NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- If you're delinquent on your mortgage, your credit score will suffer. Everyone knows that. The question is, by how much?
Until recently, those answers were hard to come by. Credit bureaus were uncommunicative about expressing, in points, just how much impact different foreclosure types of mortgage delinquencies have on scores.
Recently, Fair Isaac, which developed FICO scores, pulled back the curtain a bit, revealing some estimates of point-score declines following mortgage delinquency problems.
Here are the average hit your credit will take:
30 days late: 40 - 110 points
90 days late: 70 - 135 points
Foreclosure, short sale or deed-in-lieu: 85 - 160
Bankruptcy: 130 - 240
To come to these figures, Fair Isaac created two hypothetical consumers, one who starts out with a fair-to-middling score of 680 and the other with a very good one of 780. (FICO scores range from 300 to 850.)
The hypothetical person with the 780 FICO has 10 credit accounts versus six for the 580, plus a longer credit history, lower utilization of total credit limit and no missed payments on any account. The other consumer has two slightly damaged accounts. Neither have any accounts in collection or adverse public records.
See the chart above to see how each scenario affected each borrower.
Notice that for both borrowers a single one-time black mark results in steep drops, but it is when they fall further behind that things get really harsh, according to Craig Watts, a spokesman for Fair Isaac.
"The lending industry tends to regard an account differently when it has become 90 or more days late," he said, "The likelihood that consumers will resume paying their overdue obligations drops off significantly after the delinquencies have reached 90 days."
One reason credit companies were so closed-mouthed is that they often can't definitively state how much each delinquencies will affect scores because there are too many variables.
Some borrowers will fall much more steeply than others for the same payment problem, according to Maxine Sweet, vice president for public education at Experian, one of the nation's main credit bureaus.
"If you picture someone who has just one mortgage and one other credit account versus a mature credit user like me with 15 accounts, if they miss one payment that would impact their scores a lot more," she said. "For me, one missed payment would just be a blip."
The point loss also depends on the borrower's starting point: People with very high credit scores have more to lose than low-score borrowers; the impact of a single blemish on an 800 score is more than on a 500
Of course, it just gets worse when you face foreclosure.
Mortgage borrowers can lose their homes three basic ways: a foreclosure; a short sale, where the home is sold for less than than is owed and the bank (generally) forgives the difference; or a deed-in-lieu, in which the borrower gives back the property and the bank again forgives any unpaid balance.
Sweet said credit bureaus generally slash scores equally for those three resolutions to someone losing their home. The important factor, she said, is that "it's reported that you paid less on a settled account."
Some borrowers may think that because they never missed a payment, they can "walk away" from their homes with relatively little impact on scores. Not true. "When a deed-in-lieu or short sale is reported as a partial payment, it's treated as a serious delinquency," Watts said, "just like a foreclosure."
Even if borrowers made payments faithfully for years before short selling or doing a deed-in-lieu, their credit score will still take a hit. The total decline will run about 85 points for the 680 score borrower to as much as 160 for the 780 score.
Mortgage debt, combined with other financial problems, can send borrowers into bankruptcy, the worst thing that can happen to your credit score.
The effects are long-lasting, according to Sweet. In a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, which involves partial repayment over several years, the stain will take seven years to remove. A Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which involves liquidation, takes 10 years to get over.
It's gonna cost you
Absorbing a big credit-score hit can make many transactions more costly. It's not just paying more for credit card debt and auto loans, insurance can cost more as well.
The average savings for someone with a good versus mediocre credit score is about $115 a year for auto insurance and $60 for home, according to Loretta Sorters, of the Insurance Information Institute.
A low credit score can even make it harder to rent a home because landlords often use credit scores to weed out prospective renters.
Despite the problems a poor credit score can cause, Experian's Sweet recommends that people who are in financial dead ends, like totally unaffordable mortgages, it's better to recognize that and cut your losses quickly; don't prolong the problem.
"You need to do what you need to do to get your finances back in order," she said. "Don't worry about your credit score."
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Home sales rise more than expected
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Home sales rose more than expected in March, reversing three months of declines, as government incentives drew in buyers and kicked off what's expected to be a strong spring selling season.
Sales of previously occupied homes rose 6.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.35 million last month, the highest level since December, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. February's sales figures were revised downward slightly to 5.01 million.
"The spring selling season will be a success and probably the most active we're seen in years," said Stuart Hoffman, chief economist at PNC Financial Services Group.
Sales are likely to keep growing through the first half of the year as tax credits for first-time buyers and low mortgage rates fuel purchases. The average interest rate this week was 5.07 percent for a traditional 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, Freddie Mac said Thursday.
But doubts remain about whether the momentum will be sustained in the second half of the year when federal support is gone.
"This is a temporary surge that won't be sustained" said Paul Dales, US economist with Capital Economics. "It won't be very pretty."
Sales are now up 18 percent from their low in early 2009, but are still down 26 percent from their peak in fall 2005. March's results had been expected to rise about 5 percent to 5.28 million, according to economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters.
