Daily Dose

Recent data hints that the 20 percent downpayment may not be entirely necessary anymore. First-time homebuyers are increasingly pursuing different vehicles to obtain their dream of being a homeowner. They also account for almost half the total homes purchased in the first quarter of 2017, a number which continues to rise.

The availability of mortgage credit has dropped more than a full percent over the last month, indicating lenders are continuing to tighten their credit standards. Overall mortgage credit availability fell 1.1 percent in May and 0.2 percent in April. Broken down by loan type, government credit availability saw the biggest drop, falling 1.9 percent over the month. Conforming credit dipped 0.3 percent, while conventional and jumbo credit availability headed the other direction, rising 0.2 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively. Jumbo loan credit availability, which has risen 13 out of the last 15 months, has helped to offset falling credit availability in other sectors.

It is no surprise that the home market has favored the seller this buying season, but what is interesting is how millennials have treaded the challenging and sometimes expensive market. Ellie Mae’s April Millennial Tracker showed steady increases in home loans among the demographic. Certain metropolitan areas saw a larger boom than others.

Two weekly reports show that mortgage rates are down—the lowest they’ve been in seven months, and mortgage application volume is up. Seasonally adjusted, purchase index is on the rise while unadjusted remains down over 10 percent. 10-year treasury yield also fell this week.

On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed a landmark bill--233 to 186--that, in its current form would dramatically change the future of financial regulation. The Financial CHOICE Act, originally introduced by Representative Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), Chairman of the House Financial Service Committee, on April 26, 2017, significantly amends the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The CHOICE Act is the Republican response to reforms put in place after the 2008 economic collapse.

New survey results show urban, rural, and suburban American homebuyers have “drastically different” profiles. Aside from agreeing on the importance of homeownership, the three groups vary greatly on most homebuying-related topics. The biggest differences lie with the urban buyer, who is younger, more transient, more likely to be an immigrant, and has a bigger budget. The average urban buyer is just 38 years old—nearly a full decade younger than the average suburban and rural buyer.

Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson was met with strong words Thursday morning when he appeared with the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Appropriations to defend the proposed budget for the fiscal year. He remained poised, articulate, and open as the subcommittee members took turns voicing their specific concerns. Secretary Carson went on to say that the playbook had to be changed, as there was only so much money to go around.

A white paper released on Thursday claims the emergence of the Loan Originations System (LOS) as a stand-alone product has led to “technology sprawl,” wherein mortgage tech platforms are disparate, disconnected, and overall less effective. According to the paper, titled “Reducing the Sprawl in Mortgage Lending,” the mortgage industry is plagued by disconnected technology that slows the process down—and cuts into the bottom line. Lenders should move toward a singular, more comprehensive LOS that can handle the mortgage process from cradle to grave, the paper reports.

While much buzz has been surrounding the presumed passing of the Financial Choice Act (H.R. 10), the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a non-partisan analysis for the U.S. Congress, released the budgetary effects of enacting the amended bill Tuesday. The original CBO estimate, released May 4, 2017, said enacting the legislation would reduce federal deficits by $24.1 billion over the 2017-2027 period, but the recalculated estimate said budget deficits would be significantly more than originally estimated. The House of Representatives is set to vote on the bill Thursday.

A new report shows that most millennials believe now is a good time to buy a home—and more than half of them are actually ready to take the plunge. About 51 percent of those surveyed said they are either extremely likely or very likely to buy within the next year. According to experts, impending mortgage rate hikes are likely causing the uptick in urgency. Still, roadblocks like scarce inventory and a lack of knowledge around the homebuying process could pose a problem for millennials.