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The Norris Group Real Estate News Roundup 9/1/10

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

Today’s News Synopsis:

The MBA’s weekly survey shows mortgage applications increased 2.7% this week. SB1275, the foreclosure/modification bill, was rejected by congress in a 36-30 vote. Fannie Mae’s new rule regarding appraisal cutting takes effect today. Construction spending decreased 1 percent in July, according to the Commerce Department.

In The News:

Mortgage Bankers Association – “Mortgage Applications Increase as Rates Hit New Low in MBA Weekly Survey” (9-1-10)

“The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending August 27, 2010.  The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 2.7 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier.  On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 2.3 percent compared with the previous week.”

Reuters - “Loan picture improves but troubles remain: FDIC” (9-1-10)

“The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp revealed some encouraging figures about the bank industry, saying the sector earned $21.6 billion during the quarter largely due to banks putting away less money to cover expected loan losses. During the first quarter, the industry earned $17.8 billion.”

San Francisco Chronicle – “Assembly rejects foreclosure/modification bill” (9-1-10)

“SB1275, which was rejected 36-30 late Monday, would have required lenders to provide homeowners with a fully considered loan modification decision prior to foreclosing. Unlike federal initiatives, it would have given homeowners the right to sue the lender if that process did not occur.”

Housing Wire – “Fannie’s appraisal cutting ban takes effect” (9-1-10)

“Fannie Mae’s new policy to reduce appraisal cutting takes effect today. If a lender is trying to sell the GSE a loan, they are now prohibited from changing the market value of a home on the request form. Fannie Mae said Tuesday if a loan servicer does not properly handle a troubled mortgage loan in a timely manner, it will demand compensation from the servicer for the mortgage.”

Housing Wire – “Fed buys $900 million of Treasury debt” (9-1-10)

“Dealers offered to sell the Fed $25.79 billion in debt. The three slices of debt purchased by the Fed include $131 million maturing Nov. 15, 2012; $345 million maturing Dec. 15, 2012; and $424 million maturing Jan. 31, 2013. At its meeting from earlier this month, the Federal Open Markets Committee directed the New York Fed to maintain the total face value of domestic securities held in the system open market account at about $2 trillion.”

Housing Wire – “DebtX July CRE loan value up to 79.4%” (9-1-10)

“The value of commercial loans priced by The Debt Exchange in July that collateralize commercial mortgage-backed securities rose to 79.4% of the original balance. DebtX said the value is up from 77.4% in June, marking the fourth-straight month of increases, and is higher than the 71.1% for the year-ago July. The values are based on loans priced by DebtX. In July, the company priced 57,801 CRE loans with an aggregate principle balance of $679.5 billion that collateralize 623 CMBS trusts.”

Bloomberg - “Construction Spending in U.S. Declined Twice as Much as Forecast in July” (9-1-10)

“The 1 percent drop brought spending to $805.2 billion, the lowest level in a decade, after a revised 0.8 percent drop in June that wiped out a previously estimated gain, Commerce Department figures showed today in Washington. Spending on federal government projects fell by the most in a year.”

Bloomberg - “Real Estate Premium Near Record to U.S. Bonds Signals Time to Buy Property” (9-1-10)

“Capitalization rates, a measure of real estate yields, averaged 7.22 percent in the second quarter, based on an index calculated by the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries. That was 429 basis points, or 4.29 percentage points, higher than the yield on 10-year government bonds as of June 30, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It’s about 475 basis points higher than Treasury yields as of yesterday.”

Looking Back:

One year ago, the NAR reported that pending home sales increased 3.2 percent in one month. The average price of homes bought with mortgages funded by Freddie Mac increased 1.7% during the 2nd quarter of 2009. A wildfire north of Los Angeles threatened more than 12,000 homes and forced the evacuation of more than 4,300 people.

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The Norris Group Real Estate News Roundup 8/26/10

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

 

 

Today’s News Synopsis:

The MBA’s second quarter survey shows the delinquency rate for mortgage loans on residential properties dropped to 9.85 percent. Freddie Mac reports that interest rates have dropped AGAIN to 4.36%. According to CoreLogic, 23 percent of residential homes with mortgages were in negative equity at the end of the 2nd quarter. Barclays Capital claims existing home sales decreased 30% last month.

In The News:

NAR - “Commercial Real Estate Remains Soft but Favors Business Expansion” (8-26-10)

“The SIOR index, measuring 10 variables, rose 2.8 percentage points to 41.0 in the second quarter, but remains well below a level of 100 that represents a balanced marketplace.  This is the third consecutive quarterly improvement after nearly three years of decline; the last time the commercial market was in equilibrium at the 100 level was in the third quarter of 2007.”

MBA - “Delinquencies and Foreclosure Starts Decrease in Latest MBA National Delinquency Survey” (8-26-10)

“The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties dropped to a seasonally adjusted rate of 9.85 percent of all loans outstanding as of the end of the second quarter of 2010, a decrease of 21 basis points from the first quarter of 2010, and an increase of 61 basis points from one year ago, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) National Delinquency Survey. The non-seasonally adjusted delinquency rate increased two basis points to 9.40 percent this quarter from 9.38 percent last quarter.”

