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Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) Extended One Year

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced it has extended the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) to June 30, 2012. The HARP program was scheduled to end June 30, 2011.

This program is designed to help homeowners whose homes have lost value. Through 2010 there have been 621,803 HARP refinances with loan amounts from 80 [...]

Private Transfer Fee Covenants Draw Fire From FHFA

Dennis Norman

Today the Federal Housing Finance Agency announce proposed guidance that would prohibit Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks from investing in mortgages with private transfer fee covenants. Considering that covers the lenders that originate, invest in or, or insure over 90 percent of the homes in the U.S. [...]

Is The Government Going to Push Us Into Another Housing Bust?

Dennis Norman

UPDATE June 21, 2010- I said I would update this post after the proposed rules were published on the Federal Register with info on how to submit a comment -If you would like to comment, see the comment instructions in the Federal Register (I highlighted them) by clicking here -end of update.

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Home Prices Lose Momentum and Fall in First Quarter

Dennis Norman

In contrast to my post yesterday about the NAR existing home sales report showing median home prices increased in March and April, today the S&P/Case-Shiller Index report for the first quarter of 2010 was released showing that the U.S. National Home Price Index fell 3.2 percent in the first quarter of 2010, [...]

Update on Fed’s Foreclosure Prevention and Loan Modification Programs

Dennis Norman

Today the Federal Housing Finance Agency released it’s “Foreclosure Prevention & Refinance Report for the Third Quarter 2009“. This report gives data on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two-quasi-government agencies that either own or insure most of the home loans in the U.S., including how foreclosure prevention and loan modification programs [...]

U.S. Monthly House Price Index Estimates 0.3 percent decline in August; Price index about the same as February 2005

Dennis Norman

Today the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) reported that U.S. home prices decreased 0.3 percent on a seasonally-adjusted basis from July to August and are down 3.6 percent for the past year. The U.S. home price index is now 10.7 percent below is April, 2007 peak.

The FHFA home price index is [...]