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The Hottest Thing in Real Estate Is a Loan From Two Years Ago

Real estate agents are pushing sub-3 percent mortgages as an amenity, just like marble countertops or a view of the mountains.

Experts caution that mortgage transfers from seller to buyer can come with risks. Credit…Sophie Park for The New York Times

June 10, 2023

The only goal was to not lose money.

When Matthew Kilboy listed the Washington, D.C., condominium that he and his husband had bought in 2017, they accepted that higher interest rates and a soft market for condos meant any dollar over the $529,000 they had paid was a dollar they would thank their lucky stars for.

A similar two-bedroom and two-bath unit in the building had recently gone for just under half a million. The $549,000 price they listed in April was basically a wish.

A month later, the couple closed at $565,000 — thanks to a little-known amenity that has become increasingly popular as mortgage rates have risen. Their unit came with an assumable 30-year mortgage, with a 2.25 percent fixed rate that the couple had locked in after a November 2020 refinancing. By advertising that the buyer could inherit the mortgage, the couple, who have moved to Denver, got several over-asking-price bids that seemed like a relic from the warped real estate market during the Covid lockdown.

“It was the very first sentence of the listing,” said Mr. Kilboy, 39, a former Navy nurse whose loan, backed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, could be passed to the buyer. “No one could find an interest rate that low, so we were really pushing it.”

resumed their ascent, despite a huge increase in borrowing costs. The refrain among real estate agents and economists is that anyone who secured a mortgage rate of 3 percent or lower owns a valuable asset that they are loath to give up.

But every asset has a price. And now an emerging cadre of investors and real estate agents are trying to, in effect, sell mortgage rates from several years ago by transferring them to new buyers.

Redfin, the real estate brokerage, has seen a steep rise in listings like Mr. Kilboy’s that have comments like “beautiful home with assumable loan at 3.25 percent.” Facebook groups have popped up to find buyers for them, while new companies are pitching services to speed up the transfer.

Assumption Solutions, a consulting firm that, for a $1,100-per-deal processing fee, helps real estate agents navigate transferring mortgages between sellers and buyers. In his pitch to agents, Mr. O’Boyle argues that they push sub-3 percent rates as they do marble countertops or a view of the mountains.

“You market this, and let’s say you’re competing against the house next door, your house should sell either faster or for more money,” he said.

2/1 buydown,” in which a borrower pays for an interest rate reduction of two percentage points during the first year and one percentage point in the second.

Put simply: “Most homes are unaffordable at today’s rates,” said Luis Solis, a real estate agent in Phoenix and Portland, Ore.

A majority of Mr. Solis’s recent deals have had some form of interest rate compensation that is a price cut in all but name, he said. Usually it’s a lump sum at closing that buyers use to buy temporarily lower rates. Sellers with a lot of equity can cut out the middleman and finance the buyer’s purchase below prevailing rates by acting as a lender — seller financing, it’s called.

Assuming mortgages, paying down rates: These are creative but straightforward solutions to rising borrowing costs. But on the margins, a rising number of investors looking to buy homes with minimal cash are trying a gray technique of finance — known as “Subject to” or “Subto” — in which they try to find people who have fallen behind on their debts and make a side agreement to take over their (low-interest) payments. (The deal is said to be “subject to” an existing loan.)

@ConorDougherty

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section BU, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: The Hot New Thing Is a Loan From 2021. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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Source: nytimes.com

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November 22, 2021
by Zach Festini

The slow mortgage rate climb continues on. Read more about it and get a refresher on other important news in this week’s industry update.

Rates Update

During the week of November 15, Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey saw an overall increase in rates with notable changes for both 30 and 15-Year options. Similar to previous weeks, this further reinforces the trend of rising rates that we’ve been seeing since earlier in the year. An important note to remember: Freddie Mac gathers mortgage rate data on a weekly basis and the results are always subject to change. To get the most up-to-date mortgage rate info, get in touch with your Total Mortgage loan officer.

As for future predictions, mortgage rates could rise or fall in the coming months. Past data suggests that lower mortgage rates correlate with higher COVID cases; and if rising COVID cases correlate with colder weather, we could potentially see a subsequent decrease in mortgage rates during the winter season. It’s also worth considering that the holiday season will bring more consumer spending, which in turn could drive mortgage rates higher.

With so many variables affecting the market, it’s important to stay updated. Check back next week for more on mortgage rates and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Other News to Keep in Mind

Aside from last week’s rate changes, let’s take a rapid-fire look at some other recent news that you may have missed.

  • Conventional loan limits increased. The borrowing amounts for conventional loan options increased recently, giving buyers more spending power and more opportunities in the market.
  • Cash-out refinance numbers are up. Compared to last November, the number of cash-out refinances is up 33 percent. With less options on the market, now is a great time to consider what you could do with your current home equity.
  • Mortgage rates are still at historic lows. We may be observing a gradual increase in mortgage rates, but remember: compared to previous years, they are still very low and favorable for buyers. If anything, the trending increase we’re seeing should motivate consumers to buy now before rates get too high.

If you have questions about any mortgage-related news, we’re here to help. Contact your Total Mortgage loan officer for personalized advice and more information about any of the above.

In Closing

With the winter season approaching, mortgage rates could stagnate, decrease altogether, or continue on with their gradual increase. Things are a bit uncertain for now, but we’ll continue to keep you updated week by week with the latest information. Enjoy the rest of your Monday and have a great week!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Source: totalmortgage.com

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Home prices aren’t crashing, despite what the housing bubble boys are saying. In fact, home prices have firmed up higher recently.

The housing bubble boys are a crew that from 2012 to 2019 screamed housing crash every year. They went all in during COVID-19 in 2020, doubled down in 2021 as the forbearance crash bros but really bet the farm on a massive home-price crash in 2023 after the most significant home sales crash ever in 2022. 

Well, it’s June 9, 2023, and home prices have been firm month to month, not showing anything that resembles the housing bubble crash years. Those who know my work over the last 10 years know that I have Batman/Joker relationship with the housing crash people, because they never stop. I mean, it’s year 11 now of the housing bubble 2.0 crash.

Each year is different, but here are some reasons they gave for home prices to crash over the past 11 years:

  • 2012 – Shadow inventory
  • 2013 – Higher mortgage rates
  • 2014- QE ending in October
  • 2015- Manufacturing recession
  • 2016- Home prices got back to the bubble high
  • 2017 – No good reason
  • 2018- 5% mortgage rates (Start of the bubble crash for sure)
  • 2019 – Home-price growth was cooling off
  • 2020- COVID-19
  • 2021 – Mortgage forbearance
  • 2022- 7% mortgage rates
  • 2023- Historically low housing demand

The point of this article is not to focus on the years 2012-2021, but on how crazy the housing data has been since 2022 and when the housing market changed from a historic crash in demand to stabilization.

