Real Estate News 1.20.2014

U.S. seen on track for best growth since 2005
“WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Think the disappointing U.S. jobs report for December has dampened the optimism of economists about the new year? Think again.”

Rates, tight inventory dampen California home sales
“California home sales dipped 5.9% from 2012 to 2013 as the market felt the pinch of tighter inventory levels and higher prices, the California Association of Realtors reported this past month.”

Monday Morning Cup of Coffee: Deutsche Bank posts $1.6B loss
“Monday Morning Cup of Coffee takes a look at news coming across HousingWire’s weekend desk, with more coverage to come on bigger issues.”

BofA escapes damages in Merrill Lynch suit
“The office of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman admits he will not seek damages from Bank of America (BAC) over its risky $18.5 billion purchase of Merrill Lynch back in 2009.”

5 secrets to winning online property auctions
” Online auctions are growing in popularity.

Websites like auction.com are killing it; making bundles of money selling houses online, while giving investors a whole new world for buying properties.”

Young Americans on homeownership strike?
“They used to say never trust anyone over 30. Those words obviously rang true 20 years ago when the average 30-year-old typically managed to obtain a modicum of stability in their life in the form of a stable job and a mortgage.”

NAFCU’s Dirty Dozen
“The National Association of Federal Credit Unions (NAFCU) published a list of what it calls the “Dirty Dozen” — a series of goals that the organization has for 2014.”

When It Comes To Real Estate Bubbles, China’s Got Nothing On Brazil
“World investors may be worried about China’s real estate bubble. But only one country surpasses that market’s housing boom, and that’s Brazil.”

Real estate still tragically unequal
“Greater Boston is already one of the toughest markets in the country for both renters and buyers, with skyrocketing housing costs and scarce listings.”

Report: Troubles Ahead for Commercial Real Estate Loan Refinancing
“With an estimated $1.4 trillion in commercial mortgages due to mature between 2014 and 2017, lenders and investors may be in for a flood of refinancing that could present new challenges for the market, according to a December 2013 year-end Trepp report.”

Real estate investment trusts are an under-embraced asset class
“Out of the ruins of the housing crisis, a new asset class has emerged: publicly traded, single-family residential real estate.”

1 Massive Threat to Real Estate Across the Country
“Lately, most news involving the recovery of the housing market in the United States has been overwhelmingly positive. However, there is one issue that poses a dangerous threat to the recovery in housing: flood insurance.”

HUD AND CENSUS BUREAU ANNOUNCE
NEW RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY IN DECEMBER

“WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau today announced the following new residential construction statistics for December 2013:”

Cash investors altering psychology of real estate market: Can the regular home buyer compete with the big money from Wall Street?
“Investor buying has pushed the real estate market into uncharted territory.  Starting in 2008 after the crash in home values, investors at first stepped in slowly and now they represent a dramatic share of all home purchases.  This may not matter to some in most states across the US but in places where investors are heavily focused, the power wielded by this group is still large.  Sellers for the most part, this includes the banks off-loading distressed properties (aka repossessed homes), look for quick sales at the highest price.  Sounds simple enough.  Yet most in the public stand no chance with the large money crowd.  For example, I know of people in targeted areas that scout for distressed properties and show up at auctions with checks ready to bid on properties.  Some are individual investors and some work for a larger system of buyers.  It is no new game with investors in the market but the volume of big institutional investors is definitely something new.”

Fed taper could hit housing market
“The stakes are high for San Diego’s housing market as the Federal Reserve tapers the national economy off super-low interest rates.”

Why Jumbo Mortgages Are So Cheap
“Jumbo mortgages — gigantic loans which historically have been much-more expensive than FHA, VA and conventional financing — are selling at a discount. In fact, at the start of December elephantine loans were cheaper than conventional mortgages.”

New Mortgage Risk Index Exposes Market Vulnerabilities
“A new initiative of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) aims to mitigate the damage of housing’s boom-and-bust cycles. It utilizes a new Mortgage Risk Index developed by a former chief credit officer of Fannie Mae and a 25-year veteran of the Federal Reserve.”

Lenders Continue to Lower Credit Requirement Thresholds
“After loosening steadily for several months, credit standards for mortgage loans ended 2013 at their lowest level all year, according to the December Origination Insight Report from Ellie Mae.”

California Home Sales Abate to Close Out Year
“Single-family and condominium sales in California closed 2013 on a cautiously positive note, even though overall sales were down notably from the year prior, according to the latest quarterly market activity report from real estate tracking firm PropertyRadar.”

Expediting the Empties
“Can servicers and their partners in the field work through the many obstacles that come with fast-tracking vacant foreclosures?”

Real Estate News 1.17.2014

Roubini: U.S. economy will disappoint in 2014
“FORTUNE — Dr. Doom is back, sort of.”

