For some context, in 2009 jumbo loans accounted for 5.5% of the market. Contrast that with this year, through September, where they’re accounting for almost 19% of the market — the highest level since 2006 (though still not quite to the peak of 2000). Why the difference? The answer is simple. A conforming loan is…

There was a while there where covering mortgage rates got (depending on your perspective) highly entertaining or highly nerve-wracking, as the news flip-flopped every day. Well, mortgage rates and the housing market all seem reasonably stable at the moment, but one of the big factors driving home prices has been foreign investment. Now it’s time…

OK. The article is a paid op-ed by PIMCO, so they have a vested interest in the position. But that doesn’t mean they’re wrong. The four points Mark makes — strong job growth and consumer confidence; low inventories and rising pent-up demand; a willingness to lend and expanding demand for credit; and relative affordability — are…

We reported earlier this year when Google added a mortgage calculator to organic search results. This week, they’ve taken another step forward. Google Compare now provides “[a] real-time, apples-to-apples comparison of rate quotes”. Of course, there’s a lot more to a mortgage than just the rate quote, and talking to a broker is still key,…

We reported earlier this year when Google added a mortgage calculator to organic search results. This week, they’ve taken another step forward. Google Compare now provides “[a] real-time, apples-to-apples comparison of rate quotes”. Of course, there’s a lot more to a mortgage than just the rate quote, and talking to a broker is still key,…

As we enter the holiday season, many Americans will be traveling quite a bit. For some, that’s just a drive to see local relatives; but for many, it can mean much longer trips, from elderly “snowbirds” heading to warm islands, to expats returning home to see family members. The U.S. State Department regularly issues travel…

Of course, everyone knows that property has different value in different markets. And everyone knows that the cost of labor is different in different markets, so the cost of building houses can vary. But it turns out that, far more important than the cost of labor, local zoning can have a huge impact on housing…

If you didn’t catch the brief coverage on CNN (here’s the original article , and you’re not particularly active on social media, then you may have missed a particularly heartwarming example of Americans doing the charitable thing. In the wake of the Paris attack last week, even though airports remained open, there were many cancelled flights. It…

Shelby Holliday of the WSJ sat down for a few moments at the CEO Council with Freddie Mac CEO Donald Layton. Of course, at this point, we’re all familiar with the e-mortgage regulations that have come through, and the government’s attempts to standardize reporting across the industry. In this video, Layton correctly points out that the…

The third quarter turned in some more positive results on the housing industry as a whole, and mortgage borrowing in particular. The Globe and Mail reported on two key milestones yesterday. First, as of September 30th, the mortgage delinquency rate was 4.99%. Second, for that same date, the percentage of mortgages in foreclosure was 1.88%. Those…