HousingWire Daily

Today’s HousingWire Daily features an exclusive interview with Andy Walden, an economist and the director of market research at Black Knight. In this episode, Walden discusses Black Knight’s latest report, which indicates that although delinquencies improved in November, nearly 2.2 million seriously past-due mortgages remain.

Today’s HousingWire Daily episode features an exclusive interview with NotaryCam’s CEO Rick Triola. In this episode, Triola delves into why more title industry professionals have adopted remote online notarization in 2020 and shares why he believes RON is here to stay in 2021.Here is a small preview of today’s interview with Triola. The transcript below has been lightly edited for length and clarity:HousingWire: Let's get started with the main question of RON adoption; as we all know, states have changed a lot this year when it comes to RON acceptance due to COVID-19. Do you think these policies will stick around in 2021?Rick Triola: I think so. RON is pretty much here to stay. It's proven over the last couple of years for the offices that have used us as far back as three or four years ago that it has become very sticky.  Sadly, during this pandemic there's a greater need for it today than there was three or four years ago. I think going forward I think going forward; it makes a lot of sense that all of this will become sticky. I can't imagine any legislation reversal.HousingWire: Looking at a national level, what is the state of the Senate’s SECURE Notarization Act?Rick Triola: It's an interesting, timely question because as of [Wednesday] the American Land Title Association has put together a letter to Congress, and I signed off on that. It's needed, as it just gives a standard that everybody could abide by. I think the challenge faced when it first came out, with the pandemic, it was a good idea. But there were a lot of things going on in the world that kind of put that on the back burner. But there's no question that in 2021 and as far as I'm aware of, there are no objections to national RON standards. I think it should go through pretty well in 2021.HousingWire Daily examines the most compelling articles reported from the HousingWire newsroom. Each afternoon, we provide our listeners with a deeper look into the stories coming across our newsroom that are helping Move Markets Forward. Hosted by the HW team and produced by Alcynna Lloyd and Victoria Wickham.HousingWire articles related to this episode: These are the top RON trends to watch for in 2021 This is the single greatest factor standing in the way of RON 2020 HW Vanguard: Rick Triola

Today’s HousingWire Daily features an exclusive interview with Mark Palim, the deputy chief economist at Fannie Mae. In this episode, Palim explains why he believes the U.S. economy is poised for a considerably stronger 2021.

In today’s HousingWire Daily episode, the HousingWire Digital Team focuses on one of the hottest housing markets in the country, Austin, Texas. The episode takes a look at the city’s hot housing market and examines a recent HW+ article that delves into what contributing factors could be making this red-hot market a magnet for tech companies.This article is part of our HW+ premium membership community. When you go to sign up, use the code “hwpluspodcast100” to get $100 off your annual membership.For some background on the story, here’s a summary of the article: Austin, Texas, dubbed “Silicon Hills,” is already home to tech companies like IBM, Dell, Google, Facebook and Apple. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said tech companies were flocking to Texas in “an absolute tidal wave.”On Friday, computer technology company Oracle announced in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it would be relocating its headquarters to Austin, where it already has a sizable campus. The filing said that the company believes “these moves best position Oracle for growth and provide our personnel with more flexibility about where and how they work….this means that many of our employees can choose their office location as well as continue to work from home part time or all of the time.”The number of tech and tech-adjacent companies moving to Austin just keeps growing. Over the summer, car manufacturer Tesla announced plans to open a $1.1 billion factory in Austin, claiming it could hire 5,000 people over time. And just last week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that he had relocated to Texas, too.Austin is ranked the No. 4 metro by net inflow of users and their top origins by Redfin– meaning 39.5% of users who search for homes in Austin are from outside the metro area. The top out-of-state origin location is San Francisco.HousingWire Daily examines the most compelling articles reported from the HousingWire newsroom. Each afternoon, we provide our listeners with a deeper look into the stories coming across our newsroom that are helping Move Markets Forward. Hosted by the HW team and produced by Alcynna Lloyd and Victoria Wickham.HousingWire articles related to this episode: News of Tesla factory revs up hot Austin housing market Austin now a magnet for tech workers wanting to buy homes