Los Angeles Times – “Home loan rates drop yet again to record low” (8-26-10)

“Freddie Mac said rates for both 30-year and 15-year fixed mortgages dropped for the ninth time in the past 10 weeks. The mortgage giant’s weekly survey said the average rate that lenders were offering on the 30-year loan was 4.36% during the week that ended Thursday, down from 4.42% a week earlier and 5.14% a year ago. Borrowers would have paid 0.7% of the loan amount in upfront lender fees.”

Housing Wire – “Ranks of Underwater Borrowers Decline, Thanks to Foreclosure” (8-26-10)

“The number of Americans that owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth declined during the second quarter of 2010, but not because home prices have improved. Instead, according to a new report, increased foreclosures have helped flush underwater borrowers out of the nation’s housing markets. According to a report from information services provider CoreLogic (CLGX: 17.77 +0.28%) released Thursday morning, 11 million — or 23% — of all residential properties with mortgages were in a negative equity position at the end of the second quarter.”

Housing Wire – “Amherst Sees HARP Failing Over Fees” (8-26-10)

“The Home Affordable Refinance Program, which started early last year, was supposed to ’solve the key inhibitor to many borrowers refinancing in our current housing market – negative equity,’ the research firm’s MBS strategy group said in its most-recent mortgage insight report. However, high levels of due diligence and onerous fees for borrowers mean that those who should get the refi, likely won’t.”

Housing Wire – “Fed Buys $1.41bn of Treasuries” (8-26-10)

“The Federal Reserve purchased $1.41 billion of Treasury debt Thursday, including $1.14 billion of notes maturing in November 2021.”

Housing Wire – “Freddie Mac Mortgage Purchases and Issuances Fall in July, 2010 Total Pushes $207bn” (8-26-10)

“Mortgage purchases and issuance at government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) Freddie Mac fell to nearly $28.4bn, from $30.9bn in June — bringing the year-to-date totally to $207.4bn so far in 2010. Refinance-loan purchase and guarantee volume at Freddie fell to $18.1bn in July, from $19.1bn in June, according to the firm’s monthly volume summary (download here). The aggregate unpaid principal balance of the GSE’s mortgage-related investments decreased by $13.6bn.”

Housing Wire – “Barclays Capital Expects Home Prices to Dip Another 7%” (8-26-10)

“Existing home sales plummeted 30% in July after the homebuyer tax credit brought forward 300,000 to 600,000 of housing demand, assuming 4 million homes sell annually, according to research today from Barclays Capital.”

Housing Wire – “Weekly Initial Jobless Claims Down 6.1% to 473,000″ (8-26-10)

“The Labor Department said Thursday that seasonally-adjusted initial claims slid to 473,000 last week, down from an upwardly revised 504,000 for the previous week. Briefing.com consensus had expected claims to drop to 485,000.”

Looking Back:

One year ago, the NAR reported nearly one-third of all existing homes sales were either short sales or foreclosures. Home sales in July 2009 increased by 30 percent from January 2009. Office space availability increased in the second quarter of 2009 in Orange County.

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 event 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 8/24/10

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

Today’s News Synopsis:

Existing home sales experienced a dramatic decrease of 27.2 percent in July, according to the NAR. Housing production decreased by 10 percent in June. The CAR reports California home sales decreased 20.8 percent in July. Statistics from the California Employment Development Department show that 7,100 jobs were lost from July 2009.

In The News:

NAR - “July Existing-Home Sales Fall as Expected but Prices Rise” (8-24-10)

“Existing-home sales1, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, dropped 27.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.83 million units in July from a downwardly revised 5.26 million in June, and are 25.5 percent below the 5.14 million-unit level in July 2009.”

CBIA - “California Housing Production Increases in July, CBIA Announces” (8-24-10)

“According to statistics compiled by the Construction Industry Research Board (CIRB), permits were pulled for 4,165 total housing units in July, up 35 percent from the same month a year ago but down 10 percent from June. Permits for single-family homes totaled 1,951, down 9 percent from July 2009 and down 31 percent from the previous month, while multifamily permits totaled 2,214, up 134 percent from a year ago and up 25 percent from May.”

Mortgage Bankers Association – “Wells Fargo Tops U.S. Commercial/Multifamily Servicers in MBA Mid-Year Rankings Report” (8-24-10)

“The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its mid-year ranking of commercial and multifamily mortgage servicers as of the end of June 30, 2010. Topping the list of firms is Wells Fargo with $462.8 billion in U.S. master and primary servicing, followed by PNC Real Estate/Midland Loan Services with $307.9 billion, Berkadia Commercial Mortgage with $202.6 billion, Bank of America Merrill Lynch with $133.4 billion and KeyBank Real Estate Capital with $124.7 billion.”

CAR - “July sales and price report” (8-24-10)

“California home sales decreased 20.8 percent in July compared with the same period a year ago, while the median price of an existing home rose 10.4 percent from July 2009, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) reported today.”

Housing Wire – “Disappointing Homes Sales Unlikely to Reverse Course” (8-24-10)

“Predictions that home prices may drop into double digits continue to drag down sales. Bill Gross, managing director of the world’s biggest bond fund, PIMCO remarked that the idea of a rebound anytime soon is ‘ludicrous.’ In a meeting at the US Treasury last week, Gross called for combining the government-sponsored entities into one entity that insures the majority of current and future originations.”

