Posts Tagged ‘Daniel A. Sosa’

Explaining what the Federal Reserve did in plain English: March 18, 2009

March 18th, 2009

The Federal Open Market Committee voted to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged today, within the target range of 0.000-0.250 percent.  This doesn’t mean the Fed stood pat, however.  On plan to resurrect the economy using “all available tools”, today, the Fed announced a new, $1.5 trillion round of fiscal support for the treasury and mortgage markets.  The stimulus will likely be Thursday morning’s headline story.

In its press release, the FOMC touched upon a few of the prevailing economic issues, using these points as a legitimizing backdrop for its newest debt load:

  • Job losses and wealth loss are dragging down consumer spending
  • Some U.S. trading partners are falling into recession
  • Businesses are cutting back on investment and inventory

Of interest is that the FOMC said today’s inflation levels may be too low to support economic growth at all.  This condition is more commonly called deflation.  The Fed’s latest actions, therefore, may be a deliberate attempt to induce inflation through unprecedented borrowing…

To read the rest of my mortgage industry blog, visit:

http://www.loanapproval411.com/info_01/page_1.rad

 

Sincerely and respectfully,

Daniel A. Sosa

PMZ Mortgage Consultant

Office: 209-474-2010 x4716

Cell: 209-298-8017

Email: dsosa@pmzloans.com

Website: www.loanapproval411.com

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Today’s signal that home prices may have already bottomed: Building Permits

March 18th, 2009

There’s a mixed message in February’s Housing Starts data and it may be a good sign for home sellers in the near-term.  As reported by the government, new home construction rose by 22 percent last month.  The press is running with the headline number, calling it evidence of a market bottom.  A more thorough inspection, however, reveals a different story.  The 22 percent figure applies to all homes built — including apartment building units.  Isolating residential units, February’s housing starts rose by just 1 percent.  Furthermore, the data’s margin of error is 11 percent.  Statistically, we can’t know if residential housing starts really rose last month, or if it fell instead.  What we do know, though, is that the number of building permit requests rose…

To read the rest of my mortgage industry blog, visit:

http://www.loanapproval411.com/info_01/page_1.rad

 

Sincerely and respectfully,

Daniel A. Sosa

PMZ Mortgage Consultant

Office: 209-472-2010 x4716

Cell: 209-298-8017

Email: dsosa@pmzloans.com

Website: www.loanapproval411.com

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Look beyond APR during mortgage hunt

March 17th, 2009

The “annual percentage rate” (APR) listed with any mortgage generally causes more confusion than it’s worth for most homebuyers. Making matters worse, most mortgage professionals don’t really understand it. An APR calculation is required on mortgage offers to help people make sense of all the figures flying around. The ultimate goal is accurate comparative shop-ping. Unfortunately, some lenders can and will manipulate APR; and the assumptions used generally make APR estimates unrealistic…

To read the rest of my written article, please visit:

http://www.loanapproval411.com/upload/client514/pdf20090317230225.pdf

 

Sincerely and respectfully,

Daniel A. Sosa

PMZ Mortgage Consultant

Office: 209-472-2010 x4716

Cell: 209-298-8017

Email: dsosa@pmzloans.com

Website: www.loanapproval411.com

 

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The Federal Reserve is meeting and what it means to your mortgage rate.

March 17th, 2009

The Federal Open Market Committee begins a scheduled, 2-day meeting today to discuss the country’s monetary policy.  As is custom, the group will issue a press release to the markets upon adjournment.  There are 8 scheduled FOMC get-togethers annually and the post-meeting press releases are among the most powerful market-moving events of the year.  It’s not the Fed’s actual policy changes that causes fortunes to be won or lost, though.  These changes can predicted and traded — and, therefore, hedged — on Wall Street using Fed Funds Rate Futures.  For example, Wall Street predicts with 97% certainty that the Federal Reserve will not make a policy change at this time.  As opposed to the policy change, it’s the verbiage of the FOMC’s press release that can really move markets.  This is because the press release is a clear-eyed look into what the Federal Reserve thinks of the United States economy — its strengths, its weaknesses, and its threats…

To read the rest of my mortgage industry blog, visit:

http://www.loanapproval411.com/info_01/page_1.rad

 

Sincerely and respectfully,

Daniel A. Sosa

PMZ Mortgage Consultant

Office: 209-472-2010 x4716

Cell: 209-298-8017

Email: dsosa@pmzloans.com

Website: www.loanapproval411.com

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Mortgage Bank vs. Mortgage Broker: Who should you choose?

March 16th, 2009

There has been a long running debate as to whether a borrower should use a Bank or a Mortgage Broker to obtain the loan for their home purchase or refinance. The question of which type of lending institution would provide a better rate, better service or best advice is often a concern for most borrowers. Borrowers are also looking for high integrity and stability in the lending institution. Some borrowers are even worried that the company lending the money may go out of business and the consequences that such an event would have on their loan. Oh, and of course everyone wants the best price…

To read the rest of my written article, please visit:

http://www.loanapproval411.com/upload/client514/pdf20090316140132.pdf

Sincerely and respectfully,

Daniel A. Sosa

PMZ Mortgage Consultant

Office: 209-472-2010 x4716

Cell: 209-298-8017

Email: dsosa@pmzloans.com

Website: www.loanapproval411.com

 

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60 Minutes Interview with Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke…its first in history

March 16th, 2009

Mortgage markets lost a little bit of ground last week, edging mortgage rates higher in a week marked by the largest stock market gains since November.  Once again, mortgage rates couldn’t sustain a rally of more than 5 days.  Not since late-2008 have mortgage rates managed to fall two weeks in a row.  Last week’s market was impacted by three distinct factors:

  1. Bank balance sheets weren’t as bad as feared
  2. Discussion started on new bank valuation methods
  3. Traders got optimistic that “the worst is over”

The rally will likely continue into this week, too.  This after the 60 Minutes interview with Ben Bernanke in which the Fed Chief said he won’t let big banks fail and that the recovery will likely begin later this year.  It’s the first interview with a sitting Federal Reserve Chairman in history….