In today’s HousingWire Daily episode HW+ Managing Editor Brena Nath joins Mortgage Editor James Kleimann to discuss the most compelling articles reported from the HousingWire newsroom. The pair review Kleimann’s recent article, which is part of HW+ Premium Content, that digs deeper into the latest mortgage application pull-through rate and why LOs say some applications aren’t making it to the finish line.For some background on the interview, here’s a snippet of the article:Lonnie Glessner isn’t normally one to turn down business. But with origination volume expected to exceed $3.4 trillion this year, stretching the capacity limits of lenders and everyone else in the housing ecosystem, some mortgage applicants simply haven’t been worth his while.“I have a refinance client in California and they own a geodesic dome home,” said Glessner, a senior loan officer at Draper & Kramer Mortgage in Englewood, Colorado. “They are nearly impossible to finance, thus not worth my team’s time currently. We can’t be chasing rabbits all over the park right now. My team of LOAs, processors, assistant processors, underwriters and closers are still overwhelmed with business…I need to keep it easier for them.”The geo-dome owner was among the tens of thousands of mortgage applicants that didn’t end up getting funded during the third quarter. According to the most recent Mortgage Bankers Association report on profits, 72% of mortgage applications in the third quarter were funded by independent mortgage banks, known as the pull-through rate.Historical data from the MBA shows a huge variance in pull-through rates. In the fourth quarter of 2019, the rate checked in at 78%. Its low point over the last five years was 67%, in the first quarter of 2020. For the most part, the pull-through rate has hovered in the low 70s over the last five years.HousingWire Daily examines the most compelling articles reported from the HousingWire newsroom. Each afternoon, we provide our listeners with a deeper look into the stories coming across our newsroom that are helping Move Markets Forward. Hosted by the HW team and produced by Alcynna Lloyd and Victoria Wickham.HousingWire articles related to this episode: After 2020's IPOs, 2021 might be the year of MSR CFPB finalizes rules on qualifying mortgages Why 28% of mortgage applicants never close the loan

Today’s HousingWire Daily features a Housing News Podcast crossover episode that includes an interview with Simone Beaty, the director of single-family affordable lending initiatives at Freddie Mac.  In this episode, Beaty explains how Freddie Mac is supporting shared equity programs as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to financially strain Americans nationwide. 

Today’s HousingWire Daily episode features an exclusive interview with First American’s Chief Economist Mark Fleming. In this episode, Fleming discusses his recent report that examines the U.S. housing market’s lack of housing inventory and why he believes this historic housing supply shortage is likely to continue into 2021. Here is a small preview of today’s interview with Fleming. The transcript below has been lightly edited for length and clarity:HW: As this is something we've been looking at closely, let's discuss housing supply, given how hot the housing market has been this year. Your report highlights that the average homeowner's tenure length is at an all-time high of 10.5 years. How does tenure length impact would-be homebuyers, and are there any other factors to be considered?Mark Fleming: The unfortunate truth is you can't buy what's not for sale. Supply inventory comes almost entirely from existing homeowners. If that existing homeowner chooses to stay in their home longer, the tenure length measures the amount of time people are not moving or selling their home. If there's nothing to sell, there's nothing to buy. Inventory is tight; tenure length is up, existing homeowners aren't bringing their homes to market, so the potential first-time homebuyer has a really hard time finding something to buy. That then plays into house prices and becomes significant bidding wars for what is for sale, which escalates prices. We have to remember that house prices result from the supply and demand dynamic, but not something else. They're a reflection of the imbalance. As the post's title suggests, The Big Short is a significant shortage and historic shortage in housing in the United States today.HousingWire Daily examines the most compelling articles reported from the HousingWire newsroom. Each afternoon, we provide our listeners with a deeper look into the stories coming across our newsroom that are helping Move Markets Forward. Hosted by the HW team and produced by Alcynna Lloyd and Victoria Wickham.HousingWire articles related to this episode: Increase in housing starts has construction playing catch-up Builder confidence reaches 35-year high in November Mortgage rates fall to another record low at 2.71%

