HSH.com in the news — 2012
May 08, 2012: “Rising Costs Hit Homeowners Chasing Lower Rates,” a Wall Street Journal article by Ruth Simon, quoting HSH.com:
Lenders have also boosted fees to cover the increased cost of doing business, notes Keith Gumbinger, a vice president at HSH Associates. Banks, for instance, now double- and even triple-check key parts of the application, such as borrower income and property valuations.
May 04, 2012: “Research in Motion shares slide 15.8% in 3 days,” a San Francisco Chronicle article, quoting HSH.com:
“Unfortunately the economy appears to be sputtering again, and that doesn’t foster the kind of confidence needed for consumers to want to take on what is one of life’s biggest financial obligations.”
Keith Gumbinger, vice president of mortgage-data firm HSH Associates, on why home-loan demand remains soft even though interest rates have fallen to record lows.
May 03, 2012: “Mortgage Rates in U.S. for 30-Year Loans Fall to Record Low,” a Bloomberg article by Prashant Gopal, quoting HSH.com:
“Lower interest rates do provide support for housing,”said Keith Gumbinger, vice president of HSH Associates, a mortgage-data firm in Pompton Plains, New Jersey.“Unfortunately the economy appears to be sputtering again and that doesn’t foster the kind of confidence needed for consumers to want to take on what is one of life’s biggest financial obligations.”
April 24, 2012: “10 Things Open Houses Won’t Tell You,” a Smart Money article by AnnaMaria Andriotis, quoting HSH.com:
There’s no way the listing agent can know if every person who walks into the door is qualified to purchase the home, says Keith Gumbinger, vice president at mortgage-data firm HSH Associates.
April 16, 2012: “What Romney Plan May Mean for Homeowners,” a Smart Money article by AnnaMaria Andriotis, quoting HSH.com:
Still, the elimination of this deduction could impact investment properties, says Keith Gumbinger, vice president at HSH Associates, a mortgage-data firm. For investors with mortgages, this deduction helps to lower the cost of carrying the property, so eliminating the deduction would make it less profitable.
April 12, 2012: “Mortgage Rates in the U.S. Fall With 15-Year at Lowest on Record,” a Bloomberg article by Prashant Gopal, quoting HSH.com:
“There was a tempering of optimism,” said Keith Gumbinger, vice president of HSH Associates, a mortgage-data firm in Pompton Plains, New Jersey. “The market was getting a little ahead of itself about where the economy was domestically and globally.”
April 12, 2012: “Mortgage Rates Tumble Back Into Record Territory,” a CNNMoney article by Les Christie (also appearing on FOX 8 Cleveland), quoting HSH.com:
Those holding out for rates to fall even further, shouldn’t wait any longer, according to Keith Gumbinger of HSH.com, a mortgage information company.
“For [rates] to continue to decline, we will need more signs that the economy is cooling and signals that the Federal Reserve will be taking new steps to support it,” he said. “That seems unlikely.”
April 10, 2012: “What the foreclosure settlement means for you,” a CNNMoney article by Les Christie, quoting HSH.com:
The new rules and regulations the banks have agreed to under the settlement should have little impact on future mortgage borrowing since most of practices are already in place, said Keith Gumbinger of HSH.com, a mortgage information provider.
April 10, 2012: “Should You Jump Off the Refinancing Bridge?” a Fox Business article by Andrea Murad, quoting HSH.com:
April 09, 2012: “New Ways to Get Real Help On Your Underwater Mortgage,” a Daily Finance article by Jean Chatzky:
“It’s a matter of which programs are available for which homeowners,” says Keith Gumbinger, vice president at HSH.com. “Frankly, I’m not sure how anybody in any kind of difficult straits can figure out where to go, get the eligibility stuff straight and actually get help.”
April 05, 2012: “Locking In Peace of Mind,” a New York Times article by Vickie Elmer, quoting HSH.com:
This guarantee may be especially important for those who are refinancing, where even a quarter of a percentage point could skew a borrower’s calculations and make a refinancing less financially desirable, said Keith T. Gumbinger, a vice president of HSH.com a financial publisher in Pompton Plains, N.J.
April 04, 2012: “How to grab the best mortgage rate now,” a Reuters article by Lou Carlozo, quoting HSH.com:
When you are shopping for quotes, try a mortgage broker, a banker, a local lender, a credit union, a national lender and at least one comparison website like Bankrate (www.bankrate.com), Mortgage Marvel (www.mortgagemarvel.com) or HSH Associates (www.hsh.com).