In 2022 it was all about finding a point in time when I thought mortgage rates would fall, which was key to understanding how the purchase application data would react to lower mortgage rates.

We have had plenty of times in the previous decade when mortgage rates fell and demand improved, but that was with a lot lower mortgage rates. In 2022, mortgage rates got as high as 7.37%, so the question was: how low do rates have to go for housing demand to get better?

But first, let’s start with some key dates in 2022.

On June 16, 2022, I put the housing market into a recession, which is where housing demand, housing jobs, housing income and housing production all drop. We can see this over the last year as jobs are being lost in the industry, incomes are falling due to less transaction volume, housing demand collapsed and housing permits fell since the builders had a backlog of homes to work off.

Then on Aug. 5, 2022, a few days after I presented to The Conference Board, I raised my sixth recession red flag for the overall economy. My recession red flag model doesn’t say we are in a recession, but means we should be more mindful to track economic data at this stage, especially what can lead to higher jobless claims. According to this model, the U.S. economy is still not in a recession.

Now begins the journey to stabilization in housing data.

When did the 10-year yield peak?

The 10-year yield is central to all my economic work, but trying to find a top in 2022 was very challenging due to the market conditions where bond yields rose so fast and the strong dollar put so much stress on the world markets. For instance, England almost lost its pension funds, and Japan needed intervention for theirs. Even the IMF was begging the U.S. to stop hiking rates.

For me, 4.25% on the 10-year yield was the top. On Oct. 27, 2022, I made a case for lower mortgage rates using one of the Fed’s critical recessionary indicators: the 3/10 bond yield inversion. That was key because historically the next big move in yields would be lower.

Not only did I hold that line toward the end of 2022, but it was also the staple range in my 2023 forecast. In that forecast, I wrote that if the economy stays firm, the 10-year yield range should be between 3.21% and 4.25%, equating to mortgage rates between 5.75% and 7.25%.

I have also stressed that it would be hard for the 10-year level to break below 3.37% and 3.42%. I call it the Gandalf line in the sand: “You shall not pass.” Now, if jobless claims break over 323,000k on the four-week moving average, the 10-year could break under 3.21% and get toward 2.73%. That could send mortgage rates under 6%.

Let’s look at the 10-year yield and add the CPI inflation growth. So far, as you can see, the forecast from the peak of 4.25% has stayed true, and we haven’t been able to break below the critical line in the sand either, indicated by the red line below.

Mortgage rates ranged from 7.37% to 5.99% during this period, and how the market reacted to them changed the dynamics of the housing discussion and home prices. That is the next step of this process.

Purchase application data

The housing market began to change starting Nov. 9, 2022, from a housing sales crash to a stabilization period. That day, I wrote an article about how bad the home sales data was getting due to the affordability hit and that existing home sales should get down toward 4 million and below. This is key because it’s rare since 1996 to get sales below 4 million and we have many more workers now than in previous cycles. 

With that in mind, I wanted to see how purchase application data would act. From November until Feb. 3, most weekly prints were positive once you exclude some holiday prints. This was a big deal because mortgage rates didn’t need to get to 5.5%-5% to stabilize demand. Since Nov. 9, 2022, we have had 17 positive and 11 negative purchase application prints. This changed the demand aspect of housing.


It’s not like we have a booming sales market. I believe the giant existing home sales print we had in March will be the peak in 2023 unless we get some better purchase application data, which will need lower mortgage rates.

.
The importance of this is that 2022 had the most significant home sales crash ever recorded in U.S. history, and because of that, not even low inventory could prevent home prices from declining month to month in the second half of 2022. However, that changed once the 10-year yield peaked, mortgage rates fell, and demand stabilized. Now we can talk about the final stage: inventory in the U.S.

Housing inventory

The No. 1 story in the second half of 2022 was that after mortgage rates spiked, new listing data started to go negative year over year, which was crazy because we were already working from all-time lows. This was a big deal, and the weekly Housing Market Tracker of new listing data was all over this. The weakness in the new listing data carried us all the way to where we are today in 2023 at all-time lows.


How would new listing data trending at all-time lows impact the active inventory in 2023? We know mortgage rates fell toward the end of 2022, and forward-looking demand was improving. This doesn’t bode well for vigorous inventory growth in 2023, as lower mortgage rates improve demand, which takes housing inventory off the market. This also means there will be no bubble crash in prices in 2023. The active inventory growth is so slow this year that we are heading toward negative year-over-year numbers.

This all works together because we’re watching a housing market that went from crashing in demand and inventory rising with some speed to a market that reacted better with lower mortgage rates, stabilized home sales, and slowed inventory growth. With stable demand, this chart becomes more critical. Total active listing data still is low historically.


Also, we don’t have much credit stress in the system right now. As you can see in the chart below, we don’t have the credit stress that led to the housing bubble crash years.

This article shows the historical change in one of the craziest housing periods ever recorded. We created the weekly Housing Market Tracker so you can be ahead of the lagging data and understand what is coming next. One thing is certain — it’s not a housing crash.

Source: housingwire.com

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Washington, DC
CNN
 — 

Mortgage rates are beginning to feel the impact of the debt-ceiling standoff, jumping higher for the second week in a row amid the uncertainty.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.57% in the week ending May 25, up from 6.39% the week before, according to data from Freddie Mac released Thursday. A year ago, the 30-year fixed-rate was 5.10%.

“The U.S. economy is showing continued resilience which, combined with debt ceiling concerns, led to higher mortgage rates this week,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist.

Mortgage rates topped 5% for the first time since 2011 a little more than a year ago and have remained over 5% for all but one week during the past year. Since then they have gone as high as 7.08%, last reached in November. Since mid-March, rates have gone up and down but have stayed under 6.5%.

But with current uncertainty, rates tipped over 6.5% this week. Zillow projects that home buying costs could spike by 22% and mortgage rates could top 8% should the US default on its debt. Even the threat of a deal not being reached is having a financial impact on people. (Here’s how to be prepared.)

The rate climbed this week following the trend of 10-year Treasury yields, as investors closely track the ongoing debt ceiling negotiations and evaluate the possible direction of Federal Reserve interest rate policy, said Jiayi Xu, an economist at Realtor.com.

“Although the probability of a default remains low, even the fears and panic related to a potential government default could cause creditors to ask for higher interest rates from the US Treasury, resulting in a significant increase in various borrowing costs, including mortgages,” said Xu. “Resolving the debt impasse sooner rather than later would mitigate potential adverse effects on the housing market, which is already contending with high prices and elevated mortgage rates.”

Federal Reserve rate moves

If that weren’t enough, investors are also looking at the Federal Reserve’s actions, as revealed in the minutes released from May’s meeting.

“Although investors anticipate a pause at the upcoming meeting after ten consecutive rate hikes, the minutes revealed a sense of uncertainty regarding the future direction of monetary policy,” said Xu. “Generally, officials concurred on the importance of closely monitoring incoming economic data and maintaining flexibility leading up to the next policy meeting.”

