Vaultedge Newsletter -Of baby boomers and mortality & Independence Day

July 03, 2022

Dr. C.V. Raman, a renowned Indian Physicist mentioned in one of his studies that water was the elixir of life. Why am I suddenly talking about elixir, hinting towards immortality and youth? I happened to read a news item about the baby boomers and their mortality having a minimal impact on the housing market. I don’t tend to be philosophical but, America is growing old. This is according to new research released on June 30th by the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Research Institute for Housing America (RIHA). The study, Who Will Buy the Baby Boomers’ Homes When They Leave Them, talks about the data surrounding housing, demographics, and mortality to examine the bearing the aging and eventual death of baby boomers may have on future demand and the supply of homes. The study reveals that there will be a modest amount of excess supply of homes for sale.

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This week the mortgage rates shifted slightly. Honestly, let’s not bring out the drums and confetti yet. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.7% APR, down 13 basis points from the previous week's average. Meanwhile, pending home sales inched up in May over April, but were down 13.6% from a year ago, according to a National Association of Realtors index.

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There is a reason why where you live matters so much. Your personality, habits, and attributes all somehow get modeled within the four walls of your home. Unfortunately for some families, this dream is seldom realized. June was the National Homeownership Month. Rep. Maxine Waters, Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, said in the House Committee hearing last week, that homeownership is the primary driver of wealth for most families. A home provides a sort of stability, assurance, and an opportunity for families who intend to do better in their lives. Due to the pandemic housing boom, a lot of families were deprived of realizing their homeownership dream. The Federal Reserve states that home equity reached a record of $27.8 trillion in the early parts of 2022, and a lot of to-be qualified homeowners couldn’t participate.

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Do you remember the speech given by Bill Pullman (President Whitmore) in the movie Independence Day? “We will not go quietly into the night. We will not vanish without a fight. We’re going to live on. We’re going to survive. Today we celebrate our Independence Day!” This is a fictional character in a movie, yet the writing is so brilliant that it almost transcends time and place, offering wisdom that resonates with every individual belonging to different generations. The movie was a blockbuster and this specific speech found its way into the list of hallmark, motivational speeches. My plans for the Fourth of July are to spend time with family and friends and in the evenings get lost in the majestic fireworks display. What are your plans?

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We spent our week building the simplest ROI calculator that’s available on our website. We don’t believe in complicating products, life, or services. That’s why the calculator does what it shows. It calculates without the frills and trimmings. Most lenders who venture into the path of automation often worry whether the ROI will match up to the investment or not. And since we are a mortgage loan automation solutions provider, we decided to help our lender friends with this calculator. So, if they suddenly visit our website, like our products (fingers crossed!), they might as well do a bit of math and see how much they can save with automation. Well, that was my week.

Happy Fourth!

“As we celebrate National Homeownership Month, we must recognize that homeownership is the primary driver of wealth for most families in the United States,” said Rep. Maxine Waters, Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services.

More than 4 million existing-homes for sale annually over the next decade will come from the aging and mortality of older homeowners.

Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) results show the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.7% with an average of 0.9 points as of June 30, down from last week, when it averaged 5.81%.

First Guaranty Mortgage Corp. (FGMC) and its affiliate, Maverick II Holdings LLC, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, while also announcing it has “identified one or more potential partners” that can provide financial support. The bankruptcy filing comes just six days after FGMC laid off more than 400 people during a 10-minute virtual meeting online.

With the Mortgage Partnership Finance Program having surpassed $3 billion in mortgage-backed securities issuance, Ginnie Mae President Alanna McCargo noted that "the milestone demonstrates [the program’s] value in the marketplace.