We track inventory and home sales very closely, so the biggest surprise this year has been the resiliency of home prices. Given the unrelenting mortgage costs, generally weak homebuyer demand, and the year’s rising supply of unsold homes, I’ve been expecting home prices to recede a bit in the second half of this year. They…
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After previously taking issue with some of the forms generated as a result of the terms of the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) nationwide commission lawsuit settlement agreement, University of Buffalo law professor Tanya Monestier is now objecting to NAR’s settlement. In a document filed on Monday in U.S. District Court in Kansas City — less than…
The Federal Housing Finance Agency has expanded the eligibility for alternative appraisal methods on purchase loans by increasing the maximum loan-to-value (LTV) requirement. The announcement was made on Monday during the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Annual Convention & Expo in Denver, Colorado. The maximum LTV ratio will increase from 80% to 90% for appraisal waivers…
In a significant move designed to expand homeownership access, the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (FHLBNY) announced the adoption of an alternative credit scoring model to boost mortgage credit availability. The wholesale bank will now allow members to pledge mortgage collateral using the VantageScore 4.0 system. FHLBNY will partner with 330 lenders across…