Housing Wire – “60% of Delinquent Mortgages Not in Loss Mitigation” (8-24-10)

“According to a study from the State Foreclosure Prevention Working Group (SFPWG), 60% of borrowers with mortgages delinquent by 60 days or more are not being forwarded to the servicer’s loss mitigation department.”

Bloomberg - “Purchases of Existing Homes in U.S. Probably Slumped in July” (8-24-10)

“Sales of U.S. previously owned homes probably plunged in July to the lowest level since March 2009, evidence the market is restrained by foreclosures and limited job growth, economists said before a report today. Purchases dropped 13.4 percent from June to a 4.65 million annual rate, according to the median of 73 forecasts in a Bloomberg News survey. A decline would be the third in a row.”

Orange County Register – “Corona del Mar is O.C.’s ‘coldest’ market” (8-24-10)

“The pricier the town, the harder it is to sell a home there right now, the latest O.C. home inventory report from Steve Thomas at Altera Real Estate shows. Corona del Mar, for example, was Orange County’s ‘coldest’ market in the past 30 days. In theory, it would take 11 1/2 months to sell all the homes on the market there at the current sales pace, the highest ‘market time’ for any O.C. community in the 30 days ending on Aug. 19. Other ‘cold’ markets likewise tend to be home to some of O.C.’s most expensive housing.”

Orange County Register – “Real estate, building jobs down 5% in July” (8-24-10)

“Indeed, construction suffered the largest year-over-year decline among every employment category, the state Employment Development Department reported. Construction jobs fell by 7,100 positions from July 2009, down nearly 10%. Construction jobs totaled 65,700 in July, state figures show.”

Orange County Register – “Broker: No tsunami of repo’d homes to hit market” (8-24-10)

“This shadow inventory has to be worked through, but is not going to occur as a tsunami of distressed properties to hit the market all at once. Instead, we are going to witness slow increases and drops over the next few years. This slow absorption will not pull down values like it did at the beginning of this downturn and it will keep a lid on any substantial appreciation. Once employment improves, the pathway to an eventual healthy and stable recovery will occur.”

Looking Back:

One year ago, 45,079 new and resale houses and condos were sold statewide in one month. Home sales in the Bay Area hit a 4 year high. The Federal Reserve accepted $2.3 billion in investor requests for financing to purchase legacy commercial mortgage-backed securities.

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 event 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 8/13/10

Friday, August 13th, 2010

 

 

Video Blog Sources:

ABC News – “Housing Summit May Yield Fannie and Freddie Clues” (8-12-10) To air on  Treasury website Tuesday.

Sacramento Bee –  “Californias’ Income Falls For First Time Since WWII” (8-11-10)

Los Angeles Times – “Fed to resume buying Treasury bonds” (8-11-10)

Foreclosure Radar Report – www.foreclosureradar.com

Inman – “FHA premium changes pushed to Oct. 4″ (8-12-10) 

Today’s News Synopsis:

Equity from the boom has now disappeared and many homeowners are deciding not to pay what they owe. Builders are shrinking the size of new projects as fewer consumers want McMansions. Moody’s sees increasing weakness in the commercial market and the U.S. government appears not to be sure how to move forward to avoid the much talked about double dip recession.

In The News:

New York Times - “Debts Rise, and Go Unpaid, as Bust Erodes Home Equity” (8-11-10)

“During the great housing boom, homeowners nationwide borrowed a trillion dollars from banks, using the soaring value of their houses as security. Now the money has been spent and struggling borrowers are unable or unwilling to pay it back.”

RisMedia - “Builders Shrink Homes to Fit Buyers’ Newly Modest Tastes” (8-13-10)

“I do believe the younger generation isn’t looking to build mansions anymore,” Palazzolo said. “They are looking at simpler lives. They aren’t looking for the same houses that the baby boomers were.”

AP - “Homes lost to foreclosure up 6 pct from last year” (8-12-10)

“The number of U.S. homes lost to foreclosure surged in July, another sign lenders are moving quicker to take back properties from homeowners behind in payments. Lenders repossessed 92,858 properties last month, up 9 percent from June and an increase of 6 percent from July 2009, foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday.”

Market Watch - “Monetary policy in a time of deleveraging” (8-11-10)

“The U.S. economy is on the edge of the cliff, threatening to plunge back into ruinous recession, but the worst part is that Washington won’t do anything to stop it. ”

Bloomberg - “Related News:Opinion · Insurance · Retail .U.S. Is Bankrupt and We Don’t Even Know It: Laurence Kotlikoff” (8-10-10)

“Let’s get real. The U.S. is bankrupt. Neither spending more nor taxing less will help the country pay its bills.”

Housing Wire – “Fifth Third Converts 70% of HAMP Trials to Permanent Status” (8-13-10)

“Fifth Third Mortgage Co., the mortgage unit of Fifth Third Bancorp, so far converted 70% of its trial Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) plans into permanent modifications.”