The Fed does not set the interest rates that borrowers pay on mortgages directly, but its actions influence them. Mortgage rates tend to track the yield on 10-year US Treasuries, which move based on a combination of anticipation about the Fed’s actions, what the Fed actually does and investors’ reactions. When Treasury yields go up, so do mortgage rates; when they go down, mortgage rates tend to follow.

Home buyers remain sensitive to mortgage rate spikes, with mortgage applications dropping last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

“Ongoing volatility in the financial markets has pushed mortgage rates higher recently, contributing to weaker activity for purchase and refinance applications,” said Bob Broeksmit, MBA president and CEO. “Prospective sellers continue to be reluctant to jump into the market because of still-high mortgage rates that would replace their existing low rate mortgages.”

High prices and elevated mortgage rates have prompted buyers to seek more affordable options, said Xu.

“Although the national housing market is experiencing a slow spring, there is growing competition in relatively affordable markets, particularly in the Northeast and Midwest regions,” said Xu. “As more and more buyers flock to relatively affordable places, it further reduces the opportunities available for first-time home buyers.”

The average mortgage rate is based on mortgage applications that Freddie Mac receives from thousands of lenders across the country. The survey includes only borrowers who put 20% down and have excellent credit.

Source: cnn.com

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Accounting, Digital, Broker Comp Tools; FHA, VA, USDA Developments; Why Rates are Stubborn

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Accounting, Digital, Broker Comp Tools; FHA, VA, USDA Developments; Why Rates are Stubborn

By:
Rob Chrisman

4 Hours, 13 Min ago

Imagine my surprise at finding tag (like on the playground) is an organized sport. Imagine my surprise at finding two gas stations at the same intersection yesterday in Truckee, California with two different prices for unleaded! Rather than wait for the CFPB to tell me that I could save money by going to the cheapest station, as it did by paying for a study on how different lenders have different mortgage prices, I actually reasoned, all by myself, that I could, and did, buy the least expensive gasoline. Switching gears, but continuing on with the thinking vein, a lot of reasoning went into determining that a) the earth is round, and b) globes are not some newly invented conspiracy theory. Someone needs to let Georgia’s current GOP district chair Kandiss Taylor know globes are globes. What the heck am I missing by subscribing to the round earth concept? And how about this for sensationalist headlines from Auction.com: One-Third of Buyers Expect Home Prices to Decline. Really? “Despite rising expectations for a home price correction in 2023, 87% of buyers said they planned to increase or keep the same their property acquisitions for the year, up slightly from 86% in 2022.” (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s is sponsored by Built Technologies. Join Built Technologies on June 20th at 12 PM CST for an exclusive webinar that will dive into proactive portfolio monitoring as Built’s experts share best practices for achieving greater visibility into your construction portfolio.)

Broker and Lender Services and Software

Quorum Federal Credit Union has upgraded its Borrower Paid Broker Compensation Program. The program offers partners the opportunity to earn up to 2.00 percent borrower paid broker compensation on the entire line amount, up to $5,000, for all HELOC products. Primary and Second Home HELOCs offer no minimum draws, no early termination fees, and no annual fees. With minimum loan amounts at $25,000, Quorum offers financing up to $350,000. Investment Property HELOCs also offer no minimum draws and no early termination fees with minimum loan amounts at $50,000 and financing up to $250,000. Contact your Account Executive, visit the Quorum Partner Portal or email [email protected] for more information.

“Unite your mortgage process with an end-to-end digital closing solution. Initially, American Federal implemented the Mortgage Suite without Blend Close, but later realized our digital closing solution aligned with their growth strategy. Find out how they were able to speed up the borrower’s journey, close loans faster, and save more time. Dive into their case study.”

For independent mortgage banks coping with shrinking production volumes and rising costs per loan, outsourcing accounting is an elegant solution to what’s become a very common challenge. Whether you have no accounting expertise in-house or you have a new team with no mortgage experience, you can tap the Richey May Client Accounting and Advisory Services (CAAS) team for the support you need. This team is stacked with mortgage industry experts who can tailor your solution to meet your most pressing needs in a volatile time, with no training needed. Need help transitioning to loan level accounting? Need a fully outsourced function? You got it! Need industry training for your controller? We can do that. In this article, Richey May’s expert Kim Dittmer answers all your most frequently asked questions around outsourced accounting as a mortgage bank.

Ginnie, USDA, FHA, and VA Updates

The industry’s applications include about 25 percent VA, FHA, and USDA. These products continue to garner the lion’s share of production for underserved and, let’s face it, low-quality borrowers. These are the borrowers targeted by the Biden Administration. Freddie and Fannie (the GSEs) ask seller-servicers for these “mission loans” but LOs know that there are few cases where a lender could or should advise a consumer to take out a conventional loan versus FHA/VA. Let’s see what’s going on out there.

Anyone making a living on refinancing FHA or VA loans is in for a rough road. Overall, roughly 33% of all American homeowners wrapped into 30-year agency mortgage bonds are paying 3% or less on their home loans. Chris Maloney with BOKF writes, “Breaking that down across the three segments for how much of the universe is paying 3% or less on their mortgages as of the end of May, for conventional 30-year borrowers that comes to 32%, for FHA 30-year borrowers 21.9% and for VA borrowers 50.7%. And using the Optimal Blue lending rates as a guide, the amount of the 30-year universe that is out-of-the-money (defined as not having at least 50 basis points of incentive) finds 99.6% of the conventional 30-year and FHA borrowers in that state while for the VA borrowers it’s 99.5%.”

FHA posted a draft of Mortgagee Letter (ML), Payment Supplement Partial Claim, on its Single-Family Housing Drafting Table (Drafting Table) for public feedback. The draft ML proposes a new loss mitigation option, the Payment Supplement Partial Claim (Payment Supplement PC), to assist struggling borrowers that are delinquent on their mortgage payments and are unable to obtain a significant payment reduction with other available loss mitigation options. This option will be particularly useful for borrowers who have below market interest rates. View the FHA Press Release for details.

Don’t forget that the FHA is seeking comments on its proposed HECM Mortgagee Default Requirements. FHA recently posted a draft Mortgagee Letter (draft ML) that would expand FHA’s processes related to actual or anticipated mortgagee default on obligations to a borrower under Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs) insured by FHA.

At the end of May, The Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA) commended FHA Commissioner Julia Gordon for the announcement that FHA is proposing a program to create a flexible partial claim loan modification option for defaulted borrowers, which avoids having to take the underlying loan out of a Ginnie Mae loan pool. CHLA was the first national association to ask FHA to develop such a program option, in a letter to FHA last August.

