Loans

  • Foreclosures and Loan Delinquencies Hit Record Levels in Q2

    California and Florida remain biggest trouble spots, but most states fell below the national delinquency average, says latest Mortgage Bankers Association survey.

     
  • Housing Downturn Hurts Banks

    Construction loans fastest-growing category of ‘troubled’ loans, according to FDIC report.

     
  • 30-year mortgages dip slightly to 6.35 percent

    WASHINGTON - Rates on 30-year mortgages fell for a third straight week, dropping to the lowest level since mid-July.

     
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    Chuck Shinn

    “If you run out of cash, you’re out of business.”

     
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    On The Shoals

    Resolving unpaid loans backed by depreciating assets at a time of diminished sales is testing builder-lender relationships.

     
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    Trade Secrets: Staying Afloat

    Renegotiating debt can be a lifesaver for builders swamped by the market.

     
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    Credit Concerns

    The tightening of AD&C credit has put an extra burden on builders.

     
  • Fannie, Freddie Extend Mortgage Relief to Flooded Homeowners

    Lenders will be allowed to adjust or defer payments for affected Midwestern borrowers.

     
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    Seiders: Cinching In

    Credit conditions have tightened for home buyers and builders.

     
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    New Terms

    The House Judiciary Committee on Dec. 12 completed its markup of the Emergency Home Ownership and Mortgage Equity Protection Act of 2007. Introduced by Rep. Brad Miller (D-N.C.), the measure would allow bankruptcy judges to reduce the value of a home loan, extend the terms of the loan, lower the...

     
  • Amending Credit Terms Gives WCI New Life

    Last night, WCI Communities got another reprieve from its lenders, which agreed to amend the terms of its senior secured revolving credit line and term loan. This was the fourth time in as many months that its banks have extended their loans after the Bonita Springs, Fla.-based builder and...

     
  • Bank of America Agrees to Purchase Countrywide Financial

    Bank of America will become the country's largest mortgage lender and servicer if its agreement to purchase the beleaguered Countrywide Financial is approved by both companies' shareholders and regulatory agencies. Late yesterday, Charlotte, N.C.-based Bank of America revealed that it had agreed to...

     
  • Credit Crunch

    THE SUBPRIME-INDUCED TIGHTENING OF credit conditions in home mortgage markets now is being joined by tightening in credit markets where builders and developers raise funds—the markets for land acquisition, land development, and construction loans (AD&C). Some tightening in AD&C markets has been...

     
  • Green Nation

    When 800 registered voters were asked last fall about what would motivate them to either purchase a new green home or “green” their existing home, 64 percent said that reduced energy costs would be the biggest reason. With energy prices on the rise, now's the time to improve the energy efficiency...

     
  • NAHB Briefs: January 2008

    - Fannie Mae announced plan to impose an “Adverse Market Delivery Charge." - Home-price appreciation rates among resale homes vary significantly among the nation's top markets, according to the latest monthly S&P/Case-Shiller home-price statistics. - The NAHB and NAHB Research Center to conduct...

     
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    Bad Risk?

    The rift between HUD and Congress over modernizing the FHA deepened in recent weeks as HUD moved forward with plans to charge riskier borrowers a higher premium, starting as soon as Jan. 2, 2008.

     
  • NAR Forecasts Stable Home Sales in 2008

    The National Association of Realtors (NAR) forecasts a steady housing market for the next few months with a gradual rise in new- and existing-home sales later on this year and well into 2009. However, the trade group says the opposing forces of pent-up demand from 4 million jobs added to the...

     
  • Fed Proposes Tougher Lending Rules

    Government continues to react to the turmoil in the mortgage market. The latest to take action is the Federal Reserve, which voted unanimously to endorse a new set of regulations aimed at protecting homeowners from abusive lending practices. The new guidelines range from a ban on low-documentation...

     
  • Senate Overwhelmingly Passes Bill That Would Provide a Life Raft to Troubled Homeowners

    The U.S. Senate arrived late to the party but they got there. On the heels of response to the turmoil in the mortgage market from the White House, the Fed, and the House of Representatives, the Senate passed legislation that would overhaul how the Federal Housing Administration operates.

     
  • BUILDER Blocks: The Week in Review

    Dec. 16, 2007: The Fed chips in; HOPE NOW hotline operators are kept busy; Centex battles SE Florida sales slump; and the NAHB says no to Fannie Mae.