Tag Archives: Credit Standards

Ellie Mae released its Origination Insight Report for February, revealing that the closing rate for loan applications initiated 90 days prior--in November--was 56.8 percent.

Credit standards continue to look better and better as the market pulls away from the bubble era and the subsequent crash, LPS says.

Refinance loan share jumped to its highest level in at least a year and a half, according to Ellie Mae's Origination Insight Report for January 2013. According to the report, refinances made up 73 percent of loans closed in January--the highest level recorded since Ellie Mae began tracking the data in August 2011. January's refinance figure is 4 percentage points higher than December's. Despite the rise in refinance share, the time it took to close a refinance loan declined in January, falling to 54 days.

In his State of the Union address, President Obama acknowledged the progress that has been made in the housing market with rising prices, increasing home purchases, and an uptick on construction. However, "even with mortgage rates near a 50-year low, too many families with solid credit who want to buy a home are being rejected," he said. Obama also proclaimed his support for expanding access to refinancing, calling on Congress to pass a refinance bill currently in the pipeline.

Nearly 20 percent of credit reports reviewed by consumers and experts, according to a congressionally mandated study by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The study, based on the findings of 1,001 participants reviewing 2,968 credit reports issued from Transunion, Experian, and Equifax, showed that approximately 25 percent of consumers identified errors material enough to affect their credit scores. About 5 percent found errors large enough to trigger higher payments for mortgages or other financial products.

The percentage of banks reporting stronger demand for mortgage loans dropped in the first quarter from the fourth quarter last year, and a slightly greater percentage are reporting easing lending standards, the Federal Reserve Reported Monday. In the case of "traditional" mortgage loans, 4.6 percent of banks reported standards easing somewhat. While the survey results suggest a direction of lending standards, they could be misleading: A bank which has tightened lending standards as much as possible may not ease them but cannot tighten further.

Subprime credit scores are declining across the country with strong declines in a few rebounding markets, according to Atlanta-based Equifax, a leading credit reporting agency. Designating credit scores below 620 as "subprime," Equifax found the number of subprime borrowers decreased 2.1 percent from the third quarter of 2011 to the third quarter of 2012. The 2.1 percent translates to about 1 million Americans who rose from the subprime category.

The average credit score among online mortgage shoppers is rising and is well above the overall national average, according to a recent study by MortgageMarvel.com.

Closing rates on all types of mortgage loans increased in December, according to data from Ellie Mae's Origination Insight Report.

Economic activity "expanded" in the closing weeks of 2012, the Federal Reserve said in its periodic Beige Book released Wednesday, reflecting a slow but steadily declining unemployment rate and low rates of inflation--conditions the Fed said would have to be met before it raises interest rates. According to the report, "real estate activity has expanded or held steady in 11 Districts for existing home sales and leasing; eight Districts for residential construction; 11 Districts for nonresidential sales and leasing; and nine Districts for nonresidential construction."