Realtors® Rate Exterior Replacement Projects Among Most Valuable Home Improvements
“WASHINGTON (January 16, 2014) – A home’s curb appeal is crucial because it can be the first thing buyers notice about a home. That’s why Realtors® rated exterior projects among the most valuable home improvement projects in the 2014 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report.”

Lower Mortgage Refinancing Activity Hits Citi Profit And Revenue
“If there was ever any question about the nation’s appetite for new and refinanced mortgages, Citigroup’s disappointing fourth quarter earnings results leave very little room for doubt: it’s weak.”

Shawnee County implores Legislature to keep mortgage fees
“As taxes go, the mortgage registration fee historically has fallen below the three budgets it is supposed to support.”

FBI Suspects Front-Running of Fannie, Freddie Swap Orders
“Bank employees may have profited by trading ahead of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac swap orders, Reuters reported, citing a description of the practice in a U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation intelligence bulletin.”

CFPB Provides New Guidance on Appraisal Disclosures
“The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has provided an update to National Mortgage News on a story with inaccurate information about appraisal disclosures. Under the qualified mortgage rule, lenders are required to provide borrowers with all appraisal reports ordered or requested in conjunction with a loan application.”

Mortgage exec says don’t fear new rule on loans
“Wells Fargo Home Mortgage President Mike Heid spoke in favor of the federal government’s new qualified mortgage rule Thursday at a gathering of Des Moines-area business leaders.”

Banks Keep Their Mortgage Litigation Reserves a Secret
“From JPMorgan Chase’s $13 billion settlement over mortgage securities to lawsuits brought by bondholders, a barrage of litigation has been raining down on Wall Street banks. Yet the banks are not disclosing a number that is crucial for assessing their ability to deal those legal costs. And, curiously, the regulator that has sway over companies’ disclosure practices has not called on the industry to reveal this important figure so that investors can weigh the institutions’ health.”

Alabama court thinks landlords need more foreclosure protection
“Lawfirm Ballard Spahr is reporting that an Alabama federal court is suggesting that borrowers can allege invalid mortgage assignments — if a portion of the property has tenants.”

GSE reform idea puts private capital back in driver’s seat
“Representatives John K. Delaney, D-Md., John Carney, D-Del., and Jim Himes, D-Conn., are putting together a housing finance reform proposal that uses private sector market forces to price risk while providing the security of a government guarantee behind the program.”

Housing starts drop 9.8%
“While housing starts dropped 9.8% from November to December, they did manage to grow 1.6% from December 2012, the U.S. Census Bureau said Friday.”

Real estate prices appreciate at a slower pace
“While residential real estate appreciation continues to trend higher, the rapid pace experienced early last year is easing, Veros Real Estate Solutions said in its latest VeroFORECAST report.”

$669 million Fannie, Ginnie portfolio sale hits market
“Mortgage Industry Advisory Corp. is overseeing the sale of a $669.22 million Fannie Mae and Ginnie Mae mortgage-servicing portfolio, the company announced Friday.”

4 key housing trends
“Key indicators show housing moving in a positive direction, paving the way for an ongoing recovery, the latest Freddie Mac Economic and Housing Market Outlook shows.”

New Lenders for Real-Estate Investors
“A new lender is knocking on wealthy real-estate investors’ doors.”

HUD AND CENSUS BUREAU ANNOUNCE
NEW RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY IN DECEMBER

“WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau today announced the following new residential construction statistics for December 2013…”

Freddie Mac Prices New $4.5 Billion Three-Year Reference Notes® Security
“MCLEAN, VA–(Marketwired – Jan 17, 2014) – Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) announced today that it priced its new .875% three-year USD Reference Notes® security due on February 22, 2017. The issue, CUSIP number 3137EADT3, was priced at 99.839 to yield .928%. The issue will settle on Tuesday, January 21, 2014.”

San Fernando Valley home, condo prices soared in 2013
“The San Fernando Valley’s housing market shook off the shackles of the Great Recession during 2013, according to a report released Thursday.”

Rich Chinese continue to flee China
“Do the wealthy Chinese know something we don’t?”

Construction up, but are we building too many houses?
“The year-end numbers are in, and home construction improved dramatically in 2013. Both single- and multi-family housing starts were up, by 15 and 25 percent, respectively, according to the U.S. Census. Add it all up and total housing construction rose 18 percent from 2012 to the highest level since 2007.”

The Mortgage Professor: Breaking the logjam on reverse mortgages
“People reaching retirement age are living longer than ever, and retiring with less capacity to maintain their living standards. With good reason, this situation has been termed a ‘retirement funds crisis.'”

