Mortgage rates have stabilized from last week and seem to be holding steady, but there are quite a few events this week that could cause the mortgage market to move.

More Govt Debt Hits the Mortgage MarketMortgage Market Update Week of Feb 23

More Government debt hits the market this week as the US Treasury unloads $126B in securities.  Monday $8B in TIPS (Treasury Inflation Protected Securities) hit the market, Tuesday $44B in 2-Year Notes, Wednesday $42B in 5-Year Notes and $32B in 7 Years on Thursday.  The last round of auctions did not perform very well and caused the mortgage bond market lower which means higher interest rates.  This is one item I will be watching closely this week.

Bernanke Testifying to the House and Senate

On Wednesday and Thursday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will be testifying on monetary policy before the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee and the US Senate Banking Committee.  His comments can be a potential market mover as big news will trump any technical signals we currently have.

Not Quite Ready to Lock? Proceed with Caution

The trend beginning this week is market stabilization, however we recommend to our clients that are floating their interest rates to proceed with caution and be ready to lock if investors start to shift their money out of the bond market.

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First Time Home Buyer Class

February 18, 2010

When? Tues Apr 6, 2010 at 7pm
Combine the affordable San Mateo County housing prices with the $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit and low down payment loan programs, the current San Mateo real estate market is a perfect market for San Mateo County first time home buyers. To help educate home buyers on [...]

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Big Banks May Stop Issuing Pre-Approvals

February 12, 2010

Big Banks May Be Nixing the Pre-Approval Process
As lenders begin to work through the lending guideline changes from January 2010, some bigger banks have discussed eliminating pre-approvals.  Instead, they are opting to wait until a potential borrower is under contract before the bank starts looking at and verifying your income, assets and credit score.  Having [...]

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Biggest Problem with New GFE and How to Avoid It

February 8, 2010

Lender Not Required to Provide GFE until Borrower Under Contract
The new regulations do not require the lender to generate a GFE or hold the lender to their fees until the borrower is under contract with a property.  This means that you can’t realistically shop between lenders until you are under the time constraints of a [...]

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How to Read the New Good Faith Estimate

February 5, 2010

In my previous post, I touched on some new lending regulations and the standardized Good Faith Estimate for San Mateo home buyers from HUD to help minimize the confusion of different forms.  HUD’s goal was to ensure lenders quote realistic fees, help avoid last minute closing cost surprises and help the home buyer make an [...]

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