Housing Wire – “Moody’s Sees CMBS Delinquency Poised to Rise 9%-11% in 12 Months” (8-13-10)

“Moody’s Investors Service expects the share of commercial mortgage-backed securities loans that are delinquent or in special servicing to continue to rise over the next year. Analysts expect delinquencies to increase by 9% to 11% during the next 12 months with loans in special servicing climbing to about 20%, which would be up from the current 11.3% and 5% a year ago.”

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 7/26/10

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Today’s News Synopsis:

The Commerce Department new home sales increased 23.6% last month. Statistics from LPS show show 9.39% of all loans were delinquent by more than 30 days. The national vacancy rate on multifamily properties  decreased to 7.8%, according to BarCap. A survey from Campbell Survey suggests that home prices will continue to fall.

In The News:

CNN - “New home sales rebound 24%” (7-26-10)

“New home sales increased 23.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 330,000 last month, up from an downwardly revised 267,000 in May, the Commerce Department reported Monday. Sales year-over-year fell 16.7%.”

CBIA - “Housing Starts Rise Again in June, CBIA Announces” (7-26-10)

“According to statistics compiled by the Construction Industry Research Board (CIRB), permits were pulled for 4,238 total housing units in June, up 19 percent from the same month a year ago and up 34 percent from May. It was the largest monthly total since December of 2008 when 4,658 total permits had been issued. Permits for single-family homes totaled 2,628, down 9 percent from June 2009 but up 33 percent from the previous month, while multifamily permits totaled 1,610, up 140 percent from a year ago and up 35 percent from May.”

Wall Street Journal – “Mortgage Delinquencies Fall in June, Still Near Record Highs” (7-26-10)

“Some 9.39% of all loans were 30 days or more past due, down from 9.54% in May, according to LPS Applied Analytics, which tracks loan data. An additional 3.69% of mortgages were in some stage of foreclosure, down from 3.72% in May and the record high of 3.81% in March.”

Housing Wire – “Multifamily Rental Demand Catching up to Supply: BarCap” (7-26-10)

“The multifamily net absorption rate, or the amount of space leased after deducting the amount of supply, increased by more than 46,000 units in Q210, the highest increase in 10 years, according to BarCap. The national vacancy rate on multifamily properties also decreased to 7.8% from 8% over the same time”

Housing Wire – “As FHA Mortgage Volume Increases From 2009, Serious Delinquencies Spike” (7-26-10)

“The rate of seriously delinquent mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) declined slightly from May to June, but the gross number of mortgages that are either 90 or more days past due or in foreclosure increased 35% year-over-year. According to the FHA June single-family operations report, the total volume of mortgage in-force increased more than 24% to 6.4m in June compared to the same month one year ago. The total value of unpaid FHA mortgages was $865.5bn in June, up 30.3% from $663.8bn one year ago and up 3.3% from $837.8bn in May.”

Housing Wire - “The New Math Surrounding HAMP Doesn’t Add Up” (7-26-10)

“There is no other way to say this: we’re being lied to. Willfully. Anyone who managed to read headlines around the U.S. Treasury’s latest HAMP report card last week would likely have thought the program a huge success –- with more than one media outlet trumpeting impossibly miniscule re-default rates among permanent HAMP mods. At HW, we chose not to run with the HAMP redefault numbers except to note that Treasury officials had added them into the latest report card. And this choice was made with purpose: we knew these numbers were fake. Nobody gets a 1.7% redefault rate 6 months after modification –- not even Uncle Sam”

Housing Wire – “Campbell Survey: Housing Prices Drop in June and Will Continue to Fall” (7-26-10)

“A 32% plummet in new home sales in May correlates with a drop in overall homebuyer activity, although updated data out today from the Census Bureau shows a nearly 24% surge in new home sales in June.”

Housing Wire – “Monday Morning Cup of Coffee” (7-26-10)

“The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) took receivership of seven banks last week with a combined cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) of $468.2m. It brings the total closings in 2010 to 103 banks. At this time last year, there were 64 closings. Bank failures in 2009 took until October to pass 100.”

Housing Wire – “MIT-Harvard Study: Foreclosure drops house value by 27%” (7-26-10)

“A foreclosure reduces the value of a house by 27%, on average, and accounts for a much steeper price drop than other forced sales, according to a study by an Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) economist and two Harvard University researchers. In comparison, when a house is sold after the death of an owner, the price drops 5% to 7% on average. When an owner declares bankruptcy, the value sinks 3%, according to the report.”

Bloomberg - “U.S. Small-Business Aid May Create $300 Billion of `Junk’ Loans” (7-26-10)

“The U.S. Senate may vote this week on a bill to funnel $30 billion of capital to community banks, whose business customers typically are small firms. Banks could leverage the sum to make $300 billion in loans that create jobs, according to a Senate summary. That could more than double the commercial and industrial loans at eligible banks as of the first quarter, according to data compiled by KBW Inc.”

Orange County Register – “Owners rush to sell O.C. homes” (7-26-10)

“Orange County housing inventory grew by the largest amount so far this year, adding an additional 418 homes in the past two weeks and now totals 11,235. The market has not breached the 11,000 mark since the beginning of April 2009. Last year at this time the inventory was at 8,895 homes, 2,340 fewer than today. The inventory has not stopped growing at all this year as more and more pent up homeowners have opted to place their homes on the market at unrealistic levels.”