All Participants Memorandum (APM) 23-08, Ginnie Mae announced updates to the adoption of Single Family and Manufactured Housing Program pooling into the new Single Family Pool Delivery Module (SFPDM) in MyGinnieMae. This transition from GinnieNET to the SFPDM application will enhance user experience and align Ginnie Mae with mortgage industry standards by using the MISMO-compliant Pool Delivery Dataset (PDD).

USDA Rural Development posted a bulletin on 05/30/2023, Interest Rate Decrease for SFH Direct Programs.

FHA announced the availability of 203(k) Rehabilitation Mortgage Program fact sheets for consumers and aspiring and current FHA203(k) Consultants. These materials are designed to help increase awareness and understanding of the features and benefits of the program. The fact sheets include a program overview with features, benefits, and requirements, as well as additional 203(k) Program resources.

PRMG Product Update 23-29, includes Investor Solution update on AirDNA requirement for short term rentals on a purchase. Clarification on UT Utah Housing FHA for wholesale loans regarding the allowance of In-House and Third-Party Processing Fees charges, and multiple clarifications on CO CHFA FirstStep Plus.

AmeriHome Mortgage General Announcement 20230512-CL summarizes previously published changes made during May, additional changes made with the announcement, and recent Agency and regulatory news.

Capital Markets

Why did rates improve Thursday, and this week, especially when there is no “big” data? Well, initial jobless claims, which are a leading indicator, hit their highest level since November 2021. That connotes some softening in the labor market which the Fed would like to see, and which could tip it toward holding, rather than raising, the overnight Fed funds rate.

Supply is also on the radar screen but expected. Investors remain cautious ahead of next Wednesday’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting and fears about the impending sale of $1 trillion of Treasury bills is also not helping sentiment: With the debt ceiling deal in place, the Treasury will issue more than $1 trillion in short-term debt to keep the lights on. This will push up short term rates at least in the near-term, which won’t help those looking for mortgage rate relief.

In addition to rate worries, as mortgage-backed security spreads remain at the widest levels since the 1980’s, home prices continue to move higher. Lower mortgage rates earlier in the year likely played a role in the uptick, however scarce supply of desirable homes continues to add to price pressures. A strong job market helps housing demand, particularly in the face of challenging affordability and last week’s release of the May employment report generally showed a healthy labor market, with the headline reading coming in around 145k above analysts’ estimates to register at 339k. Despite that new robust employment data, downward revisions to earlier numbers suggest a broad cooling trend remains intact. The numbers now show the US added an average of 182k private sector jobs in the past three months, the fewest since January 2021.

Despite a strong labor market, consumer sentiment also slipped in May to register down 9.1 percent from April, according to the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Survey. Inflationary expectations for the near term fell, while longer-term expectations rose to 3.2 percent, the highest level in 12 years. The Fed pays close attention to the UM inflationary expectations, so this is bad news for those hoping for rate cuts this year and does not bode well for those hoping for a sudden window of billions of dollars’ worth of mortgages coming into refinance incentive again

Lastly, while we’re waiting for all those recession predictions to come true, yield curve inversion has increased over the past couple of weeks as the market continues to capitulate to the Fed’s “higher rates for longer” message. The latest run up in rates over the past couple of weeks was a function of the market correcting its Fed Funds “hike, pause, cut” path. That upward pressure on the front-end of the yield curve immediately re-flattened the yield curve back into deeply negative territory.

Moral of the story: the Fed is not set to cut rates anytime soon as inflation remains an issue and investors have been forced to unwind bets that rate cuts will be in store later this year. As recently as a couple of weeks ago, three rate cuts were expected before year end. With no economic data on today’s schedule, we begin a slow news Friday with Agency MBS prices worse about .125 and the 10-year yielding 3.74 after closing yesterday at 3.71 percent; the 2-year’s up to 4.55 on continued inflation worries.

Employment

Village Capital & Investment is excited to announce that Pete Tamoney has recently been hired to help grow its Correspondent Lending division. Pete has been in correspondent sales for 20 years, most recently with Northpointe Bank. Village Capital is a GNMA buyer with no overlays and a consistently strong execution. You can contact Pete.

“Equity Resources is pleased to continue our expansion throughout our 19 states along the east coast and mid-west. We are an independent and family-owned mortgage banker that is proudly celebrating our 30th anniversary this year, continuing to create incredible opportunities for our team members, Realtor partners, as well as our B2B partners. We are currently searching for talented and career-focused loan officers that have a demonstrated “self-sourced” business philosophy. Equity Resources is an agency direct lender that offers an exceptional compensation and marketing platform for our loan officers, including a media and video production team, an underwriting “hotline,” a talented marketing and social media group, and an exceptionally tenured leadership team. We offer a full suite of loan products and programs (including several specialty lending programs). To learn more about “Why Equity Resources” and to join our award-winning team, please contact Tom Piecenski, EVP of Sales and Development (614.327.5353).”

“Are you frustrated as a retail loan officer or mortgage banker with the lack of flexibility to provide custom loan options? Take control: follow the lead of over 24,000 MLOs like you who have joined the wholesale channel in the last year. Whether you open your own independent mortgage brokerage or join a team as a loan officer, you’ll have the ability to provide your clients with the personalized solutions they need. Contact our team at BeAMortgageBroker.com today and you’ll be well on your way to a more fulfilling tomorrow.”

A Louisiana based full-service, independent mortgage banker averaging $1 billion in production annually is searching for a proven retail sales leader to run all business development initiatives. The Sales, Recruiting, and Marketing departments will report directly to this head of business development role, and the role will report directly to the CEO. The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated track record of hiring and managing multiple production offices across several states. The IMB is well capitalized, has agency direct approvals, offers niche products, significant technology advancements and a world-class operations team with experienced, tenured sales and fulfillment employees. For confidential consideration, please email resume to Chrisman LLC’s Anjelica Nixt for forwarding.

 Download our mobile app to get alerts for Rob Chrisman’s Commentary.

Source: mortgagenewsdaily.com

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“Persistently high inflation and the recent spike in lending rates will trigger a correction in the UK (Aa3 negative) housing market,” Moody’s Investor Service said in a report.

Matt Cardy | Getty Images News | Getty Images

LONDON – The U.K.’s biggest bank temporarily withdrew mortgage deals via broker services on Thursday, as the effect of higher interest rates ripples through the British housing market.

HSBC told CNBC Friday that it was reviewing the situation regularly, but did not specify whether the new deals would differ from its previous offerings. Higher rates are a possibility, given that the Bank of England is continuing to increase interest rates.

It comes eight months after hundreds of mortgage deal offers were pulled in one day after market chaos at the time sparked concerns about rising base rates.

In a statement issued Friday, HSBC said: “We occasionally need to limit the amount of new business we can take each day via brokers. All products and rates for existing customers are still available, and we continue to review the situation regularly.”

The banking group said the protocol was in order to ensure it meets “customer service commitments” and stressed that it remains open to new mortgage business.

