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Lenders: Looking to simplify closings? Work with an insurance agency

Housing Wire

HousingWire recently spoke to Tom Kriby, vice president of client development and partnerships at Westwood Insurance Agency, about how working with an insurance agency can simplify the closing process for their customers, even in times of interest rate uncertainty. HW: How does working with an insurance agency simplify the closing process?

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Buy now, pay later: How do mortgage pros deal with ‘phantom debt’?

Housing Wire

Racamato is now orienting his team to look closely at clients’ bank statements to find multiple — and often interest-free — installments of a few hundred or thousand dollars paid to the same company on a biweekly or monthly basis. But these sources also told HousingWire that they don’t see an imminent “systemic risk” tied to BNPL debt. “I

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The impact of student loans on buying a home

Housing Wire

Most Americans still view homeownership as a key to building wealth, but for many, that piece of the American dream is on hold or out of reach thanks to the heavy burden of student debt. In fact, according to a recent study, millennials currently struggle with so much debt that 25% worry they won’t qualify for a mortgage.

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Opinion: how to close the minority homeownership gap

Housing Wire

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have had affordable lending goals for years, but the impact of closing the minority homeownership gap has not been that significant. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been under government conservatorship since the beginning of 2008. Ginnie Mae is wholly owned by the federal government.

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First-time homebuyers made up a record share of agency purchase loans in 2023

Housing Wire

The market in which these folks purchased their first home was one of record house prices, ballooning down payments , rising rates and elevated debt-to-income ratios (DTIs). Mortgage rates have averaged close to the 7% mark as of Feb. is more than 4 percentage points higher than for repeat buyers in recent months.

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3 unique mortgage products to get today’s homebuyer qualified

Housing Wire

Tom Davis, chief sales officer, Deephaven Mortgage Today’s market means that more borrowers have higher debt-to-income ratios, limited access to credit and are looking for alternative ways to get qualified for a mortgage. No traditional income analysis or employment information is required.

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CFPB report focuses on ‘discount points,’ but paints an incomplete picture

Housing Wire

Serving as a one-time fee paid at closing that allows a borrower access to a lower mortgage interest rate, CFPB notes that such points “have no fixed value in terms of the change in interest rate” and that borrower benefit is highly dependent on how long a borrower maintains a particular mortgage.