Orange County Register – “O.C. distressed homes up 35%” (7-26-10)

“Last year at this time, there were 2,616 distressed homes on the market, 841 fewer than today. The number of foreclosures within the active listing inventory increased by 35 homes in the past two weeks from 578 to 613 … Short sales, where a homeowner attempts to sell a home for less than the total outstanding loans against a home, requiring lender approval, increased by 115 homes over the past two weeks and now total 2,844.”

Looking Back:

One year ago, the quarterly homeownership rate was 67.3 percent. The average rate on 30-year fixed mortgages was 5.2 percent. The state Senate approved a budget package that was believed to be capable of closing the state’s $26.3 billion deficit.

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The Norris Group Real Estate News Roundup 6/15/10

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

Today’s News Synopsis:

MDA DataQuick reports A total of 22,270 new and resale houses and condos closed escrow in Southern California last month. According to the NAHB, builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family decreased this month. Having a home with a view is on the top 10 list of preferences for 44.5 percent of men. Morgan Stanley’s research has lead the company to conclude that low mortgage rates will prevent a double dip in prices.

In The News:

DQNews - “Southland median sale price back over $300K; sales at 4-year high” (6-15-10)

“A total of 22,270 new and resale houses and condos closed escrow in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Ventura, San Bernardino and Orange counties last month. That was up 9.7 percent from 20,299 in April, and up 7.2 percent from 20,775 in May 2009, according to MDA DataQuick of San Diego.”

NAHB - “Builder Confidence Declines in June” (6-15-10)

“Snapping a string of two consecutive monthly gains, builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes fell back to February levels, before the beginning of the home buyer tax credit-related surge, according to results of the latest National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), released today. The HMI dropped five points to 17 in June.”

Los Angeles Times – “California’s economy to see sluggish recovery this year, UCLA economists say” (6-15-10)

“California stands to gain some jobs this year but recovery will be sluggish, and the state’s inland areas will bear the brunt of the continuing economic pain, according to a forecast scheduled to be released Tuesday by UCLA’s Anderson School of Business.”

Inman - “Top 10 sought-after home features” (6-15-10)

“Men and women’s top 10 preferences were largely the same with two exceptions: having a view made it onto the men’s list (and not the women’s list), with 44.5 percent of men saying it was a high priority; and wood floors made it onto the women’s list (and not the men’s), with 40.9 percent of women ranking them highly.”

Housing Wire – “Low Mortgage Rates Help Block Double-Dip Threat: Morgan Stanley” (6-15-10)

“The US economics team at financial firm Morgan Stanley (MS: 25.96 +2.49%) says in their latest research report that recent gains in the nation’s economy point to a remote chance of a so-called double dip — where recent upticks in economic activity are only temporary — citing low mortgage rates as a key driver in drawing this conclusion.”

Housing Wire – “Shadow Inventory to Take 3 Years to Clear: Standard & Poor’s” (6-15-10)

“The shadow inventory of distressed properties that back residential mortgage-backed securities will take nearly three years to clear at the current sales rate, according to the credit rating agency, Standard & Poor’s (S&P). S&P puts the total principal balance of the shadow inventory at $480bn or 30% of the entire non-agency market.”

Housing Wire – “BofA Permanent HAMP Modifications Passes 70,000 in May” (6-15-10)

“Bank of America (BAC: 15.76 +2.27%) pushed its total number of permanent modifications under the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) to roughly 70,000 in May, up from 56,400 in April.”

Housing Wire – “MGIC Writes $800m in Monthly Mortgage Insurance, Denies Hundreds of Claims” (6-15-10)

“Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corp. (MGIC), the principal subsidiary of MGIC Investment Corp. (MTG: 9.12 +8.19%), wrote $800m of primary new mortgage insurance in May, according to monthly operations data. The company denied or rescinded — or canceled the policy relating to — almost 1,000 mortgage insurance claims in the month, helping to further reduce the number of delinquencies on its books, according to a press release.”

Housing Wire – “More Funds Repaid to TARP than Outstanding in May: Treasury” (6-15-10)

“Treasury noted in the April update on TARP that it expects to spend less than $550bn of the $700bn authorized for the program, and expects to recover all but $117bn — an estimate that was subsequently revised to $105.4bn. Of $384bn in total TARP disbursements, more than half — or $194bn — was repaid through May, leaving only $190bn outstanding. The sale of 1.5bn shares of Citigroup (C: 3.975 +2.45%) pushed the repayments past outstandings for the first time in TARP’s history.”

Housing Wire – “In These Thin Times, House Sizes Also Begin to Shrink” (6-15-10)

“In 2007, the average single-family home in the United States peaked at 2,521 square feet. That number did not vary greatly into 2008. However, according to a 2009 report from the Census Bureau, it’s now at an average of 2,438 square feet.”

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 5/18/10

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

Today’s News Synopsis:

According to the U.S. Labor Department, construction firms added 14,000 jobs in April. MDA Dataquick reports sales of new and resale homes totaled 20,299 in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Ventura, San Bernardino and Orange counties last month. Data from the MBA shows that in the first quarter of 2010 commercial and multifamily mortgage loan originations were 12 percent higher than during the same period last year. The FHA will reduce allowable seller concessions from 6 percent to 3 percent.

