Political Commentary

  I have been asked why I have political posting sense this is a mortgage blog many times now.  Well the answer is this; if there is a political issue happening that is going to effect mortgage rates then I am going to speak up.  I really do not like the political game as they all [...]

Market News

  The benchmark 4.0% mortgage bond gained 6bp to close at $100.56 in quiet trading.
 
  Consumer Confidence in March edged higher to 26.0 vs. expectations of 28.0 from February’s level of 25.0.
 
  The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index continued to slip lower with a -19.0% year-over-year decline in the 20-city index vs. a forecast [...]

Longevity of financial rally undermined by data

The recent rally in financial stocks, at the epicenter of both the market’s collapse and its revival, may be built on shaky ground, data on financial flows suggest.
For all the euphoria, it’s noteworthy that financial exchange-traded funds have seen outflows since March 6, when the current rally in the broader market got going. Short-interest positions [...]

Appraisal and Property Report Policies and Forms

                             Fannie Mae recognizes the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice as the minimum appraisal standards for the appraisal industry, in addition to establishing separate appraisal requirements to supplement the Uniform Standards. This document provides guidelines for using the newly introduced Market Conditions Addendum to the Appraisal Report, as well as FAQs about the Addendum, new [...]

Mike Mortrud Joins the Emerald Coast Team

In the ever changing mortgage lender environment I try to keep track of Loan Officers that do it right.  Mike Mortrud a fifteen year veteran of the Mortgage Industry has now joined the Emerald Coast Team.   If you are in the market for a short sell purchase then you understand the issues with financing ahead [...]

IndyMac Bank Is Back in The News….

   
 
  Well isn’t odd that just yesterday I was talking about Former Senator Brewster being in the pocket of PanAm Airlines.  Think back a bit and you will find that in 1947 Senator Brewster had Howard Hughes come before Congress In an attempt to virtually steal TWA away from Hughes.  Fortunately Hughes had the fortitude [...]

In new twist, bond auctions rock stocks

Treasury bond auctions, not usually the stuff that fires up equities traders, rocked stocks this week as investors homed in on worries about the ability of the government to borrow more than $2 trillion to fund its financial and economic rescue plans.
“Everybody knows that the government is auctioning stuff like there’s no tomorrow,” said Paul [...]

Geithner moves to tighten Wall Street regulation

  Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner unveiled sweeping new “rules of the game” Thursday, seeking dramatically expanded federal powers to regulate a broad swath of the financial industry including hedge funds, derivatives trading and money-market mutual funds.
The blueprint seeks to achieve two objectives as laid out by President Barack Obama to crack down on abusive practices [...]

Another Scripted Town Hall Meeting

  I find it odd that President Obama is doing these town hall meetings which were McCain’s idea for head to head debates with Obama.  I questioned why Obama was flying to several cities to give town hall meeting at huge cost to the tax payer.  Couldn’t the same speak be given from D.C?  Before [...]

Is Rental Income Passive Income?

A simple way to reduce your taxes is to reduce your salary. While this may sound highly unappealing, you may be able to do it without taking a hit in your wallet. All you need is “passive” rental income and deductions to match.
Before exploring this tax-saving strategy, however, it’s worthwhile to consider the differences between [...]