Soaring rates

The HSBC decision comes as analysts expect mortgage rates to soar and housing prices to plummet in response to the increased base rate.

A large number of fixed-rate mortgage deals is set to expire this year, leaving homeowners vulnerable to the impact of interest rate hikes, according to economic research company Capital Economics.

The organization made an upward revision to its mortgage rate forecasts, which showed borrowers would be “subject to a larger interest rate shock than … previously envisaged.”

“Those coming to the end of a 2-year fix will see a particularly large increase in the cost of their mortgage. While those refinancing a 5-year fix this month may see their mortgage rate jump from 2.1% to 4.9%, those on a 2-year fix will see an increase from 1.4% to 5.2%,” Capital Economics said in a note published Thursday.

There are also warnings that house prices will tumble in the next two years, with credit ratings agency Moody’s forecasting a 10% decline. 

“Persistently high inflation and the recent spike in lending rates will trigger a correction in the UK (Aa3 negative) housing market,” Moody’s Investor Service said in a report.

The Halifax House Price Index showed that U.K. house prices were flat in May after a 0.4% fall in April, while the average U.K. property now costs £286,532 ($360,000).

In February, U.K. house prices experienced their sharpest contraction since November 2012, according to building society Nationwide.

Prices tumbled 1.1% year-on-year, logging their first annual decline since June 2020.

The Bank of England raised its interest rate to 4.5% from 4.25% as the central bank attempts to tackle high inflation that currently sits well above the 2% target, at 8.7%. 

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development predicts the U.K. will have the highest inflation rate out of all advanced economies this year.

Lenders and homeowners will be watching the central bank closely for its next base rate decision on June 22. It is widely expected the bank will agree its thirteenth consecutive increase.

Source: cnbc.com

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Last Updated: May 27, 2023 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner – 47 Comments

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If you’re anything like me, then you probably LOVE the holidays. I enjoy the decorations, the food, the people, and everything that goes along with it.

However, I know not to get ahead of myself even though I love the winter holidays an incredible amount. Holiday spending can quickly get out of hand and it’s quite easy to destroy a holiday budget.

According to the National Retail Federation, the average family in the U.S. spent $730 on the winter holidays in 2013 (it hovers around this amount most years).

Holiday spending can quickly add up when you are paying for food, gifts, decorations, and more. Plus, if you plan on traveling then your holiday spending may be much higher than this $730 amount.

This high price tag sometimes causes families to put their holiday spending on a credit card.

This is a big problem because that debt will eventually need to be paid off. Plus, interest and other finance charges may be added to this amount, which may cause the small amount you may have put on your credit card to inflate into a much bigger number. This can then impact your credit score, your credit history, your debt to income ratio, and more.

These are all things that no one wants to experience, especially since the holidays are not about the money you spend – they are about spending time with your loved ones.

While sticking to your holiday budget at times may seem impossible, I want you to know that you can enjoy the holidays and not go into holiday debt.

Continue reading below to read more about the several ways to lower your holiday spending and stick to your holiday budget.

Create and stick to a holiday budget.

Before you start your holiday spending, you should create a holiday budget. Creating a holiday budget will help you analyze your spending so that you can spend less money and not go into any holiday debt.

You should look at how much money you have set aside for the holidays, how much you estimate you will spend, and possibly even add a little buffer just in case you go over your holiday budget.

Some of the things you may need to budget for include:

  • Decorations
  • Food (such as if you are hosting or attending a holiday party)
  • Gifts and cards
  • Travel and transportation

Related: How To Live On One Income

Plan a group gift exchange.

Instead of swapping gifts with numerous people, you may want to do a gift exchange where everyone draws names and each person only has to get one person a gift. This can save a person a lot of money, plus more thought and time can go into each gift.

This is something that we do with my husband’s family. All the younger children still get gifts from everyone, but all of the adults just do an exchange. It makes it much easier and more enjoyable!

Earn extra money for your holiday spending.

You may want to look into ways to earn extra money for your holiday budget if you want to spend more money than you have saved.

There are many things you can do in order to earn extra money for your holiday spending. You could sell items from around your home, work additional hours at your job, find a part-time position (tons of places hire during the holidays!), freelance, and more.

Below are several posts that may help you find ways to make extra money for your holiday budget:

Shop early.

I know this might be a little difficult since it’s already November, but starting now is better than waiting until the last day.

I know some who start shopping almost a full year before the holiday they are celebrating. You may call them crazy, but I’m sure it saves them a lot of stress and money later.

The earlier you start shopping, the more money you are likely to save. This is because you won’t be in a rush to find what you need and you will be able to shop the sales as they come. When someone is low on time, they are more likely to buy items they may not need at a price that is higher than usual.

Find the best deals.

Prices can vary from store to store. Before you start any of your holiday spending, you may want to shop around and see what stores have the lowest pricing.

You can find the best deals by:

  • Shopping online. I like to shop online first. This way I don’t have to waste any gas driving around and I can save time by shopping at home as well. Amazon is definitely my favorite place to shop online.
  • Using a cash back website. I highly recommend using a cash back website (such as Ebates – signing up under my link will give you a free $10 gift card to a store of your choosing as well, such as Target), so that you can receive free cash back for the money you are already spending.
  • Finding coupon codes for the products you are buying. Before you buy something, type the store’s name plus coupon code into a search engine to see if any coupon codes will pop in. An example would be “Airbnb coupon codes.”
  • Buying discounted gift cards. There are many gift card companies online that sell “used” gift cards you can get for cheap. You could gift one of these or just do your shopping with them so that you are shopping on a discount.

Do you tend to stick to your holiday budget? How do you feel about holiday spending?

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Source: makingsenseofcents.com

Apache is functioning normally


With high mortgage rates deterring unnecessary borrowing, a whopping one-third of U.S. home buyers are buying homes in cash, the highest share in close to a decade, according to a report Wednesday from Redfin. 

In April, 33.4% of buyers across the country dipped into their cash reserves, up from 30.7% from a year ago and the highest level since 2014. 


With interest rates at a 15-year high, it’s no surprise that cash purchases are now accounting for a larger share of deals, with buyers who would rely on mortgages shunning the market far more than their cash-spending counterparts. 

Case in point, across the 40 most populous U.S. metros the report analyzed, overall home sales were down 41% year over year in April, while all-cash sales logged a smaller 35% decline. 

The 30-year fixed-rate stood at 6.79% as of Wednesday, close to November’s high of just over 7%, according to lending giant Freddie Mac. 

“A home buyer who can afford to pay in all cash is weighing two potential paths,” Redfin senior economist Sheharyar Bokhari said in the report. “They can use cash to pay for the home and avoid high monthly interest payments, or take out a loan and pay a high mortgage rate. In that case, they could use the money that would have gone toward an all-cash purchase to invest in other assets that offer bigger returns, which could partly cancel out their high mortgage rate.”


