The cost of protecting a home is becoming an increasingly significant part of America's housing affordability problem, with homeowners insurance rates climbing sharply across the country. Once viewed primarily as a challenge in hurricane-prone Florida or wildfire-exposed California, rising premiums are now affecting homeowners throughout the Midwest, Mountain West, and other parts of the nation.
The U.S. housing market experienced another setback in July as sales of newly built single-family homes fell sharply, highlighting the continued impact of elevated mortgage rates and affordability pressures on prospective buyers. Despite builders offering incentives and home prices moving lower, many consumers remain reluctant or unable to purchase as borrowing costs continue to strain household budgets.
The U.S. housing market lost additional momentum in July as rising mortgage rates and stubbornly high home prices discouraged prospective buyers from moving forward with purchases. Existing-home sales declined for the second consecutive month, reinforcing concerns that affordability continues to prevent a stronger housing recovery even as demand remains present in many parts of the country.
American consumers are once again feeling the effects of rising living costs as higher gasoline prices and climbing mortgage rates place additional strain on household finances. After several months of modest improvements in affordability, renewed increases in energy prices are creating ripple effects throughout the economy, making everything from commuting to purchasing a home more expensive.
The U.S. housing market continues to navigate a challenging environment as elevated mortgage rates, cautious buyers, and slowing home construction create fresh obstacles for an industry that has struggled to regain momentum. While inventory has improved in many markets compared to the past few years, affordability remains the dominant issue, leaving both builders and prospective homeowners searching for signs of relief.
The past year has seen sweeping changes in almost every area of loan origination, underwriting guidelines, and loan disclosures. USDA and FHA have both created new handbooks that came with completely new guidelines. The CFPB introduced the Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosures which replaced the Good Faith Estimate, TIL, and HUD-1. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac introduced new guidelines for many topics including review of Schedule-A Unreimbursed Expenses and required reserves for borrowers retaining their home as a secondary or rental property.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMP® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMP® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMP® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMP®. Nothing contained in this article should be considered legal advice.
In the days of CFPB debt ratio thresholds and tighter lending restrictions, every underwriter needs to have a few tricks up their sleeve for saving debt ratios. Usually we try to use the more conservative income calculation to avoid investor push-back. However, there are a few perfectly provable income sources that we can use to support a lower debt ratio and return an approve/eligible or accept finding
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Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMP® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMP® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMP® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMP®. Nothing contained in this article should be considered legal advice.
In response to the CFPB’s Ability to Repay (ATR) and Qualified Mortgage (QM) rules, leading investors have instituted a Debt, Income, and Asset Verification Worksheet. This worksheet was created to provide consistency and uniformity in the reporting of underwriter rationale in determining the borrower’s ability to repay. Some lenders are adding this form (or a screen) into their loan origination system.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMP® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMP® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMP® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMP®. Nothing contained in this article should be considered legal advice.
One of the hottest topics in the mortgage industry today is the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau’s (CFPB) sweeping regulatory reforms. Many are questioning how the new rules will impact the industry and whether the reforms are positive or negative. Some have concerns for our ability to remain productive and profitable with so many new restrictions.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMP® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMP® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMP® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMP®. Nothing contained in this article should be considered legal advice.
Written By: Bonnie Wildt
I have said it before and I will say it again and that is, do not believe everything you hear or read for that matter. In this particular instance I am referring to AUS Findings. I have had countless conversations with processors and loan officer who want to know why I am asking for documentation that the AUS findings have clearly stated wasn’t needed or worse, they can’t believe I am turning a loan down that has an Approve/Eligible. So here it is again and pay particular attention to the details because just because you have an Approve/Eligible or Accept doesn’t necessarily mean you have a done deal.