Today’s HousingWire Daily features an exclusive interview with Redfin’s Daryl Fairweather. In this episode, Daryl discusses why she believes the U.S. housing market is likely to withstand a wave of foreclosures once mortgage forbearance comes to an end.Here is a small preview of today’s interview with Fairweather. The transcript below has been lightly edited for length and clarity:HousingWire: Alright, now I want to focus on Redfin’s latest report, which focuses on the nation’s forbearance and foreclosure activity. In the article, Redfin highlights that more than 3.3. million U.S. homeowners will be on the hook for delinquent payments when mortgage forbearance ends, and while some of them will contribute to a wave of foreclosures, most will be able to work with their lenders to either refinance their mortgage or sell to cash in on rising home values. Can you explain this more in detail for our listeners? Daryl Fairweather:  During the pandemic, we've had mortgage forbearance, which has been a really great option for people who are worried about a job loss or declining income. For many, not having a mortgage payment has been one less thing to worry about. While there's uncertainty about where the economy is headed not all of those who have chosen to defer their loans are going to end up in foreclosure. The good news for them is that home values have gone up quite a bit during the pandemic. In fact, they've risen over 6%, and most people have a lot of equity in their homes. These people have options. They can refinance their mortgages, which means they'll be able to refinance to lower interest rates, potentially even reducing their payments below what they were initially paying prior to the pandemic. HousingWire Daily examines the most compelling articles reported from the HousingWire newsroom. Each afternoon, we provide our listeners with a deeper look into the stories coming across our newsroom that are helping Move Markets Forward. Hosted by the HW team and produced by Alcynna Lloyd and Victoria Wickham.HousingWire articles related to this episode:·      Mortgage delinquencies expected to remain above pre-pandemic levels until 2022·      Here’s why we won’t see a housing crisis after COVID-19·      Pandemic may lead to foreclosure crisis, CoreLogic says·      Despite moratoria, foreclosures increase 20% in October 

In today’s HousingWire Daily interview, Matt Tully, Sagent’s vice president of agency affairs and chief compliance officer, discusses how a Biden administration will likely impact housing regulation. During the interview, Tully also explores what the overall change in government administration means for banks and lenders when it comes to housing.For some more background on what is discussed, here’s a brief summary of a recent HousingWire article on The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's recent announcement of its' appointment of two executives to the Executive Committee: Sydney Menefee has been selected to fill the senior deputy comptroller for Midsize and Community Bank Supervision on a permanent basis, and Greg Coleman will become the next senior deputy comptroller for Large Bank Supervision.Menefee, who has served as acting senior deputy comptroller for Midsize and Community Bank Supervision since June, will lead a team of 1,600 people in the supervision of more than 1,000 national banks and federal savings associations.Menefee’s resume includes two years as deputy comptroller and chief accountant. Before that, she was a professional accounting fellow and held various roles within the OCC as part of the Office of the Chief Accountant and Midsize Bank Supervision. She was commissioned a national bank examiner in 2016. Coleman, who has been a deputy comptroller for Large Bank Supervision since 2015, will direct approximately 800 employees in overseeing the country’s largest national banks and federal branches and agencies, which hold more than $10 trillion in total consolidated assets.The HousingWire Daily examines the most compelling articles reported from the HousingWire newsroom. Each afternoon, we provide our listeners with a deeper look into the stories coming across our newsroom that are helping Move Markets Forward. Hosted by the HW team and produced by Alcynna Lloyd and Victoria Wickham.HousingWire articles covered in this episode: Industry gives mixed reviews of FHFA's Final Capital Rule Coleman, Menefee selected to OCC executive committee

In today’s HousingWire Daily episode, HW+ Managing Editor Brena Nath joins Magazine Editor Kelsey Ramirez to discuss the most compelling articles reported from the HousingWire newsroom. Brena and Kelsey review HousingWire Magazine’s latest issue, which features several 2021 economic forecasts. The issue, which is part of HW+ Premium Content, also highlights what the HousingWire editorial team believes could happen for each sector of the housing industry in next year’s market. For some background on the interview, here’s a brief summary of a recent HousingWire article on the 2021 housing market forecast:Even prior to the pandemic, housing inventory had hit record lows, and the problem has only gotten worse as demand continues to rise. Total home sales are outpacing new listings by a wide margin every month, and real estate tech company Homesnap foresees the shortage continuing in 2021 unless more sellers enter the market.The divide between supply and demand is striking: compared to last year, total new listings increased .22%, while total sales increased 19.29%. Homesnap said this trend could further drain inventory as 2021 approaches.Home prices have risen as a result of the mismatch in homebuyer demand and housing inventory. The average list price for properties that sold rose 6.7% from September to October this year, which Homesnap said is significantly higher than the same figure in 2018 and 2019.As median home prices keep rising, homeowners who originally planned to sell within the next three to five years might list their homes sooner, Homesnap said, freeing up more inventory.HousingWire Daily examines the most compelling articles reported from the HousingWire newsroom. Each afternoon, we provide our listeners with a deeper look into the stories coming across our newsroom that are helping Move Markets Forward. Hosted by the HW team and produced by Alcynna Lloyd and Victoria Wickham.HousingWire articles covered in this episode:Even with low inventory, expect a strong 2021 housing market