March 29, 2012: ” Is a Microhome a Fit for You?” a Main Street article, also appearing on MSN.com, by Jeff Brown, quoting HSH.com:
“The McCottage is replacing the McMansion as a home status symbol as more homeowners look to save money and reduce their impact on the environment,” says HSH Associates, the mortgage data firm. While national figures are hard to come by, or don’t exist, HSH quotes builders who suggest microhomes will be the next big thing.
March 22, 2012: “Mortgage Rates Creep Upward,” a U.S. News & World Report article by Meg Handley, quoting HSH.com:
While a stronger economy doesn’t necessarily mean the demise of low mortgage rates, it will take some serious bad news to get mortgage rates to decline much further, says Keith Gumbinger, vice president of mortgage information website HSH.com.
“[N]ascent optimism about the health of the economy may fade given the concerns about higher gasoline prices and still-troubled European markets,” he said in a recent post. “However, without the emergence of more downbeat news, it will be difficult for mortgage rates to decline much.”
March 22, 2012: “Underwater Mortgage Calculators: When and How Will You Get Back to Even?” a Forbes article by Nickel, quoting HSH.com:
Given this, HSH.com put together a couple of calculators for predicting when and how you can get back to even given your current circumstances.
Using their KnowEquity When calculator, you can plug in your initial loan amount, the term and interest rate, first payment date, home value, and expected rate of price appreciation, and extra monthly payments to predict when your equity will finally equal your loan balance.
March 22, 2012: “Mortgage rate jumps past 4%,” a CNNMoney article by Les Christie, quoting HSH.com:
“A strengthening economy has pushed mortgage rates up a little bit,” said Keith Gumbinger, vice president of HSH.com, a mortgage information company. “We’ve moved off the absolute rock-bottom lows of the past few months to a slightly higher level.”
March 22, 2012: “Rates on 30-year mortgage leap above 4%,” a MarketWatch article by Amy Hoak (also appearing in the New York Post), quoting HSH.com:
But a stronger economy doesn’t mean the days of low mortgage rates are gone, said Keith Gumbinger, vice president of HSH associates, on an HSH.com blog.
“The Federal Reserve is still committed to keeping mortgage rates low, and nascent optimism about the health of the economy may fade given the concerns about higher gasoline prices and still-troubled European markets,” he said. “However, without the emergence of more downbeat news, it will be difficult for mortgage rates to decline much.”
March 21, 2012: “US mortgage rates at four-month high,” a Financial Times article by Nicole Bullock and Shahien Nasiripour, quoting HSH.com:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/497f4fcc-7365-11e1-9014-00144feab49a.html#ixzz1prewXzJs
March 20, 2012: “How to Get Your Mortgage Above Water,” a Main Street article (also appearing on MSN) by Jeff Brown, quoting HSH.com:
A pair of new calculators from HSH Associates, the mortgage-data firm, can provide the answers. Well, call them good estimates, as certain variables, like the rate of home-price appreciation, can’t be predicted for sure.
The HSH calculators focus on three factors that can get a homeowner above water: amortization, or the gradual paying down of debt through regular monthly payments; appreciation, or the gradual gain on the property’s value; and prepayments, the benefits of making extra principal payments to reduce the debt.
March 19, 2012: “HSH Mortgage Calculator Shows When You’ll Break Even On Your Mortgage,” a Huffington Post article by Loren Berlin, quoting HSH.com:
To help sort it out, HSH, a company that conducts independent research into mortgage loans, has launched a new calculator to help determine when you’ll get back to the break-even point on your home loan.
HSH collects data directly from bank branches across the country, analyzing the numbers to report on a variety of mortgage-related topics, ranging from technical reports directed at the industry to more consumer-friendly advice.
March 16, 2012: “Mortgage Under Water? Calculator Points the Way Back to Black,” a U.S. News & World Report article by Meg Handley, quoting HSH.com:
A new calculator from mortgage information website HSH.com tells homeowners exactly that. Just punch in a few numbers and voila—homeowners can see exactly when they’ll be back in the black.
March 16, 2012: “Underwater on mortgage? Figure out when, how you might break even,” a Batimore Sun article (also appearing on their blog) by Jamie Smith Hopkins, quoting HSH.com:
HSH.com, a mortgage-information company, has a new calculator designed to help answer the question — variations of which are bedeviling millions of borrowers across the country.
March 16, 2012: “Refinance, Please,” a CNBC article by Temma Ehrenfeld, quoting HSH.com:
“We’re going to provide refinancing with no documentation against property that hasn’t been appraised. Isn’t this the very way we got into trouble?” asks Keith Gumbinger, vice president at HSH.com, a mortgage information website.
