Jorge's Blog

Global Banks Unite in Unprecedented Rate Cuts Ben Bernanke and the Fed brought financial aid to the streets, lowering the Federal Funds Rate and Discount Rate by 0.50%. In an unprecedented emergency move, central banks across the globe joined in lowering interest rates. This move follows Washingt...

Recently Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac issued guidelines with the intent to stop buyers from conducting a "buy and bail" strategy, which applied to ALL Conventional loans.  A "buy and bail" strategy is when a buyer purchases a new home using their current residence as a "rental property" to qualify fo...

Fannie Mae announced  today new, national policy on down payment requirements for conventional, conforming mortgages the company will purchase or guarantee. Starting June 1, 2008, Fannie Mae will accept up to 97% LTV ratios for conventional, conforming mortgages processed through DU, and 95% LTV ...

It's Fed Day! Hot on the heels of its surprise inter-session rate cut of 75 basis points last week, the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) cut key interest rates again, the fifth straight cut since September 2007. In its statement last week, the Fed said it had decided to cut the federa...

Those hoping for lower overnight rates got them. "The Federal Open Market Committee has decided to lower its target for the federal funds rate 75 basis points to 3.5%. The Committee took this action in view of a weakening of the economic outlook and increasing downside risks to growth. While stra...

There is mounting pressure for increased limits from a number of groups for California.   We will see if this will finally carry the day, or California becomes a permanent high cost state, like Hawaii and Alaska.   Raising the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loan limit to $625,000 as part of a stimulu...

The BofA-Countrywide rumor turned into an official press release last night (soon followed by rumors of either Chase or Citi buying WaMu). There are also rumors about, since Moody's downgraded over 30 Countrywide tranches of mortgage debt in addition to the company being near bankruptcy, that the...

In slower markets, some loan officers may feel pressured to close deals that aren't in the homeowner's best interest.  In order to avoid getting into difficult and financially compromised positions with their mortgages, borrowers are well advised to be acutely aware of the signs of a responsible ...

If you had enough money to pay off your mortgage right now, would you? Many people would. In fact, the ‘American Dream' is to own your own home, and to own it outright, with no mortgage. If the American Dream is so wonderful, how can we explain the fact that thousands of financially successful pe...