Of course cash buyers can still be deterred by high interest rates and may decide that their money is better spent on investments that benefit from higher returns, the report said. 

Meanwhile, buyers who can’t afford to pay in all cash “also have two potential—but different—paths,” Bokhari said. “They can avoid a high mortgage rate by dropping out of the housing market altogether, or they can take on a high rate. That discrepancy is the reason the all-cash share is near a decade high even though all-cash purchases have dropped: Affluent buyers have the choice to pay cash instead of dropping out of the market.”

A smaller “but still noteworthy reason” for the increase in all-cash sales is competition among home buyers, the report said. A chronic lack of homes for sale in certain areas is motivating some shoppers to make an all-cash offer to beat out the other potential buyers.

Source: mansionglobal.com

Apache is functioning normally

Once seen as the death knell for single-family-home neighborhoods in California, a new law meant to create more duplexes has instead done little to encourage construction in some of the largest cities in the state, according to a new report published Wednesday.

Senate Bill 9 was introduced two years ago as a way to help solve California’s severe housing crunch by allowing homeowners to convert their homes into duplexes on a single-family lot or divide the parcel in half to build another duplex for a total of four units. The law went into effect at the start of 2022.

The bill received bipartisan support and ignited fierce debate between its backers, who said SB 9 was a much-needed tool to add housing options for middle-income Californians, and critics, who blasted it as a radical one-size-fits-all policy that undermined local government control.

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Neither argument has so far proved to be true.

Across 13 cities in the state, SB 9 projects are “limited or nonexistent,” according to a new study by the UC Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation.

The report focused on cities considered high-opportunity areas for duplexes because they’ve reported significant increases in the construction of accessory dwelling units — also known as granny flats, casitas or ADUs — in recent years and have available single-family properties for possible divided lots. ADUs are small, free-standing homes most often built in the backyards of existing single-family homes.

The cities are Anaheim, Bakersfield, Berkeley, Burbank, Danville, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Maria and Saratoga.

By the end of November, the cities had collectively received 282 applications for SB 9 projects, and had approved only 53. Los Angeles accounted for the bulk of applications with 211 submitted and 38 approved, according to the report. San Francisco received 25 applications and had approved four, while San Diego received seven and had approved none.

Three cities received one application, and in Bakersfield, Danville and Santa Maria, zero were submitted.

Applications for dividing lots seem to be even less popular than for building duplexes. Just 100 applications were submitted, the report noted, and 28 had been approved.

David Garcia, Terner Center’s policy director, said SB 9 is only in its first year of implementation and should be given more time before it’s judged as ineffective. But he added that lawmakers should consider whether the law needs tweaking.

“It doesn’t seem like Senate Bill 9 in its first year has resulted in very meaningful amounts of new housing,” Garcia said. “Pretty much everywhere you look, Senate Bill 9 activity is very marginal. It is nonexistent in some places.”

Homeowners right now have an easier time building an ADU than a duplex, thanks to local and state laws that have eased barriers to construction in recent years, Garcia said. It took multiple rounds of legislation to see productive ADU development, and the same will probably be true for SB 9 projects, he said.

Recognizing that more was needed to speed up housing construction in California, the Legislature began overhauling state ADU laws in 2016, and cities followed suit with their own local ordinances to clear red tape in the building process, which has inspired a widespread ADU movement.

Between the start of 2017 and January 2023, the city of Los Angeles reported receiving 35,098 applications for ADUs. It has issued permits for 25,881 and 13,640 have been granted certificates of occupancy.

Heidi Vonblum, San Diego’s planning director, said the law is new and barriers to development are still being worked out. At the same time, the city has an ADU program that “has been very attractive to property owners,” Vonblum said, while updated zoning rules and community plans have eliminated “the need to rely on other programs.”

It’s a similar situation in Sacramento, where homeowners are allowed to build up to two ADUs on their properties, said Kevin Colin, the city’s zoning administrator. Colin’s team handles one to two ADU applications “each working day,” he said, because there’s such high interest in the projects.

To replicate that success, the Terner Center report suggested cutting fees associated with new duplex development, or adding more uniform standards for SB 9 projects to ensure local governments can’t attach subjective criteria that discourage applications, such as architectural design requirements or stringent landscaping rules. It also proposed revising a mandate that homeowners who split their lots must live in one of the units for at least three years, a key concession lawmakers made to reduce opposition from organizations worried about gentrification.

Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), author of the legislation, said SB 9 was “never intended to be an overnight fix to our housing shortage.”

“We always said not every homeowner would be able, or want, to utilize the tools provided by the bill on Day One,” Atkins said in a statement. “Subdividing a lot, or even just adding an ADU, is a big investment. This bill was never intended to be a sledgehammer approach — it was meant to increase the housing supply over time, and as awareness of the law increases and more homeowners have the ability to embrace the tools, I’m confident that we will see results.”

Garcia and other housing experts said slow progress could also be attributed to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, when prices for building materials shot up and homeowners and buyers faced significant market uncertainty. That was followed by high inflation and interest rates.

But other factors could be contributing to sluggish SB 9 interest.

Matthew Lewis, spokesperson for California YIMBY, a housing advocacy organization that supported SB 9, said both ADUs and duplexes have their financial and logistical pros and cons.

ADUs are an ideal way to generate some “passive income” from a renter, Lewis said, and make great homes for aging parents or young adult children. Duplexes are good for that too, but the additional units can be sold separately for even greater economic opportunity.

On the other hand, ADUs are typically a property extension of the main home, so it can be difficult or even impossible to separately sell the extra unit. Duplexes require significantly more financing, and the addition of a separate sewer line and water service.

“The reality is people will follow the path of least resistance to building the house they want,” Lewis said, adding that it could be worth going back to the drawing board to ensure local governments are doing what they can to ease burdens to duplex development.

Although the Terner Center report offers legislators a limited snapshot of how SB 9 has worked so far, the state is also expected to have more robust data available this summer.

Any attempt to modify SB 9 this year, however, is sure to reignite opposition from many of the dozens of cities and neighborhood associations that tried to block its passage in 2021. Since then, some cities have gone to great lengths to avoid implementing the law, including the Silicon Valley suburb of Woodside, which declared itself a mountain lion sanctuary and invited a stern warning for compliance by the state attorney general’s office.

Source: latimes.com

Apache is functioning normally

Back in the day, if you wanted a loan to pay off your car or credit cards, you’d go to a bank or a credit union, sit down with a loan officer, and wait for them to tell you yes or no as they “crunched the numbers.”

But now peer-to-peer (P2P) lending has come onto the market, offering loans to borrowers directly from individuals — and usually carrying more favorable terms for those without a great credit profile. Borrowers can access up to $50,000 (or more) from lenders, with fixed term repayment scheduled and reasonable interest rates. Investors can also become lenders on P2P platforms, earning interest collected on loans as a passive form of investment income.

