Nobody understands debt, according to Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman. What he means specifically is that Congress, the media and the American people do not understand the distinction between public debt and private debt. Krugman points to the recent debt debates in Congress as chief evidence that the widespread misunderstanding of public debt has largely [...]

Lenders will soon be able to access information never before made available in financial reports.  Data analysis company CoreLogic has already introduced a new type of credit report which takes into account an individual’s rental payment history, evictions, child support judgments, applications for payday loans and payment history on utility and cellphone bills, to name [...]

This article discusses the purported moral implications of a homeowner’s decision to strategically default and why no such implications exist for a strategically defaulting business.

The underlying cause of stunted home sales volume and sticky pricing may be the epidemic of floundering Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) scores during the Lesser Depression, according to a recent FICO study. Roughly 50 million American consumers experienced a FICO score drop of at least 20 points in 2008-2009 following the housing bust and financial [...]

Readers weigh in on topics affecting the California real estate industry.

The California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA), a very small player in the California mortgage market, has temporarily halted foreclosures on homeowners who were current on their CalHFA purchase-assist mortgages but rented their homes out. Homeowners rented their homes out in an effort to stay current on their mortgages while relocating to find employment. Although none [...]

This article argues that the diminished housing wealth of the Baby Boomer generation will not forestall their retirement-induced migration, and clarifies the nuances in the debate over Baby Boomer behavior in today’s real estate marketplace.

Congress has raised the jumbo limit for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans back to $729,750 just one month after the loan limit increase expired in October 2011. The limit on Fannie Mae- and Freddie Mac-backed loans, however, is not set to be increased and will remain at $625,500. In related news, jumbo loan borrowers pose [...]

Speculations about American migratory patterns since the collapse of the housing market have been confirmed: people are not moving. According to the Carsey Institute’s analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest American Community Survey (ACS), which released the national data on American mobility spanning 2008-2010, states that were growing rapidly are now at a standstill [...]

This article examines the recent revisions made to the Administration’s Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) and analyzes its actual effect on the real estate market.