond Sales” (1-4-11)

“Deutsche Bank and UBS are teaming up to issue as much as $2.5 billion in commercial mortgage-backed securities linked to loans on office buildings, shopping malls and hotels in what would be the largest offering of its kind since the market froze in June 2008, according to a person familiar with the deal. JPMorgan plans to sell $1.5 billion in similar debt, a person familiar with that sale said.”

Inman - “Broker launches first-time-buyer education site” (1-4-11)

“A Portland, Ore.-based real estate broker has launched a national homebuyer education website. FearlessHomebuyer.com walks first-time homebuyers through the real estate transaction process, from deciding whether or not to buy, to obtaining financing, to estimating fix-up costs.”

Inman - “Jobless rates rise in 49% of U.S. metros” (1-4-11)

“Metropolitan areas in California continue to register the highest unemployment rates in the nation, according to the latest figures released today from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Of the 13 metros with unemployment rates above 15 percent in November, 11 were in California.”

Looking Back:

One year ago, forty percent of national home sales were foreclosures or short sales. Economists and real estate experts were complaining that Obama’s $75 billion foreclosure prevention program had damaged the market. The CIRB reported that builder permits for single-family houses fell 3.5 percent. According to The Institute for Supply Management, most companies showed an increased rate of expansion in December 09.

For m ore information about The Norris Group’s California hard money loans or our California Trust Deed investments, visit the website or call our office at 951-780-5856 for more information. For upcoming California real estate investor training and events, visit The Norris Group website and our California investor calendar. You’ll also find our award-winning real estate radio show on KTIE 590am at 6pm on Saturdays or you can listen to over 170 podcasts in our free investor radio archive.

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