The results show the housing market is stabilizing after a devastating bust. But the true test will be whether the market can stand on its own after federal tax credits expire at the end of this month.
Sales rose in every region, surging more than 7 percent in the Midwest and South, 6.6 percent in the West and 6 percent in the Northeast.
"It's a very broad-based recovery," said Lawrence Yun, the Realtors' chief economist.
The median sales price was $170,700, up almost 4 percent from $164,600 a month earlier and nearly unchanged from $170,000 in March 2009.
The inventory of unsold homes on the market was up 1.5 percent at 3.6 million. That's an eight month supply at the current sales pace.
Sales nationally had declined over the winter, eroding gains made last fall and summer. The downward direction troubled economists because the government has taken unprecedented steps to support the housing sector.
For several months, home shoppers didn't feel rushed after lawmakers extended the deadline to qualify for tax incentives. The government is offering a $8,000 credit for first-time buyers and $6,500 for current homeowners willing to buy and move into another property.
But now time is running out. Buyers must sign contract offers by April 30 to qualify, and real estate agents say that's spurring sales.
"Many people who otherwise wouldn't be on the market for a home want to take advantage of these tax credits," said Kathi McLeod, sales manager for Windermere Real Estate in Boise, Idaho. "You have buyers who have been looking and looking at properties and realizing that it's almost too late, so they're really scrambling and jumping into deals."
The Realtors group is not pushing for an another extension of the tax credit. Yun said he believes there will be enough demand in the second half of the year without a government subsidy.
Still, some housing market experts predict the market will take a dramatic "double-dip" once the government's supports are gone. But others argue that there is enough pent-up demand to keep the market chugging. And prices have fallen dramatically since the boom years -- as much as 50 percent in some places. So buyers can pick up bargain-priced foreclosures.
AP Business Writer Erin Conroy in New York contributed to this report.
Sales of previously occupied homes rose 6.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.35 million last month, the highest level since December, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. February's sales figures were revised downward slightly to 5.01 million.
"The spring selling season will be a success and probably the most active we're seen in years," said Stuart Hoffman, chief economist at PNC Financial Services Group.
Sales are likely to keep growing through the first half of the year as tax credits for first-time buyers and low mortgage rates fuel purchases. The average interest rate this week was 5.07 percent for a traditional 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, Freddie Mac said Thursday.
But doubts remain about whether the momentum will be sustained in the second half of the year when federal support is gone.
"This is a temporary surge that won't be sustained" said Paul Dales, US economist with Capital Economics. "It won't be very pretty."
Sales are now up 18 percent from their low in early 2009, but are still down 26 percent from their peak in fall 2005. March's results had been expected to rise about 5 percent to 5.28 million, according to economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters.
The results show the housing market is stabilizing after a devastating bust. But the true test will be whether the market can stand on its own after federal tax credits expire at the end of this month.
Sales rose in every region, surging more than 7 percent in the Midwest and South, 6.6 percent in the West and 6 percent in the Northeast.
"It's a very broad-based recovery," said Lawrence Yun, the Realtors' chief economist.
The median sales price was $170,700, up almost 4 percent from $164,600 a month earlier and nearly unchanged from $170,000 in March 2009.
The inventory of unsold homes on the market was up 1.5 percent at 3.6 million. That's an eight month supply at the current sales pace.
Sales nationally had declined over the winter, eroding gains made last fall and summer. The downward direction troubled economists because the government has taken unprecedented steps to support the housing sector.
For several months, home shoppers didn't feel rushed after lawmakers extended the deadline to qualify for tax incentives. The government is offering a $8,000 credit for first-time buyers and $6,500 for current homeowners willing to buy and move into another property.
But now time is running out. Buyers must sign contract offers by April 30 to qualify, and real estate agents say that's spurring sales.
"Many people who otherwise wouldn't be on the market for a home want to take advantage of these tax credits," said Kathi McLeod, sales manager for Windermere Real Estate in Boise, Idaho. "You have buyers who have been looking and looking at properties and realizing that it's almost too late, so they're really scrambling and jumping into deals."
The Realtors group is not pushing for an another extension of the tax credit. Yun said he believes there will be enough demand in the second half of the year without a government subsidy.
Still, some housing market experts predict the market will take a dramatic "double-dip" once the government's supports are gone. But others argue that there is enough pent-up demand to keep the market chugging. And prices have fallen dramatically since the boom years -- as much as 50 percent in some places. So buyers can pick up bargain-priced foreclosures.
AP Business Writer Erin Conroy in New York contributed to this report.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Low Rates Likely Through 2010
Interest rates are likely to remain low into 2011, Federal Reserve policymakers hinted this week in at least two presentations. These indications came one week after the Fed shut down its program to buy mortgage-backed securities, which had kept rates at or near record lows in recent months.
In a speech Thursday, Fed Governor Daniel Tarullo said, "The relatively modest pace of recovery, the continued high rate of unemployment, subdued inflation trends, and well-anchored inflation expectations together suggest that the need for highly accommodative monetary policies will not diminish soon.”