March 14, 2012: “Lower payments one reason to refinance,” an article published in The Record, also appearong on ToledoBlade.com, quoting HSH.com:
“You have to have a taste for doing paperwork,” said Keith Gumbinger of HSH Associates, a Pompton Plains, N.J., firm that tracks mortgage data. “You’re going to be asked for lots of documents.”
March 11, 2012: “The Realities of Real Estate: Looking at home affordability,” an article published in The Capital by Bob and Donna McWilliams, quoting HSH.com:
The prevailing mortgage interest rate is the effective rate on loans closed on existing homes from the Federal Housing Finance Board and HSH Associates, Butler, N.J. These components are used to determine if the median income family can qualify for a mortgage on a typical home.
March 09, 2012: “First-time buyers: Do homework, then shop,” a Chicago Tribune article by Carolyn Bigda, quoting HSH.com:
“We might actually have a homebuying season this spring,” said Keith Gumbinger, vice president of HSH.com, a mortgage information website.
March 07, 2012: “Banks pull in trillions, but lend a fraction to home buyers,” a MyCentralJersey.com article by Michael L. Diamond and Shannon Mullen, quoting HSH.com:
“Caution is coming because loans that seemed like a good idea yesterday didn’t work out so well,” said Keith Gumbinger, vice president of HSH Associates, a Pompton Plains-based company that tracks mortgage rates.
February 23, 2012: “30-year mortgage rate rises above record low,” a CNNMoney article by Les Christie, quoting HSH.com:
The recent increases, said Keith Gumbinger of HSH Associates, could be the beginning of a gentle rate climb over the next few months, making borrowing to buy a house a tad more expensive.
February 11, 2012: “Removing homeowner benefits is counterproductive,” a Sioux City Journal article by Jim Woodard, quoting HSH.com:
Q: What impact do record-low mortgage rates have on our housing market?
A: Today’s low and stable mortgage rates and a modestly improving economy are starting to produce positive effects on the nation’s housing market, according to a report on HSH.com.
“While starting from extraordinarily low levels and though improvements are still tenuous, there have been accumulating signs of improvement for months. If the economy can continue to nudge forward for a while longer without some new catastrophe to derail it, we just might have ourselves a housing market worth talking about when spring rolls around,” the report stated.
February 09, 2012: “Will Foreclosure Deal Hurt Homebuyers?” a SmartMoney article by AnnaMaria Andriotis, quoting HSH.com:
The settlement could impact more than homeowners. For instance, it may lead to lower rates on deposit accounts as banks look for ways to make up the money they’re paying out in this settlement, says Keith Gumbinger, vice president at mortgage data firm HSH Associates.
February 06, 2012: “Payroll Tax Cut May Hurt Homebuyers,” a SmartMoney article by Kelli B. Grant, quoting HSH.com:
That’s not pocket change, but the fee isn’t particularly burdensome either, considering that mortgage rates are currently near record lows, says Keith Gumbinger, vice president at mortgage data firm HSH Associates. “It’s probably the least-painful time in mortgage history for this to happen,” he says. According to HSH, a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage currently averages 4.18%, down from 4.28% last week. 15-year loans are 3.46%, down from 3.55% last week.
February 02, 2012: “Mortgage rates hit a new low: 30-year fixed at 3.87%,” a CNNMoney article by Les Christie, quoting HSH.com:
The usual spread is about 1.7 percentage points, according to Keith Gumbinger of HSH Associates, a provider of mortgage data and information. Currently, it’s about 2 points.
February 02, 2012: “White House proposes aid for underwater homeowners,” a San Francisco Chronicle article by Kathleen Pender, quoting HSH.com:
Keith Gumbinger, a vice president HSH Associates, calls the proposal a “politically savvy stroke – virtually free, hassle-free refinancing for everybody, paid for by someone else.”
February 02, 2012: “Key moves for surviving low interest rates,” an Associated Press article by Candice Choi, quoting HSH.com:
“Banks have increased their ability to slice and dice individual segments (of the market) and make more targeted offers,” said Keith Gumbinger, an analyst with HSH Associates, a publisher of financial data.
February 01, 2012: “More help for struggling homeowners,” a SmartMoney article by AnnaMaria Andriotis, quoting HSH.com:
Homeowners who were struggling with their payments while they were employed should consider a loan modification, which results in smaller monthly payments and would also last for a longer period of time than forbearance relief, says Keith Gumbinger, vice president at HSH Associates, a mortgage-data firm.