Today’s Real Estate News 10.21.2013

Summary:
CNBC shares Jamie Dimon’s, of JPMorgan, reaction to the bank’s settlement with the U.S. & that the Fed might not be tapering for months due to the government shutdown. CNN Money shares  “5 things to know about JPMorgan settlement.” Reuters reports that home sales in existing homes have fallen and home price appreciation is slowing. Bloomberg says the FHFA is holding banks accountable for their part in the burst of the housing bubble & it’s effects. According to the Review Journal, many layoffs can be attributed to slowing of the mortgage refinance boom. The Housing Wire states that investors are once again being attracted to RMBS, California received the most government aid in housing relief funding. Newsweek examines how much the government shutdown cost the U.S. Dr. Housing Bubble shares some great data in two different blog posts – 1. The continuing increase in renters & 2. What the 2014 California housing market may look like.  

‘We’re trying to get our problems behind us’: Dimon
“”We’re trying to get it resolved.” That’s what JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon told CNBC on Monday, in reaction to news that the bank has reached a tentative $13 billion settlement with the U.S. Justice Department, the New York attorney general, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency over allegations of sales of shoddy mortgage securities.”

Fed’s Evans: Shutdown may delay taper by months
“The Fed may not begin tapering for months because the government shutdown has left the economic picture unclear, Chicago Fed President Charles Evans told CNBC on Monday.”

Five things to know about JPMorgan settlement
“The tentative deal that JPMorgan Chase reached over the weekend with the Justice Department will cost the bank $13 billion, a record penalty.”

U.S. existing home sales fall, price appreciation slows

“(Reuters) – U.S. home resales fell in September and prices cooled as higher mortgage rates took the edge off the housing market recovery.”

Federal Housing Chief Holds Banks to Account

“Two years ago, the Federal Housing Finance Agency sued 18 banks for losses on $200 billion in private-label mortgage bonds purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. That strategy is now paying off. JPMorgan Chase & Co. is negotiating a $13 billion settlement with the U.S. government that would feature a $4 billion payment to the FHFA. Today, Bloomberg News reports that Bank of America Corp. might pay the FHFA at least $6 billion for dodgy bonds issued before the crisis.”

FHFA Is Said to Seek at Least $6 Billion From BofA for MB

“A U.S. housing regulator is seeking at least $6 billion from Bank of America Corp. to settle civil claims the firm sold faulty mortgage bonds to government-backed finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, according to a person with direct knowledge of the discussions.”

Job layoffs as mortgage refinance boom slows

“A recent spike in interest rates has caused a decline in refinancing activity, a drop-off that has curtailed a two-year refinancing wave that started in 2011 and led to the nation’s largest banks shedding thousands of mortgage jobs.”

RMBS investors slowly gain steam in marketplace

“New and refinanced mortgages continue to move through the private-label residential mortgage-backed securities pipeline, attracting investors back into the space.”

California absorbs the most housing relief funds

“California received the largest portion of the Treasury’s Hardest Hit Fund as the state continued to recover from the large amount of unemployed and distressed homeowners impacted during the financial crisis.”

How the Shutdown Hammered the U.S. Economy

“How much has the government shutdown and the default threat cost us?”

Gen Renter: The continuing expansion of renters in the United States. A permanent generational shift.

“Never mistake luck with timing.  That is one lesson gamblers and so-called investors forget time and time again.  Even in baseball batting .300 is considered fantastic.  The rhetoric being uttered by some people is similar to what was being said only a few years ago.  Of course, the voices of the 5,000,000+ that went through foreclosure is largely drowned out similar to those that went all in with tech stocks right before the bust (where are the Pets.com investing geniuses?).  Not to quote an Alanis Morissette song but isn’t it ironic?  Suddenly folks that bought in 2011 or 2012 act as if they deserve a Ph.D. in economics.  Don’t mistake luck with investing acumen.  These people are caught up in the low rate, low inventory, and investor driven uptrend.  California is an excellent example of this.  Home prices are rising at astounding speeds pricing many out of the market.  It is no surprise that the number of renters in the state is surging as well (this is also a nationwide trend).  Investors dominate the market.  A cap rate of 4 percent may be reasonable when the Fed is artificially creating a negative interest rate environment.  This generational divide is going to continue and as usual, the US is going to undergo some dramatic changes including a growing renting class.”

30 years of booms and busts for California real estate: What does 2014 have in store for California real estate?

“For the first time in nearly two years the California housing market showed some brief signs of cooling.  The median price dipped and sales slowed down.  The mortgage rate turbulence of the summer is likely to show up in late fall since the process of buying a home with escrow takes a bit of time to register in the current data.  Although this is a current trend in terms of sales and prices we’ve also discussed why it is unlikely that California baby boomers will suddenly unload properties in mass.  These owners may have equity trapped in their home but the only way to unlock it is via selling the place or going with a reverse mortgage which is like raiding the bank before handing something over to your heirs.  California real estate has been in a perpetual cycle of booms and busts for nearly 30 years.  That is why it is interesting to see the 2014 forecast put out by the California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.).  The forecast is modest yet past history tells us a different story.”