Freddie Mac announced on Monday, September 26, that it would launch a new program to help reduce the risk it takes on various mortgages. The program will transfer backing to several private mortgage insurance companies. The loans included in this pilot program are those that were acquired by Freddie Mac starting September 1, 2016, and
Borrowing
Five loan companies in Arizona have been sued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for failing to follow disclosure guidelines in online advertisements. Guidelines state that lenders must follow specific formats for disclosing any interest rate changes in online marketing. The five lenders, which make loans secured by the borrower’s car title, did not
According to a statement made on Monday, by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a large number of mortgage lenders are now following the new regulations implemented last year by the Dodd-Frank Act. These new regulations govern mortgage originations and the dispersal of information to borrowers, among other things. Other rules apply to a borrower’s
While many couples choose to buy a home after getting married, some do not want to wait. They view buying a home as a way of moving forward in a relationship, but doing so may not be the best financial move. Experts warn those who want to buy a home before marrying that if they
A recent survey revealed that the average consumer is unable to fully understand the terms and conditions outlined in their cardholder agreement. The survey looked at a number of different credit card user agreements and rated their reading level using the Flesch-Kincaid readability test. The average reading level for these agreements equates to that of
As the qualifications for small business loans become more difficult to meet, many small business owners are looking for alternatives. Many have found that going with an online lender has advantages over banks and other traditional lenders, although there are some disadvantages as well.
One of the reasons small business owners are looking at online
When applying for a loan, most small business owners assume they will be evaluated only on the information they supplied on their application, but that’s not always the case. In fact, when applying for a loan from an online lender, that lender often takes into account things such as the social media profile of the
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission oversees cases involving mortgages, but the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has recently stepped in to ban several companies from operating in the mortgage industry after finding them guilty of making false claims to homeowners. The companies, Redstone Law Group and Surety Law Group, voluntarily agreed to the ban in
Much of Wall Street was pleased in June when all but two of the largest U.S. banks passed the so-called “stress test” applied by the Federal Reserve. What is this stress test, where does it come from, and why do the results matter to Wall Street?
The stress tests come from the Dodd-Frank legislation that
On August 4, new rules by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) came into effect. These will protect homeowners from wrongful foreclosure, and give them a chance to catch up on their payments before lenders can seize the property. These rules require mortgage servicers to provide various protections to those in foreclosure. Under the old
When travelers use credit cards in other countries, they are generally charged a foreign transaction fee. This covers the extra costs of transferring money from a U.S. credit card company to the business in the other country, including the exchange fee. Many different credit card companies are now dropping this fee.
According to a 2016
There have been lots of not-so-nice adjectives directed at the payday loan industry. Add “sinful” to the list, according to a 2016 survey from LifeWay Research sponsored by Faith for Just Lending.
The study included 1,000 respondents across thirty states who indicated a Christian religious preference. The majority of the states were chosen based on
Many businesses make use of credit cards for daily purchases, and some new small business owners even finance their entire business on credit cards in the beginning. A business can make use of various reward points and other perks to save money and build up its credit score, but there are some downsides to using
According to a survey by the Pepperdine Private Capital Access Index, small businesses are planning to expand this year. The survey found that 83% of respondents said they believe their small business will expand in 2016. Many added that they expect their total annual revenue to increase by an average of nine percent over the
The Washington state Supreme Court has ruled that lenders cannot take possession of a property due to missed mortgage payments without first going through foreclosure. This ruling opens the door to a federal class action spearheaded by Laura Jordan and joined by more than 3,600 borrowers. Jordan started the case after her mortgage provider seized
As the auto loan industry tops $1 trillion dollars, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has voiced concern over the unprecedented growth, increased delinquencies, and decreasing value of used cars. Many banks and other lenders have also relaxed their standards for borrowers to beat the competition, which has led to many unqualified
New York City is implementing a new program, the Community Restoration Program, to assist those in foreclosure from losing their homes. Under the program, the city will buy several mortgages owned by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). The program, according to Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City, is unique. It is designed to
Although government bond yields dropped in the past week, lenders have continued to hold mortgage interest rates steady. On Thursday, the 10-year yield on bonds dropped to 1.387 percent, while the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 3.41 percent. The difference of 2.02 percent is higher than it has been since the
Americans who have a down payment of around 20 percent or less may have to get mortgage insurance to qualify for the loan. However, some lenders do not explain what this is, and some borrowers walk away because they don’t believe they should buy mortgage insurance.
Mortgage insurance provides lenders with a guarantee if the
Jumbo mortgages made at the six largest U.S. banks accounted for 24 percent of all mortgages in 2015. That’s an increase from 21 percent in 2014. All of these jumbo mortgages were larger than $417,000. Since 2008, they have become more popular with the larger banks, including Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase, Citigroup, PNC
One of the consequences of the foreclosure crisis is that mortgage companies were told they needed to be more proactive in contacting and helping delinquent borrowers. However, this comes into conflict with another mandate from the administration: reducing the number of calls that consumers receive on their cellphones. With the two mandates in conflict, the
Mortgage relief scams have become more common as of late, but a number of homeowners are unaware of these fraudulent activities and their consequences. These scams begin when the scammer calls a homeowner and claims they can help the consumer negotiate a loan modification or some other type of foreclosure relief with the homeowner’s mortgage
Borrowers may file for bankruptcy when they no longer have the funds to pay their debts. While this may come from taking out too many credit cards and not properly budgeting, it may also occur due to a sudden illness, becoming unemployed, or any other type of unexpected financial situation. When an individual files for
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has announced a new proposal to target bad payday lending practices that can trap customers in unsustainable long-term debt.
The proposals would extend consumer protection to various kinds of short-term or cash loans including auto-title loans, payday loans, and some installment loans, requiring lenders to make more efforts to establish
Google has announced that on July 13, their search engine will ban all ads related to payday loans. These loans often have triple digit interest rates and the search engine company has added them to its list of dangerous products, for which it will not run advertisements.
This announcement comes less than a month before
If you are one of the brave men and women serving our country in uniform, you face enough dangers. You do not need anyone attempting to take financial advantage of you by capitalizing on the unique challenges of military life.
Unfortunately, you can find many payday loan lenders and other purveyors of short-term, high-interest loans
Borrowers in need of assistance between paychecks often look to various types of payday loans. One of these types of loans is called a single-payment loan, and it is secured with the borrower’s auto title. However, as with all payday loans, this type of loan often had unexpected consequences that went along with it. According
On Tuesday, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that they will soon be releasing a new set of guidelines for the sale of all mortgages that were once guaranteed by the US government. These new regulations come in response to a number of legislators criticizing the loan sales, saying that they allowed
When a borrower applies for a mortgage, the lender looks at both secured and unsecured lines of credit. With secured credit, they are taking less of a gamble – they can seize the asset associated with the credit. Mortgages and auto loans are both secured, while debt such as credit card loans and student loans
There are a number of programs that help homeowners with their monthly mortgage payments, but not all homeowners know about them. Some of these programs are connected to employers. While not all employers offer assistance, those that do often find job seekers fighting for open positions. Homeowners can also find help through a number of