In The News:

California Builder – “Overall Construction Employment Picture Brightens” (5-18-10)

“Employment numbers in the construction industry continued to show signs of improvement in April, according to figures released earlier this month by the U.S. Labor Department. Construction firms added 14,000 jobs in April, giving the industry a gain of 40,000 jobs since February. Those positive numbers ended a string of nearly three years of employment decreases, thanks in part to jobs created by stimulus-created projects.”

DQNews - “Southern California home sales dip, median price rises from ’09″ (5-18-10)

“Sales of new and resale homes totaled 20,299 in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Ventura, San Bernardino and Orange counties last month. That was down 0.9 percent from 20,476 in March, and down 1.0 percent from 20,514 for April 2009, according to MDA DataQuick of San Diego.”

Mortgage Bankers Association – “MBA Study: First Quarter 2010 Commercial/Multifamily Mortgage Originations Increase from Year Earlier, Though Levels Remain Low” (5-18-10)

“First quarter 2010 commercial and multifamily mortgage loan originations were 12 percent higher than during the same period last year and 26 percent lower than during the fourth quarter of 2009, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Quarterly Survey of Commercial/Multifamily Mortgage Bankers Originations.”

Los Angeles Times – “Economic recovery will be rapid, San Francisco Fed researchers say” (5-18-10)

“Defying some analysts’ predictions of a slow and subpar U.S. recovery, researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco are predicting a rapid economic rebound. Citing growth in both consumer and business spending, economists Justin Weidner and John C. Williams said recovery “is likely to be faster than from the two previous recessions” in a report released Monday.”

The Press Enterprise – “Loan-modification dropouts rise” (5-18-10)

“The Treasury Department’s report Monday was the latest evidence of problems in the administration’s $75 billion program. While officials insist the program is helping the housing market turn around, critics say it is merely delaying an inevitable surge in foreclosures. More than 299,000 homeowners had received permanent loan modifications as of last month, Treasury said. That’s about 25 percent of the 1.2 million who started the program since its March 2009 launch. They are paying, on average, $516 less each month.”

Housing Wire – “FHA Set to Reduce Closing Cost Assistance This Summer” (5-18-10)

“The FHA will reduce allowable seller concessions — the percentage sellers can take from the sales price of a home to fund closing costs — from 6% to 3%. According to an announcement in January, the current level of 6% exposes the FHA to excess risk by creating incentives for appraisers to increase the value of these homes. The change will take place in ‘early summer,’ according to the FHA, but a spokesperson said no specific date has been set.”

Housing Wire – “Ocwen, HomeEq Hold Highest HAMP Conversion Percentage in April” (5-18-10)

“The Treasury Department launched HAMP in March 2009 to provide incentives to servicers for the modification of loans on the verge of foreclosure. Through April 2010, the servicers have provided nearly 300,000 permanent modifications and started 1.2m three-month trials. Borrowers must make three monthly payments during the trial period before receiving the permanent modification. Servicers give a median price reduction of 36%, saving more than $500 a month.”

Housing Wire – “Housing Starts Up, But Permits Drop in Signal of Future Housing Decline” (5-18-10)

“According to the joint release, privately owned housing starts in April were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 672,000. That’s up from the upwardly revised March estimate of 635,000 and is 40.9% above the revised April 2009 rate of 477,000. Housing starts for the single-family sector were at a rate of 593,000 in April, up 10.2% above the upwardly revised March estimate of 538,000. The April rate for buildings with five or more units was 68,000, down 23.6% from March’s upwardly revised estimate of 89,000.”

Housing Wire – “Canceled HAMP Trials Jump 80% in April” (5-18-10)

“As of the end of April 2010, servicers participating in the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) had canceled 277,640 three-month trials since the program launched in March 2009, according to the Treasury Department. It’s an 80% increase from the 155,173 total in the previous month. Participating servicers have converted almost 300,000 trial modifications into permanent status since the Treasury launched HAMP in March 2009. Borrowers must make three monthly payments and submit all documentation during the trial period to receive a permanent modification.”

Bloomberg - “Feldstein Says Falling Permits May Signal U.S. Housing Slump” (5-18-10)

“A decline in U.S. homebuilding permits last month may indicate a renewed housing slump as demand weakens after the expiration of tax credits, Harvard University economics professor Martin Feldstein said.”

Inman - “Top 25 largest brokerages in the U.S.” (5-18-10)

“Online brokerage ZipRealty completed 34.6 percent more transaction sides in 2009 than in 2008, bumping it up to the fifth-largest brokerage ranked by real estate publishing and communications company Real Trends. ZipRealty had previously ranked ninth in transaction sides.”

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 4/29/10

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

Today’s News Synopsis:

Freddie Mac claims the average rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages was 5.06 percent this week. Zillow estimates that home inventory will increase in the near future. The California Housing Finance Agency is proposing a plan to spend $699.6m from the Hardest Hit Fund. According to Morgan Stanley, about 12 percent of all mortgage defaults in February.

In The News:

Sign On San Diego – “Mortgage rates stay above 5 pct” (4-29-10)

“The mortgage financier Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages was 5.06 percent this week, down a tick from 5.07 percent last week. A year ago, Freddie Mac says 30-year fixed rate mortgages averaged 4.84 percent.”

