The home-equity market has been down so long it doesnt take much to make it look like its looking up. Firming house prices in 2013 may be leading to a revival. The outstanding balance of home-equity loans, including home-equity lines of credit and closed-end second mortgages, continued to decline during the second quarter, dropping another 2.3 percent, according to the Federal Reserve. Since the end of 2007, the home-equity market has shrunk by 35.5 percent. Depository institutions hold...[Includes three data charts]
As the government shutdown continues and many federal workers go without pay checks, theres a growing concern that these potential borrowers will see their credit scores get dinged.
Moodys Investors Service this week warned of increasing complexity in the structures of new jumbo MBS. However, losses on the deals will only occur in low probability scenarios and issuers have yet to bring back all of the non-agency MBS features seen before the financial crisis. Moodys said complex cash-flow structures in new jumbo MBS can increase risks on senior bonds in the event of high mortgage losses. The features include super-senior support bonds, exchangeable securities, principal-only bonds, and pool interest-only bonds. These securities pose...