Mortgages | Paper Source Online

Trump ‘Seriously Considering’ Privatizing Fannie and Freddie

Government, Mortgages / By W. J. Mencarow

Published by REALTOR.com | May 22, 2025 Privatization would be a major milestone for Fannie and Freddie, which were created by Congress to bring liquidity to the secondary mortgage market, ensuring a ready supply of loans for homebuyers. President Donald Trump has confirmed that he is considering privatizing government-backed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie …

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Fed Warns Interest Rates Could Remain Higher for Longer

Economy, Interest Rates, Mortgages / By W. J. Mencarow

Published by REALTOR.com | May 15, 2025 Fed Chair Powell has suggested that policymakers are revising their view of longer-term interest rates upward. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has warned that longer-term interest rates will likely remain higher due to the risk of “volatile” inflation, in another sign that homebuyers should curb their expectations for …

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How China Could Crush The U.S. Housing Market

Government, Housing Market, Mortgages, Politics / By W. J. Mencarow

Published by CNBC | April 9, 2025 At the end of January, foreign countries owned $1.32 trillion worth of U.S. mortgage-backed securities, or 15% of the total outstanding, according to Ginnie Mae. Mortgage rates follow loosely the yield on the 10-year Treasury. Some speculate foreign countries could be dumping U.S. Treasurys in retaliation against President …

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Trump Administration Launches Mortgage Fraud Tip Line

Fraud, Government, Mortgages / By W. J. Mencarow

Published by REALTOR.com | April 16, 2025 The Trump administration’s top mortgage regulator has vowed to “root out frauds and cheats” in the mortgage market after launching a tip line to report deceitful home loan applications. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte announced the tip line last week, saying “anyone and everyone can submit …

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Millions of Americans Blocked From Accessing $731 Billion in Home Equity

Interest Rates, Mortgages / By W. J. Mencarow

Published by REALTOR.com | April 9, 2025 Job instability and high interest rates have left millions of homeowners with a mortgage locked out of $731 billion in home equity. Homeowners have long relied on their home equity, often touted as “America’s piggy bank,” to meet their changing financial needs, from paying off credit card debt …

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Homeowners Are Sitting on $34.7 Trillion in Equity—but Mortgage Debt Is Growing

Mortgages, Residential / By W. J. Mencarow

Published by REALTOR.com | March 31, 2025 Home equity in the U.S. reached the third-highest level on record at the end of last year In welcome news for homeowners braving a volatile housing market, home equity in the U.S.—the share of your property you actually own—reached the third-highest level on record at the end of …

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More Than 80% of Mortgages Have a Sub-6% Rate

Interest Rates, Mortgages / By W. J. Mencarow

Published by REALTOR.com | January 10, 2025 This is keeping many would-be sellers “locked in“ and hindering total inventory recovery. New York City school teacher Joann Mariani had no idea how extraordinary her timing was when she was shopping for a home in summer 2021. In the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic—when lockdowns, face masks, …

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Mortgage Assistance Programs: A Lifeline for Affordable Homebuying

Investment Financing, Mortgages / By W. J. Mencarow

Published by ThinkRealty | December 20, 2024 Although many experts spent the last few years predicting an economic downturn, the past two years have been good for residential real estate investors A recent survey of real estate investors found that three-quarters of them were making at least as much in 2024 as they made in …

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Economist: Elon Musk Could Hold the Key to Lower Mortgage Rates

Interest Rates, Mortgages / By W. J. Mencarow

Published by REALTOR.com | November 14, 2024 The share of first-time homebuyers in the housing market has fallen to the lowest level in 43 years, according to recent data from the National Association of Realtors. Home sales are at multi-decade lows due to high home prices and 7% mortgage rates. Many buyers have been priced …

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Understanding Commercial Property Loans

Commercial Property, Mortgages / By W. J. Mencarow

Published by Think Realty | October 5, 2024 Obtaining a commercial property loan involves a far different set of requirements and elongated timeline compared to residential loans. Securing a commercial real estate loan is a critical step for any business that requires office space, a retail storefront, or a manufacturing and shipping space. A commercial …

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