My Mind on Mortgages

According to the latest measurement of housing prices relative to incomes & rents by The Economist Magazine homes in the US are undervalued.  The index looks at housing markets across the globe and currently the US is one of the most undervalued markets alongside Germany & Japan.  You can see the full article by clicking [...]

I initially blogged about THIS Economist article a couple weeks ago which explained why they think the housing market has hit bottom.  Yesterday I posted a link to THIS WSJ article which laid out the case for home-ownership and today I can pass along the NPR version which appeared on Morning Edition today.  What do [...]

I blogged back towards the end of May that the Economist Magazine had called the bottom of the housing market.  Well the Wall Street Journal is now getting in on the act.  They published THIS ARTICLE over the weekend in which they spelled out the case for home-ownership.  They point out that the buyers need [...]

Has the housing market hit bottom yet?  In this week’s edition of The Economist magazine THIS ARTICLE was was published which points to a lot of encouraging evidence that would suggest we may be at bottom.  Here are some excerpts: *”House-ownership is beginning to look more affordable by many measures. Adjusted for inflation, prices are [...]

An escrow officer I work with at Fidelity National title sent me a great FAQ information sheet regarding MERS.  If you’re wanting to learn the basics about MERS this sums it up well: Who is MERS? MERS stands for Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. MERS is a member-based association of nearly all (about 3,000) mortgage [...]

Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac are back in the headlines as lawmakers debate the future of these two mortgage giants.  Many people have heard about Fannie & Freddie but few understand the role they play in the mortgage industry.  I wanted to re-post the summary I wrote back in July of 2008 which you can [...]

NPR’s Planet Money did a podcast on March 1st which compared mortgage delinquency rates in the US & Spain.  In the US mortgage delinquency rates are currently around 10%.  Despite the fact that the unemployment rate is currently higher in Spain the mortgage delinquency rate is down around 3%.  So why the big difference? In [...]

Ever heard of “MERS”? ” MERS” stands for Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. and is a private company at the center of scrutiny for it’s involvement in the current foreclosure mess.  According to Wikipedia MERS is a “privately held company that operates an electronic registry designed to track servicing rights and ownership of mortgage loans [...]

If you’re seeking proof that hindsight is 20/20 The Economist Magazine has a great section this week featuring real property.  HERE IS A LINK.  Here are a couple interesting quotes from the Leaders section: “Property is more than just a place to live and work. For many people, it is the biggest financial bet they [...]

The WSJ published THIS ARTICLE late yesterday which caught my eye.  Apparently the Obama Administration is working on a plan to force a settlement on the part of lenders who have been guilty of questionable loan servicing practices to write down the principal on mortgages in distressed circumstances. To this point mortgage relief for troubled [...]