Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac expanded a home refinance program that helps low-to-moderate income households, giving them a better opportunity to refinance now while interest rates are low. The program was launched in June of 2021, but recently the income limit qualifier was increased as well as other modifications to the program to reach more homeowners.
Residential Purchase Mortgage Applications posted the largest increase since early July, which many sources say is a result of increased inventory and slightly reduced mortgage interest rates.
MortgageNewsDaily.com reports that according to Ice Mortgage Technology (formerly Ellie Mae), in their Loan Origination Report for January, “closed loans continued to show declining note rates in January, dropping from an average of 2.93 percent in December to 2.88 percent” and also includes “Interest rates continued to decline in January, driving up the share of refinances by seven percent,”
The world is filled with news about the many impacts the pandemic has had on our lives, and most are negative: social distancing, wearing masks, education impacted by school closures, loss of jobs, and health challenges, even death.
Home owners and home buyers across the nation are thrilled to have an opportunity to secure a mortgage rate that is the lowest rate ever offered in the US. During a year that has seen a pandemic and civil unrest, the nation also enters a time where the average lender is offering mortgage rates that are below 3%.
Lenders across the US are struggling to keep up with the Mortgage Refinance Boom. The recent Federal Reserve rate cut has motivated many homeowners that were waiting for the right time to refinance to make their move and file an application. Major lenders are doing their best to meet the need including hiring new loan underwriters, processors, and closers.
Purchase application volumes have also increased to the highest level in over 11 years, which is adding to the pressure on the entire mortgage industry affecting lenders, appraisers, and title companies.
MortgageNewsDaily.com says we will need to wait and see if mortgage rates will drop back into all-time lows. The impact of the pandemic has had it’s affect on bond markets which are driving mortgage rates.
Mortgage rates were low in January and continued to fall to historic lows in February. According to many sources, now is a great time to refinance a home, or get a great mortgage on a home purchase.
Debates about the future of our national economy have always involved many different viewpoints and opinions. Economic advisors and experts build their opinions on a variety of factors, and it is interesting to read their diverse projections. One thing they cannot debate is the fact that our nation has had a decade of low interest rates.