January 25, 2012: “Federal Mortgage Insurer Headed Toward Collapse,” a Epoch Times article by Evan Mantyk, quoting HSH.com:
HSH.com, which provides information and news on mortgages, says that the FHA does need changes but that its financial health has gotten better in some ways, not worse. Also, HSH.com points out that the FHA has gotten stricter and implemented new requirements, including increasing the down payment requirement from 3 percent to 3.5 percent.
January 20, 2012: “5 Ways to Spot a Bad Landlord,” a MoneyTalksNews article by Angela Colley, quoting HSH.com:
You can order a background check on the property (and the landlord) from CheckYourLandlord.com. According to HSH.com, the site locates property ownership information, runs a criminal background check, and shows if the landlord has filed for bankruptcy or if he’s been sued by any former tenants. Last month, a basic report cost $12.95 and a comprehensive report cost $27.95.
January 19, 2012: “30-year mortgage rate dips, again,” an Associated Press, Newsday article quoting HSH.com:
On Long Island, according to figures calculated for Newsday by HSH Associates at HSH.com, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate is 4.08 percent, down from 4.16 percent. The 15-year rate is 3.67 percent, down from 3.72 percent. The one-year adjustable is 3.55 percent, down from 3.59 percent.
January 19, 2012: “Homebuilding ends bad year on upswing,” a Marketplace Economy article by Stacey Vanek Smith, quoting HSH.com:
Still, Keith Gumbinger with mortgage website hsh.com describes the 2011 housing market as warming, not warm by any means, but warming. And that’s going to start us out in 2012 in a much better position.
January 19, 2012: “Real Estate Vs. REITs,” a Seeking Alpha article by Dividend Dog, quoting HSH.com:
For example, “How to Estimate the Cost of Homeownership” featured on HSH.com suggests estimating maintenance costs at 1% of a property’s value.
January 18, 2012: “Will mortgage rates stay low in 2012?” a MoneyRates.com article by Michele Lerner, quoting HSH.com:
However, HSH.com notes that continued high unemployment figures may continue to put downward pressure on the housing and mortgage markets. Its forecast anticipates that mortgage rates through mid-February will average 4.00 to 4.30 percent for 30-year fixed-rate loans.
“Without considerably stronger job growth, it will be hard to get more potential buyers into the market,” the latest HSH.com forecast said. “For their part, the Fed’s commitment to low and steady mortgage rates is helping, and both new and existing home sales have been on a gradual upturn since about mid-year 2011.”
January 18, 2012: “Mortgage applications surge amid record-low rates,” a CNNMoney article by Les Christie, quoting HSH.com:
Low rates have had a positive impact on the housing market in at least two important ways, said Keith Gumbinger of HSH Associates. First, there are those borrowers who were able to avoid foreclosure by refinancing and lowering their monthly payments.
Then there are the tens of thousands of homeowners with risky adjustable-rate mortgages who have avoided potential disaster. These borrowers could have been hit hard had rates been higher when their loans reset. But instead, they are saving money, he said.
Adjustable-rate mortgages reset under a formula that involves a margin, specified in the contract, and an index, usually the one-year London Inter-Bank Offerer Rate (LIBOR). Margins on option ARMs range between 1.625% and 2.5%, and the current LIBOR rate is around 1.1%. That combines for a very affordable rate of 2.7% to 3.6%.
“For anyone with the guts to hang on, ARM borrowing has been very favorable,” said Gumbinger. “If you took the risk, you could be enjoying the results right now.”
January 15, 2012: “Fannie, Freddie charge borrowers for fed’s tax cut,” a San Francisco Chronicle article by Kathleen Pender, quoting HSH.com:
January 13, 2012: “Mortgage rates likely to stay low in 2012,” a Chicago Tribune article by Mary Ellen Podmolik, quoting HSH.com:
Mortgage researcher HSH Associates predicts rates this year will range from 3.85 to 4.85 percent.
January 12, 2012: “Mortgage Rates for 30-Year Fixed U.S. Loans Decline to Record Low of 3.89%,” a Bloomberg article by Prashant Gopal, quoting HSH.com:
“There’s a general economic improvement that is serving to promote home sales, and the low and stable mortgage rate environment plays into that very well,” said Keith Gumbinger, vice president of HSH Associates, a loan-data firm in Pompton Plains, New Jersey.
January 05, 2012: “Mortgage rates to stay low for most of 2012,” a MarketWatch article by Amy Hoak, quoting HSH.com:
Meanwhile, HSH Associates, a publisher of consumer loan information, predicts conforming, 30-year fixed-rate mortgages will remain between 3.85% and 4.85% throughout 2012.
“Things appear to be improving domestically. The economy, employment, the housing market are showing signs of warming,” said Keith Gumbinger, vice president at HSH.
For more: HSH in the News–2011
