Private MI Activity Continued to Tumble in Third Quarter

Strong demand for FHA mortgages continued to put the squeeze on the troubled private mortgage insurance industry during the third quarter. According to new numbers compiled by Inside Mortgage Finance, private MI activity at the six firms still active in the business fell 22 percent between the second and third quarters of 2009. For the first three quarters of this year, private MI volume was down an even larger 60 percent on a year-over-year basis.

Among the active MI firms, fifth place PMI Mortgage Insurance posted the biggest drop in third quarter total primary insurance written with a 42 percent decline. Meanwhile, second place United Guaranty, a unit of AIG, showed the only gain in the MI industry during the third quarter with a 4 percent increase in new business.

Realtors Push for Clarification of Appraisal Code Sunset Date

The National Association of Realtors yesterday urged the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the New York attorney general to clarify exactly when the controversial Home Valuation Code of Conduct will expire as part of an agreement hammered out back in 2008. The code, which was implemented by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac earlier this year, has been criticized by real estate interests as being overly restrictive and limiting any housing recovery. At issue is whether the code will sunset in July or November of 2010, according to terms of the original agreement between the FHFA and the New York AG’s office.

New Homebuyer Tax Credit Likely to Encourage Mostly First-Time Purchasers

The proposed move by federal lawmakers to extend and expand the homebuyer tax credit is likely to have a much larger impact on first-time homebuyers than trade-up homebuyers, according to results from the Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance Monthly Survey of Real Estate Market Conditions. The proposal expected to be approved this week would extend an $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers and add a new $6,500 credit for current homeowners who buy a new principal residence.

Because the credit would average 4 percent of the purchase price for first-time homebuyers but only 2 percent for current homeowners, a lot more first-time purchasers are expected to take advantage of the tax break. Campbell Surveys estimates an extension and expansion of the tax credits will generate about 300,000 additional home sales to first-time homebuyers and 150,000 extra sales to current homeowners. Click here for more info.

Mortgage Originations Tumbled in October, New Data Suggest

The fourth quarter didn’t start off particularly well when it came to new mortgage activity. According to the Inside Mortgage Finance MBS Database, government-related mortgage securitization–a barometer for new originations–fell a hefty 21 percent between September and October. The biggest decline took place in the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac sector as new MBS issuance tumbled by 29 percent or $25.6 billion. The Ginnie Mae sector, which captures FHA and VA mortgage origination activity, held up much better with just a 3 percent or $1.3 billion dip in MBS issuance. Overall mortgage activity has been falling since July and the prospects for any rebound in the fourth quarter are very poor.

Mortgage Originations Fell Hefty 26% in 3Q09, New Analysis Finds

New 1-4 family mortgage originations tumbled a sizeable 26 percent between the second and third quarters of this year, according to new numbers compiled by Inside Mortgage Finance. Some $410 billion in new mortgages were made in 3Q09, the lowest quarterly pace seen in 2009. This brought mortgage originations for the first nine months of 2009 to $1.41 trillion or not far behind the $1.50 trillion seen for all of 2008.

Most of the decline in third quarter originations was due to a slide in refinance activity in the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac sector of the market. But new FHA originations held up remarkably well in the third quarter as volume actually rose 6 percent from the second quarter. FHA originations for the first three quarters of 2009 already have set a new annual record at $283 billion.

Cash is King in REO-Dominated Housing Market, Survey Finds

Cash deals accounted for more than a quarter of home sale transactions tracked nationwide during the third quarter of 2009, according to the Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance Monthly Survey of Real Estate Market Conditions. Not surprisingly, the survey found most of the cash deals were tied to sales of distressed properties–particularly damaged real estate owned, or REO. The growth in cash transactions, which is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, could put a damper on mortgage lender plans to grow their home purchase financing business in 2010.

For more information on the monthly survey contact John Campbell at john@campbellsurveys.com or (202) 363-2069.