Inman - “Watch for inventory rise despite tax credit’s sales boost” (4-29-10)

“Although the most recent numbers out for home sales — both new and existing — showed a surge, inventory may yet continue to rise past the summer, according to an analysis by property search and valuation site Zillow.”

Housing Wire – “California Releases $699m Hardest Hit Fund Proposal” (4-29-10)

“The California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) is the latest to release its proposal sent to the Treasury Department, laying out a plan to spend $699.6m from the Hardest Hit Fund. In March, the Treasury cleared HFAs of five states where house prices dropped 20% from the peak to submit proposals to use the funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). Florida, Michigan and Arizona were the first to release their proposals, while Nevada has still not released its plan to spend $102.8m from the fund.”

Bloomberg - “‘Strategic’ Mortgage Defaults Jump to 12% of Total” (4-29-10)

“Decisions by U.S. homeowners to walk away from mortgages they can afford account for an increasing share of defaults, according to Morgan Stanley. About 12 percent of all mortgage defaults in February were ’strategic,’ up from 4 percent in mid-2007, New York-based Morgan Stanley analysts led by Vishwanath Tirupattur wrote in a report today. Borrowers are more likely to stop paying their mortgages the higher their credit scores and the larger their loans, the analysts said.”

Inman - “5 ways to give Gen X, Gen Y what they want” (4-29-10)

“Today’s buyers and sellers are stalking agents online for as much as 18 months before they will feel comfortable enough to do business with an agent. The question is: Once potential clients find you, how can you keep them engaged long enough that they will do business with you, especially when you don’t know who they are?”

Inman - “Figuring out new RESPA rules: lenders report delays, confusion” (4-29-10)

“Many lenders haven’t yet fully implemented technology to comply with new rules that took effect this year under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), and most are taking longer to provide disclosures when borrowers submit loan applications, according to a survey by Equifax. The Equifax survey of 105 lenders who use its employment and income verification service found 79 percent are taking longer to take an application and provide disclosures to borrowers since the RESPA rule change went into effect Jan. 1. About 72 percent of lenders said borrowers were confused about the multiple disclosure documents they receive.”

Realty Times – “30-yr Fixed Mortgages Available at 4.875%, Rates Stable” (4-29-10)

“FreeRateUpdate.com research of wholesale lenders’ rate sheets shows conventional 30-yr fixed mortgages available today at 4.875% to well-qualified consumers paying a standard origination fee of .07 to 1 point. 15-year fixed mortgages remain available at 4.25, and the 5/1 ARM is available at 3.625%.”

Realty Times – “Real Estate Outlook: Signs of Recovery” (4-29-10)

“Fannie Mae’s economics department issued its forecast for the balance of the year last week – and the tone was moderately optimistic. Fannie projects national economic growth – as measured by the gross domestic product or GDP – to gain about 3.1 percent this year. That won’t be enough to make a major dent in the jobless rate, said the economists, but it should reflect a slow but steady improvement in key employment sectors, including manufacturing.”

Looking Back:

The U.S. Treasury Department made plans to spend $50 billion to pay off mortgage investors and reduce monthly payments for millions of borrowers. A CNN poll showed that Americans were becoming significantly more optimistic about the future of the economy. California regulators authorized 600 brokers to negotiate loan modifications. Gross domestic product dropped to a 6.1 percent rate in the first quarter of 2009.

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The Norris Group Real Estate News Roundup 4/14/10

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

Today’s News Synopsis:

The U.S. Treasury reports more than 1.4 million borrowers have been offered trial modifications under HAMP. The MBA’s weekly survey shows that mortgage application volume decreased by 9.6 percent from last week. Banks required over 25 percent more time to foreclose a property in in California last month than in March 2009. According to statistics from the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book, overall economic activity increased in nearly all parts of the country since March.

In The News:

MBA - “MBA’s Story Testifies on Revisions to the Home Affordable Modification Program” (4-14-10)

“According to Treasury, more than 1.4 million borrowers have been offered trial modifications under HAMP.  One million borrowers are in active modifications, of which almost 230,000 represent permanent modifications.  An additional 100,000 permanent modifications are pending borrower acceptance.  And servicers have substantially increased the pace with which permanent modifications are being done.”

MBA - “Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey” (4-14-10)

“The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending April 9, 2010.  The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 9.6 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier.  On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 9.5 percent compared with the previous week.  This is the third lowest Market Index recorded in the survey since the end of June 2009.”

Inman - “Foreclosure process slows in California” (4-14-10)

“It took banks 27.9 percent longer, or 225 days, to foreclose on a property in California last month than it did in March 2009, and 0.45 percent longer than it did in February, according to data tracked by foreclosure data company ForeclosureRadar.com.”

CNN - “10 foreclosures for every home saved” (4-14-10)

“The Obama administration’s mortgage-modification program is not keeping pace with the deluge of foreclosures hitting the market, a government watchdog found. Only 168,708 homeowners have received long-term mortgage modifications under the president’s plan, as of February, a small fraction of the 6 million borrowers who are more than 60 days behind on their loans, according to the Congressional Oversight Panel’s latest report, released Wednesday.”

