Year in Review: Data News

From the start of QM to the end of quantitative easing, the past year saw plenty of big news in the mortgage and financial markets. As the new year rolls in, MReport is taking a look at some of the biggest data headlines of 2014.

1. Survey: Young Buyers Driven Off By Down Payment Fears: There's a pervasive view held by younger consumers when considering whether to purchase a home or not, according to Freddie Mac's Christina Boyle. She believes that consumers persistently overestimate the size of a down payment they need in order to finance a home, and this lack of education is harming the housing market.
2. Former Goldman Sachs Exec Predicts Doom for Housing: Former Goldman Sachs executive Joshua Pollard sent a sobering 18-page report to the White House warning of a potential nosedive in home prices that could put the country back into a recession before the ripples of the previous one settle.
3. Originator Satisfaction Scores Rise Despite Customer Frustrations: Lenders continue to score better and better when it comes to customer satisfaction, but that doesn't mean there aren't some complaints. In its 2014 report, J.D. Power outlines the steps originators can take to make the mortgage process easier on consumers.
4. Lenders: Increasing Mortgage Availability Not Worth Regulatory Risk: Is all the talk of lenders loosening credit standards just a sign of wishful thinking? A survey released in November by the Collingwood Group splashed cold water on the idea that companies are eager to open up their purse strings just to get a little more business.
5. Mortgage Denials Point to Much Tighter Market: Reinforcing concerns of a too-tight credit market, a new measure of mortgage application denials released in December suggested that getting a loan might be even tougher for lower-credit borrowers than previously thought.