To watch this video, please visit:

http://www.loanapproval411.com/info_01/page_1.rad

 

Sincerely and respectfully,

Daniel A. Sosa

PMZ Mortgage Consultant

Office: 209-472-2010 x4716

Cell: 209-298-8017

Email: dsosa@pmzloans.com

Website: www.loanapproval411.com

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4 minutes of guidance for soon to be real estate investors

March 13th, 2009

“Most of the biggest real estate fortunes were not made in good times, but in bad times like this” Barbara Corcoran reminds us in this talk with NBC.  It’s important perspective for Americans wondering how to invest in foreclosed properties without losing their cash or their credit rating.  In the 4-minute interview, Corcoran quips on the basics and the essentials of foreclosure investing,

  • “Everyone who loses their shirt loses it somewhere else.”
  • “Every big shark started small.”
  • “The house on the corner sets the tone for the block.”

She also lends some personal perspective to rent rolls, the cost of losing a tenant, and finding a good business partner.  Banks are anxious to sell their foreclosed homes and that makes this an ideal time for shrewd real estate investors.  If you’re new to the game, watch the video and take good notes…

To watch this 4 minute video, please visit:

http://www.loanapproval411.com/info_01/page_1.rad

 

Sincerely and respectfully,

Daniel A. Sosa

PMZ Mortgage Consultant

Office: 209-472-2010 x4716

Cell: 209-298-8017

Email: dsosa@pmzloans.com

Website: www.loanapproval411.com

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What is Mark to Market Accounting and why it is important to you now

March 12th, 2009

The financial crisis that we are in today was not caused by mortgages or housing, although they were both catalysts. The real reason was an accounting rule called “Mark to Market” also known as FASB 157. Few people have a strong grasp of this rule, and even those who do, have a tough time explaining it on air or on television due to time restrictions.

Why does “Mark to Market” exist?

Let’s go back to the Stock Market crash, which occurred between 2000 and 2002. With the S&P 500 down nearly 49% and the NASDAQ down 71%, many people lost much of their life savings and they were very angry. Companies like Enron and Arthur Anderson were able to find ways to make their books look more attractive, which was reflected in an artificially inflated price. Both the public and Congress had a call for more transparency in business and hastened the passage of “Mark to Market” Accounting. This is the notion that all assets should be valued as if they were sold on a daily basis…

To read the rest of my written article, please visit:

http://www.loanapproval411.com/upload/client514/pdf20090127225838.pdf

 

Sincerely and respectfully,

Daniel A. Sosa

PMZ Mortgage Consultant

Office: 209-472-2010 x4716

Cell: 209-298-8017

Email: dsosa@pmzloans.com

Website: www.loanapproval411.com

 

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Mark to Market: How an obscure corporate accounting rule might impact your mortgage rate

March 12th, 2009

You know you’re in the middle of an economic crisis when an accounting issue become Front Page News, and that’s exactly where we’re at today.  Mark to Market Accounting is having its day in the sun and people in need of mortgage sometime soon would do well to pay attention.  If you’ve never heard of mark-to-market accounting, don’t worry. Not many people have.  Mark-to-market is a method of valuing an asset based on its what-if-it-was-sold-today value.  Mark-to-market is officially known as FASB Statement 157…

To read the rest of my mortgage industry blog, visit:

http://www.loanapproval411.com/info_01/page_1.rad

 

Sincerely and respectfully,

Daniel A. Sosa

PMZ Mortgage Consultant

Office: 209-472-2010 x4716

Cell: 209-298-8017

Email: dsosa@pmzloans.com

Website: www.loanapproval411.com

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What does FICO mean and why is it important?

March 11th, 2009

The basis of most mortgage lending is credit scoring.  In general, the higher a person’s credit score, the lower his offered mortgage interest rate.  Despite the many credit scoring models in use today, however, just 3 are relevant to American homeowners:

  • The Equifax BEACON® score
  • The Experian Fair Isaac Risk Model
  • The TransUnion EMPIRICA®

Generically, these scoring models generate what are commonly known as “FICO” scores.  FICO scores are measurements of probability.  The higher a person’s credit score, by definition, the less likely a person is to default on his home loan.  This is one reason why credit scoring has added importance lately — mortgage lenders are very careful about what they’re lending and to whom…

To read the rest of my mortgage industry blog, visit:

http://www.loanapproval411.com/info_01/page_1.rad

 

Sincerely and respectfully,

Daniel A. Sosa

PMZ Mortgage Consultant

Office: 209-472-2010 x4716

Cell: 209-298-8017

Email: dsosa@pmzloans.com

Website: www.loanapproval411.com

  • Share/Bookmark