Mercury News – “Mortgage market: Government asks for advice on how to improve it” (4-14-10)

“The administration has not drafted any formal proposals to reform the housing finance system. Mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac nearly collapsed in September 2008. Propping them up has cost taxpayers about $126 billion so far. Among the questions the Treasury Department is asking are: What level should the federal government play in stabilizing the housing market? What kind of lending standards should be established? How should consumers be protected from abusive practices?”

Housing Wire – “Fed Beige Book Sees Increase in Housing Activity” (4-14-10)

“Overall economic activity increased in nearly all parts of the country, with many districts reporting increased activity in residential housing markets, according to the latest edition of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book. The St. Louis district was the only one to not report an increase in overall economic activity, indicating a thaw may be in the works since the March edition of the Beige Book showed the toll taken by harsh winter weather.”

Housing Wire – “Donovan: Eliminating GSEs May Threaten Fragile Recovery” (4-14-10)

“Hasty action to quickly change the composition of the GSEs or to eliminate them would further drive down this housing market and cause taxpayer losses to increase”

Housing Wire – “One Year Down the Road, COP Says Success Still Escapes HAMP” (4-14-10)

“The private sector has found less success in modifying mortgages through HAMP than through other in-house strategies. According to testimony by Bank of America (BAC: 19.40 +3.91%) Home Loans president Barbara Desoer to the House Financial Services Committee this week, of BofA’s 14m mortgages, 1.4m are 60 or more days delinquent. All told, BofA completed 560,000 of its own modifications to those borrowers. Similar success escapes government-led initiatives as even though 391,000 borrowers at BofA were offered a HAMP mod, only 33,000 are now permanent through HAMP.”

Bloomberg - “FDIC Plans $1.97 Billion Sale of Loans From 22 Seized Banks” (4-14-10)

“The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is seeking bids on a $1.97 billion portfolio of loans from 22 seized banks, pushing the agency’s structured asset sales this year beyond the 2009 total. The sale consists of 1,739 loans mostly tied to commercial real estate, with borrowers late on payments for almost half the portfolio, according to a preliminary announcement obtained by Bloomberg News.”

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The Norris Group Real Estate News Roundup 3/22/10

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Today’s News Synopsis:

The total number of failed banks so far in 2010 has now reached 37. Geithner suggests that government officials listen more to harmed families and businesses than to large financial institutions while considering a financial overhaul bill. Lennar is investing over $3 billion into distressed real estate assets. California will offer about $3.1 billion in taxable debt sales this week.

In The News:

Washinton Post – “Geithner says bank overhaul must protect consumers” (3-22-10)

“Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says the administration will not accept a financial overhaul bill that does not provide strong consumer protection and restraints on risk taking by large banks. Geithner urged lawmakers to listen to the families and businesses that were harmed by the financial crisis and not the financial institutions that brought on the crisis, the most severe to hit the country since the 1930s.”

Housing Wire - “In Housing, a Supply Problem of Epic Proportion” (3-22-10)

“Consider that 2.5 million loans, current at the start of 2009, had become 60+ days delinquent or in foreclosure by the end of January 2010, according to LPS. Compare that to the roughly 2 million loan modifications in process or processed in generally the same time frame—116,000 permanent HAMP mods + 830,000 trial HAMP mods + 1.0 million completed non-HAMP mods. It’s simple math: 2.5 million is greater than 2.0 million.”

Housing Wire – “TAVMA Questions Accuracy of Appraisal Fee Report” (3-22-10)

“Title/Appraisal Vendor Management Association (TAVMA) called the dataset misleading because it doesn’t include the fees AMCs pay to appraisers, excluding two-thirds of all the appraisals conducted in the United States.”

Housing Wire – “Monday Morning Cup of Coffee” (3-22-10)

“Regulators closed seven banks Friday, bringing the total number of failed banks to 37 so far in 2010. The weekly round of bank failures is estimated to cost the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.’s (FDIC) Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) $1.28bn.”

Bloomberg – “Lennar Looks to Distressed Debt as Slump Persists” (3-22-10)

“Lennar Corp., the third-largest U.S. homebuilder, is investing in failed bank loans and distressed real estate assets to boost revenue as demand for new houses shows few signs of revival. The Miami-based company’s purchase last month of a share of $3.05 billion of delinquent loans seized by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.”

Bloomberg – “U.S. Property Index Rises for Third Straight Month” (3-22-10)

“U.S. commercial property values rose for a third month in January as the economy grew, according to Moody’s Investors Service. The Moody’s/REAL Commercial Property Price Index climbed 1 percent from December, Moody’s said today in a report. Values are 40 percent lower than the peak in October 2007. The index fell 24 percent from a year earlier.”

Bloomberg – “California to Lead Year’s Biggest Week in Taxable Bond Sales” (3-22-10)

“California, the lowest-rated state, will lead about $3.1 billion in taxable debt sales in potentially the biggest week for such issues since December as investors gain confidence in Build America Bonds. The most-populous U.S. state will offer about $2 billion in taxable notes this week, including $1.3 billion in federally subsidized Build America securities, said Tom Dresslar, spokesman for California Treasurer Bill Lockyer. Oregon’s Transportation Department will sell $556.4 million of the debt and the Arizona Board of Regents will market $164.9 million on behalf of Arizona State University.”

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