Monthly Archives: November 2007

Statistic #1: According to the Census Bureau, 69% of Americans are homeowners. Statistic #2: According to lawyers.com, 42% of Americans have a basic will. Basic Math: 27% of American homeowners are in need of a basic will. Addressing mortality can … Continue reading →

This morning, RealtyTrac released its Q3 2007 foreclosure data for the United States. The leading cities for foreclosures are: Stockton, CA (1 per 31 households) Detroit, MI (1 per 33 households) Riverside/San Bernardino, CA (1 per 43 households) Fort Lauderdale, … Continue reading →

The Dow Jones Industrial Average and NASDAQ shed 4.1% and 6.5%, respectively, last week. Normally, this would be good news for mortgage rates because investors tend to look for “safe havens” in bond issues, but instead, just treasuries benefited last … Continue reading →

We talk a lot about how mortgage bonds are the driving force behind mortgage rates but we never get into the math of it. So, to help our understanding of the subject, let’s delve a little deeper. Here’s the (very … Continue reading →

After running neck-and-neck for several months, interest rates for fixed-rate mortgages and adjustable-rate mortgages are finally diverging. Despite pricing worse than its fixed-rate counterpart throughout much of August and September, ARMs are now close to 0.375 percent lower for conforming … Continue reading →

If it feels like mortgage approvals are harder to come by than in years past, that’s because it is. And we’re not just talking about sub-prime mortgages (for which the market has nearly vanished in just 12 months). According to … Continue reading →

With gas prices up 37% nationally since this time last year, Americans have grown accustomed to driving a little bit further just to find a “gas bargain”. But, is it worth it? Based on today’s national average gas price of … Continue reading →

As we saw last week, the economy is simultaneously hot and cold. This makes for a strange ride on Wall Street because stocks and bonds tend to move on emotion rather than on fact. This “mob mentality” is one reason … Continue reading →

If you bought your home in 2007 and your mortgage is a conforming home loan, you may be able to take advantage of the current mortgage market conditions and lower your mortgage rate. As of this morning, mortgage rates are … Continue reading →

The Fed lowered the Fed Funds Rate by 0.250% yesterday. The widely-expected rate decrease was well-received by stock markets to the detriment of mortgage bonds. Mortgage rates climbed higher yesterday afternoon as demand for mortgage bonds waned. This further illustrates … Continue reading →