Commenting on The Atlantic‘s article about manufactured housing (MH), the CFPB and MH financing, Amy Bliss of the Wisconsin Housing Alliance, compliments the piece for citing facts such as: > energy efficiency, > less waste in the building process, > availability to middle-incomers, while acknowledging the difficulty in finding financing …
The Atlantic’s article on Manufactured Housing Evoked Comments Read More
A growing trend for the last decade has been an influx of foreign buyers from Asia, Australia and Europe purchasing homes in the U. S., which is actually helping the real estate market price recovery. A report by the National Association of Realtors says $22 billion of the $92 billion …
International Real Estate Buyers Spur U. S. Housing Market Read More
Moody’s Investor Services, a leading credit-rating agency, tells MHProNews that while the Canadian government has an AAA rating due to its improving finances and its strong regulatory and institutional framework, rising home prices and high consumer debt may pose a risk to the economy. Steven Hess, Moody’s senior vice-president, says, …
Canada’s Economy, Housing Strong Despite Rising Debt and Home Prices Read More
Calling mortgage loan fraud virtually a cottage industry during the housing feeding frenzy that lead to the Great Recession, that practice did not end with the sudden creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Pat Dalrymple tells MHProNews. Big money on the table can draw a conspiracy of mortgage …
While refinance lending in rural and small town communities fell by 23 percent in 2013 compared to 2012, purchase lending in the same areas rose 2.3 percent for the similar period, after hitting a ten-year low in 2011, according to what daily.yonder tells MHProNews. Just as rising interest rates and tighter …
Rural Home Purchase Loans Still over 50 Percent Below Pre-Recession Read More
In England, The Hyde Group is calling on lenders to support the growing move towards modular construction techniques and grant mortgages on the same level as is done with traditionally built homes. Hyde hosted a think tank to discuss ways to speed up housing construction in London and south east …
Think Tank Builders Call for Modular Methods to Address Housing Shortage Read More
While the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s recent report on financing the purchase of manufactured homes (MH) notes buyers of MH are often poor, elderly, rural and vulnerable to high-cost “chattel” (“home only,” personal property) loans, the bureau wants to ensure consumers have access to “responsible credit.” Their report, comments and …
According to istockanalyst.com, Killam Properties Inc. (TSX:KMP) will be releasing its financial results for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, 2014 on Tuesday, Nov 4, 2014 after the close of the market. A conference call to discuss the results will be held the following day, Nov. 5, at 12:00 noon, …
The California homeownership rate for Hispanics was 41.9 percent in 2013 versus 62.7 percent for non-Hispanic whites, according to U. S. Census records. The Hispanic rate in 2006 was 47.9 percent. A 2013 study by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, noting homeownership continues to be a significant source …
California Home Prices Rising above Affordability for Hispanics Read More
Charged with “illegally blocking borrowers’ attempts to save their homes,” the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has fined Flagstar Bancorp $37.5 million for violating the agency’s mortgage servicing rules, reports housingwire.com. Flagstar allegedly took excessive time to process borrowers’ applications for foreclosure relief, denied loan modifications to qualified borrowers, and …
Flagstar Charged with Violating Mortgage Servicing Rules Read More
According to housingwire.com, the latest CoreLogic report indicates 946,000 properties regained positive equity in the second quarter of 2014, increasing borrower equity year over year by an estimated $1 trillion. The number of homes that remain in negative equity has fallen from 7.2 million, or 14.9 percent of all homes …
More Underwater Homes are Beginning to Float again Read More
The closing rate for mortgage originations hit a three-year high in August, according to Ellie Mae, which calculated an overall closing rate of 61.1 percent, almost four percentage points higher than July. Ellie Mae’s President Jonathan Corr noted lenders are working hard to maintain leads, as nationalmortgagenews.com reports. The monthly …
The new head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Julian Castro, in his first major policy speech, said lending standards have become too tight and policymakers need to find ways to expand the housing market. Speaking at a housing summit sponsored by the Bipartisan Policy Center, the former …
HUD Head Castro Supports Johnson-Crapo Reform Bill Read More
Four members of the manufactured housing industry were honored at the recent Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) annual meeting Sept. 14-16 for their outstanding contributions to the industry. Dick Ernst, president of Financial Marketing Associates, received the MHI Chairman’s Award from MHI Chairman Nathan Smith. A longtime member of the MHI …
Four MH Industry Members Honored at MHI Annual Meeting Read More
In the largest increase since November of 2013, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose 14 basis points from one week ago to 4.19 percent, although it peaked on Sunday at 4.30 percent and then fell, according to worldpropertychannel.com. Erin Lantz of Zillow says the rates hit a five-month high last …
Regulators have been encouraging mortgage lenders to relax credit, saying that will fuel the tepid housing market, while others say lowering FICO scores to include more low-income borrowers will lead to more defaults. “We simply don’t have enough qualified homebuyers even with mortgage rates getting as low as 3.25%,” says …
Relaxed Credit: Kickstart Housing or Overheat the Housing Market? Read More
Data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reveals mortgage applications to buy a new home fell nine percent in August, according to nationalmortgagenews.com. New single-family home sales fell 2.1 percent from the July rate of 433,000 units, on a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR), to 424,000 in August, while the …
Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Mel Watt told a gathering of the American Mortgage Conference he supports the merger of Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLB) but wants to gather more information before giving required approval, and is currently offering a consultative role to FHLBs in Seattle and Des Moines …
According to CNNMoney.com, 40 million Americans now have student loan debt, reports credit bureau Experian, an increase from 28 million in 2008; and the amount of debt has risen from $23,000 to $28,000 during that same period. Total student loan debt now stands at $1.2 trillion, an all-time high and …
Rising Student Loan Debt—Pathway to Manufactured Housing? Read More
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada-based Killam Properties, Inc. (KMP.TO) announces it is acquiring a 50 percent stake in a 152-unit apartment building in Ottawa, Ontario, called Kanata Lakes Apartments II, in a joint venture with affiliates of KingSett Capital, Inc. and AIMCo Realty Investors LP. Killam’s 50 percent share of the …
Canada’s MHC Owner Killam Acquires Interest in Apartments Read More