Let’s break down some of the best peer-to-peer lending sites for both borrowers and investors, so you can determine which option is best for you.

What’s Ahead:

Overview of the best peer-to-peer lending sites

  • Best for those with high credit scores: Prosper
  • Best for crypto-backed loans: BlockFi
  • Best for young people: Upstart
  • Best for a payday loan alternative: SoLo Funds
  • Best for small businesses: FundingCircle
  • Best for first-time borrowers: Kiva

Prosper: Best for those with high credit scores

  • APR: 6.99% to 35.99%
  • Term: 2 to 5 years

Prosper is the OG peer-to-peer lender in the market. It was founded in 2005 as the very first peer-to-peer lending marketplace in the U.S. According to their website, they’ve coordinated over $22 billion in loans.

Borrowing with Prosper

If you’re a borrower, you can get personal loans up to $50,000 with a fixed rate and a fixed term from two to five years in length. Your monthly payment is fixed for the duration of the loan. There are no prepayment penalties, either, so if you can pay it off early, you won’t be penalized.

You can get an instant look at what your rate would be and, once approved, the money gets deposited directly into your bank account.

Investing with Prosper

As an investor, you have many options on loans to choose from. There are seven different “risk” categories that you can select from, each with their own estimated return and level of risk. Here’s a look at the risk levels and the estimated potential loss, according to Prosper:

  • AA – 0.00 – 1.99%
  • A – 2.00 – 3.99%
  • B – 4.00 – 5.99%
  • C – 6.00 – 8.99%
  • D – 9.00 – 11.99%
  • E – 12.00 – 14.99%
  • HR (High Risk) – ≥ 15.00%

As you can see, the lower the letter, the greater the risk of default, hence a higher estimated potential loss. With just a $25 minimum investment, you can spread your risk out across all seven categories to provide your portfolio some balance.

The borrowers that you’re lending to are also above U.S. averages regarding their FICO score and average annual income.

Learn more about Prosper or read our full review.

BlockFi: Best for crypto-backed loans

  • APR: 4.5% – 9.75%
  • Term: 12 months

BlockFi is a popular crypto lending platform that offers crypto-backed loans to borrowers and pays out interest to lenders. BlockFi offers instant loans and requires no credit checks for borrowers. All loans are collateralized, meaning borrowers will need to lock in their crypto to borrow against it.

Borrowing with BlockFi

If you’re a borrower, you can get a crypto loan for up to 50% of the value of your crypto, with rates ranging from 4.5% to 9.75% APR, depending on the amount of collateral. Payments are made monthly and are fixed for the duration of the loan.

Interest rates are determined by the amount of collateral deposited and the loan-to-value (LTV) of the overall loan. There is a 2% origination fee on all loans.

  • Loan rate – 9.75% (50% LTV)
  • Loan rate – 7.9% (35% LTV)
  • Loan rate – 4.5% (20% LTV)

Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Paxos Gold (PAXG), or Litecoin (LTC) can be used as collateral for the loan, and can be liquidated if the LTV goes above the original LTV of the loan.

Investing with BlockFi

BlockFi offers interest accounts for users who deposit crypto. The funds are used for crypto lending, and interest is paid out in the native crypto deposited. Interest rates vary by cryptocurrency, and range from 0.10% APY up to 7.50% APY. Stablecoins (such as USDC) pay out the highest rates.

Crypto interest accounts are not available to U.S. investors, as BlockFi was sued by the SEC for violating securities laws.

Read our full review.

BlockFi Bankruptcy Notice -On November 10, 2022, BlockFi announced that it had to suspend withdrawals from its platform due to the FTX liquidity crisis. As a result, consumers should not be using the BlockFi platform. As of November 28, 2022, BlockFi officially declared bankruptcy.

Upstart: Best for young people

  • APR: 5.6% – 35.99%
  • Term: 3 or 5 years

Upstart is an innovative peer-to-peer lending company that was founded by three ex-Google employees. In addition to being a P2P lending platform, they’ve also created intuitive software for banks and financial institutions.

What’s unique about Upstart is the way they determine risk. Where most creditors will look at a lender’s FICO score, Upstart has created a system that uses AI/ML (artificial intelligence/machine learning) to assess the risk of a borrower. This has led to significantly lower loss rates than some of its peer companies. Combine that with an excellent TrustPilot rating, and this company is certainly making waves in the P2P marketplace.

Borrowing with Upstart

Borrowers can get loans from $1,000 up to $50,000 with rates as low as 5.6%. Terms are either three or five years, but there’s no prepayment penalty.

Using their AI/ML technology, Upstart looks at not only your FICO score and years of credit history, but also factors in your education, area of study, and job history before determining your creditworthiness. Their site claims that their borrowers save an estimated 43% compared to other credit card rates.

Investing with Upstart

Investing with Upstart is also pretty intuitive. Unlike other P2P platforms, you can set up a self-directed IRA using the investments from peer-to-peer lending. This is a unique feature that many investors should be attracted to.

Like other platforms, you can set up automated investing by choosing a specific strategy and automatically depositing funds.

Upstart claims to have tripled their growth in the last three years due heavily to their proprietary underwriting model, so it might be worth a shot to consider this option.

Learn more about Upstart or read our Upstart review.

SoLo Funds: Best for a payday loan alternative

  • APR: 0% (tipping optional)
  • Term: Up to 35 days

SoLo Funds is a peer-to-peer platform that functions as a short-term lender, similar to payday loans. With term lengths only lasting for up to 35 days, loans must be paid back in a narrow timeframe. But instead of charging fees, borrowers can leave an optional tip instead.

SoLo Funds is an affordable option for clients who are in a pinch and need an advance on payday, but there are hefty fees if loans are not paid back within 35 days. Users will need to pay a 10% penalty plus a third-party transaction fee if late.

Borrowing with SoLo Funds

Borrowers can take out loans up to $575 for a maximum of 35 days. Loans do not charge fees, but allow borrowers to select an optional tip amount to lenders.

Loan applications only take a few minutes, and while most loans post within a few days, some may be instantly approved, offering same-day funding with money transferred to borrowers within a few hours.

Loans must be paid back in full within 35 days, or there is a 10% penalty plus other transaction fees. There is no option to roll the loan over.

Investing with SoLo Funds

Lending is fairly straightforward, with a simple sign-up process and no pre-qualifications needed. Since the loans are smaller amounts (up to $575), there are no minimums required for lending.

SoLo Funds has a marketplace of loan requests from borrowers, with details specified on each. Each loan request shows the amount needed plus the tip given by the borrower for the loan. Each borrower also has a SoLo Score, on a scale from 40 to 99, with higher scores showing more “worthiness” for paying back a loan. Loans can go into default, and if needed, to collections through a third party. There is a risk of total loss with SoLo Funds investing, though the platform does offer insurance against loss for a fee.

Learn more about SoLo Funds.