Likewise, Donald Kohn, Fed vice chairman in a speech in San Francisco, said the Fed would raise rates, “in due course,” but he also noted that low rates "help offset the lingering restraining effects on economic activity and prices."
So far, rates have risen modestly, but analysts speculate they will likely become much more volatile down the road.
“It’s an uncertain type of market,” says Keith Gumbinger of HSH.com.
Michael Fratantoni, vice president of research and economics for the Mortgage Bankers Association, predicts that the Fed will have created a situation where there are days or weeks of low-rate opportunities, and other days and weeks when rates rise significantly.
In a speech Thursday, Fed Governor Daniel Tarullo said, "The relatively modest pace of recovery, the continued high rate of unemployment, subdued inflation trends, and well-anchored inflation expectations together suggest that the need for highly accommodative monetary policies will not diminish soon.”
Likewise, Donald Kohn, Fed vice chairman in a speech in San Francisco, said the Fed would raise rates, “in due course,” but he also noted that low rates "help offset the lingering restraining effects on economic activity and prices."
So far, rates have risen modestly, but analysts speculate they will likely become much more volatile down the road.
“It’s an uncertain type of market,” says Keith Gumbinger of HSH.com.
Michael Fratantoni, vice president of research and economics for the Mortgage Bankers Association, predicts that the Fed will have created a situation where there are days or weeks of low-rate opportunities, and other days and weeks when rates rise significantly.
Pending Home Sales Show Healthy Gain
Pending home sales rose in February, potentially signaling a second surge of home sales in response to the home buyer tax credit, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.
The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in February, rose 8.2 percent to 97.6 from a downwardly revised 90.2 in January, and remains 17.3 percent above February 2009 when it was 83.2. The data reflects contracts and not closings, which usually occur with a lag time of one or two months.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says the improvement is another hopeful sign. “The rise in buyer contact activity may signal the early stages of a second surge of home sales this spring. The healthy gain hints home prices are continuing to flatten,” he says. “We need a second surge to meaningfully draw down inventory and definitively stabilize home values.”
Pending home sales by region:
Northeast: the index rose 9.0 percent to 77.7 in February and is 18.9 percent higher than February 2009.
Midwest: jumped 21.8 percent to 97.9 and is 18.7 percent above a year ago.
South: increased 9.2 percent to an index of 107.0, and the index is 17.5 percent higher than February 2009.
West: the index fell 4.8 percent to 98.0 but is 14.6 percent above a year ago.
Source: NAR
The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in February, rose 8.2 percent to 97.6 from a downwardly revised 90.2 in January, and remains 17.3 percent above February 2009 when it was 83.2. The data reflects contracts and not closings, which usually occur with a lag time of one or two months.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says the improvement is another hopeful sign. “The rise in buyer contact activity may signal the early stages of a second surge of home sales this spring. The healthy gain hints home prices are continuing to flatten,” he says. “We need a second surge to meaningfully draw down inventory and definitively stabilize home values.”
Pending home sales by region:
Northeast: the index rose 9.0 percent to 77.7 in February and is 18.9 percent higher than February 2009.
Midwest: jumped 21.8 percent to 97.9 and is 18.7 percent above a year ago.
South: increased 9.2 percent to an index of 107.0, and the index is 17.5 percent higher than February 2009.
West: the index fell 4.8 percent to 98.0 but is 14.6 percent above a year ago.
Source: NAR
Is now a good time to buy a home?
I get asked this all the time. And my answer is always the same, “Yes!” Here are just a few reasons why:
1. Buyers Market! Right now we are in a buyers market. The inventory of homes is high and prices have still not bottomed out. There is a lot to choose from which gives you more opportunity to find the house that best fits you and your family’s needs.
2. Low Interest Rates! Current interest rates are sitting right around 5%. This is a great time to jump on the lower interest rate as they are expected to start to climb again, soon. Lower interest rate means a lower payment or a bit more in a house!
3. Tax Credit! Whether you are a first time home buyer or a repeat buyer, there is a credit for you. This is not a tax decuction, it is FREE money!
4. Buyers agent is FREE! As your buyer agent, I will cost you NO money for my services! I am licened in Washington and Oregon and love to help clients find their next home! Consider me your personal home finder! Give me a call and put me to work for you.
1. Buyers Market! Right now we are in a buyers market. The inventory of homes is high and prices have still not bottomed out. There is a lot to choose from which gives you more opportunity to find the house that best fits you and your family’s needs.
2. Low Interest Rates! Current interest rates are sitting right around 5%. This is a great time to jump on the lower interest rate as they are expected to start to climb again, soon. Lower interest rate means a lower payment or a bit more in a house!
3. Tax Credit! Whether you are a first time home buyer or a repeat buyer, there is a credit for you. This is not a tax decuction, it is FREE money!
4. Buyers agent is FREE! As your buyer agent, I will cost you NO money for my services! I am licened in Washington and Oregon and love to help clients find their next home! Consider me your personal home finder! Give me a call and put me to work for you.
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