FundingCircle: Best for small businesses

  • APR: 11.29% to 30.12%
  • Term: 6 months to 7 years

FundingCircle is a small business peer-to-peer platform. The company was founded with the goal of helping small business owners reach their dreams by providing them the funds necessary to grow.

So far, they’ve helped 130,000 small businesses across the world through investment funds by 71,000 investors across the globe. FundingCircle is different in that it focuses on more substantial dollar amounts for companies that are ready for massive growth. They also have an excellent TrustPilot rating.

Borrowing with FundingCircle

As a borrower, the minimum loan is $25,000 and can go all the way up to $500,000. Rates come as low as 5.99%, and terms can be anywhere from six months to seven years. There are no prepayment penalties, and you can use the funds however you deem necessary — as long as they are for your business.

You will pay an origination fee, but unlike other small business loans, funding is much quicker (you can be fully funded as quickly as 1 business day).

Investing with FundingCircle

As an investor, you’ll need to shell out a minimum of $25,000. If that didn’t knock you out of the race, then read on.

According to FundingCircle, you’ll “Invest in American small businesses (not start-ups) that have established operating history, cash flow, and a strategic plan for growth.” While the risk is still there, you’re funding established businesses looking for extra growth.

You can manage your investments and pick individual loans or set up an automated strategy, similar to Betterment, where you’ll set your investment criteria and get a portfolio designed for you.

Learn more about FundingCircle.

Kiva: Best for first-time borrowers

  • APR: 0%
  • Term: Up to 3 years

If you want to do some good in the world, you’ll find an entirely different experience in P2P with Kiva. Kiva is a San Francisco-based non-profit that helps people across the world fund their businesses at no interest. They were founded in 2005 with a “mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty.”

Borrowing with Kiva

If you’d like to borrow money to grow your business, you can get up to $15,000 with no interest. That’s right, no interest. After making an application and getting pre-qualified, you’ll have the option to invite friends and family to lend to you.

During that same time, you can take your loan public by making your loan visible to over 1.6 million people across the world. Like Kickstarter, you’ll tell a story about yourself and your business, and why you need the money. People can then contribute to your cause until your loan is 100% funded. After that, you can use the funds for business purposes and work on repaying your loan with terms up to three years.

Investing with Kiva

As a lender, you can choose to lend money to people in a variety of categories, including loans for single parents, people in conflict zones, or businesses that focus on food or health. Kiva has various filters set up so you can narrow down exactly the type of person and business you want to lend your money to. You can lend as little as $25, and remember, you won’t get anything but satisfaction in return — there’s no interest.

You can pick from a variety of loans and add them to your “basket,” then check out with one simple process. You’ll then receive payments over time, based on the repayment schedule chosen by the borrower and their ability to repay. The money will go right back into your Kiva account so you can use it again or withdraw it. There are risks to lending, of course, but Kiva claims to have a 96% repayment rate for their loans. Just remember, you’re not doing this as an investment, you’re doing it to help out another person.

Learn more about Kiva.

What is peer-to-peer lending?

As the name suggests, peer-to-peer lending involves private individuals making loans to other individuals. The system runs contrary to the traditional model of banks and credit unions providing financial services because it cuts out the middleman.

While peer-to-peer lending had a surge in users over the past decade, in the past few years, some P2P lending companies have shuttered their services, including StreetShares, Peerform, and LendingClub.

How does peer-to-peer lending work?

Peer-to-peer lending shares many similarities with traditional lending:

  1. You fill out an application with your financial and personal information, including the loan’s size, tax returns, and government-issued identification.
  2. The lender will review your application before posting it on the site for investors.
  3. Investors get to play the part of a loan officer, reviewing a list of applications and deciding where they might want to contribute.
  4. The platform will indicate how risky the loan is and the potential return on investment.
  5. Funding takes anywhere from one day up to two weeks.

Is peer-to-peer lending safe?

No one would say that peer-to-peer lending is 100% safe. No form of investing is. Many of the best peer-to-peer lending sites vet borrowers and investors to mitigate risk. The review process helps eliminate untrustworthy candidates, so borrowers can receive their loan and investors can earn interest.

Read more: Should you invest in peer-to-peer loans?

Pros & cons of P2P lending for investors

Pros

  • An attractive alternative to more traditional investments — You can round out your portfolio that might exclusively include stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Some platforms merge private and public equities, so you can make all your investments in one place.
  • Most lending platforms let you select multiple loans at once — The variation enables you to reduce your risk exposure while potentially earning higher yields than a CD or savings account.
  • Feel good about your contribution — With sites like Kiva, you know that your money is going toward a humanitarian purpose.

Cons

  • Risk of default — When you lend money to individuals, you risk them defaulting. Peer-to-peer lending sites don’t come with FDIC insurance like a CD or savings account.
  • P2P loans lack the liquidity of stocks or bonds — Most loans are for three to five years, so you would have to wait until then to withdraw money.
  • Inequality — Some platforms, such as Funding Circle, only give access to accredited investors, so not everyone has equal access to lending opportunities.

Pros & cons of P2P lending for borrowers

Pros

  • You can circumvent the traditional bureaucracy of brick-and-mortar banks — Instead of waiting in line and negotiating with a loan officer, you have access to a fast, online experience. Because online platforms don’t have to worry about physical overhead, many can give borrowers competitive interest rates.
  • P2P loans typically aren’t as strict as banks or credit unions — The lax approach makes it easier to secure a loan if you have fair or poor credit history.
  • Often no prepayment penalties — You don’t have to worry about prepayment penalties in many cases.

Cons

  • Borrowers face more hurdles if they have a low credit score — Interest rates can go as high as 36% for those with lower scores, while some platforms don’t offer financial services to anyone with a credit score below 630.
  • Possibly high fees — Some sites have origination fees of 6%.
  • Impersonal — If you want the old-fashioned face-to-face borrowing experience, peer-to-peer lending isn’t for you. You don’t have a chance to sit down with your lender and hash out terms.
  • Loan caps around $50,000 — If you need more money, you’ll likely have to go to a bank or credit union.

Summary

Peer-to-peer lending is a great option for borrowers with less-than-stellar credit who want access to capital with reasonable terms and rates. P2P lending is ideal for small businesses and individuals who are looking for a personal loan that does not require mountains of paperwork, and that is funded quickly (usually within a few days).

But not all P2P lending platforms operate the same, and some can charge high origination fees and interest rates. Others require high minimum loan amounts to borrow as well, making them less accessible to some borrowers.

Investors can earn decent returns with P2P lending, but there is also the risk of default and the mess of going through collections agencies occasionally. Finding a solid platform with detailed risk mitigation strategies (such as borrower scores), and insurance against default can help alleviate these concerns, but it may eat into your profits.

While peer-to-peer lending is not seeing the massive growth of a few years ago, it is still a solid option for borrowers and investors alike.

Read more:

Source: moneyunder30.com