Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Increase Your Home's Value
Friday, April 10, 2009
Cheerleader Alert!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
To Refi or To Modify, That is the Question
"Truth is that there are so many programs out there now . . . most struggling homeowners don't know why they are calling us other than for help."
This is an amazing statement, but one that we can all relate to. Over the past several months I have spoken to many people that aren't sure what to do about their home mortgages, some are so confused they settle for doing nothing.
Homeownership is a big responsibility. Up until now it just meant that we had to maintain a yard or fix a pipe now and then. Now there is another kind of maintenance that needs to be attended to, the financial health of the home.
The first, and easiest place to start is taking this quick, simple, 4 question test to see if you qualify for the "Making Homeownership Affordable Program". Take the test here.
Most people will not qualify for this program. So the next place to go for guidence is the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development. There are over 26,000 locations from coast to coast. Find an office in your area here. Seek the the help of qualified counselor and find out exaclty what kind of help you need.
Making the correct desision is crucial when it comes to the single largest purchase of your life. I hope you will take the steps to make an educated desision.
Matt Kemper
Friday, April 3, 2009
G-20: What Got Done
The Associated Press, in an article today entitled "Analysis: But Will it Work", reports that the International Monetary Fund will be receiving an additional $1.1 trillion to help struggling countries in Eastern Europe and Latin America. Fortunately for us contributing countries, the funds will be in the form of loans to the IMF, not debt spending. There were also agreements on the need for regulations on international companies whose business could have a potential to cause systemic trauma.
We have cause to be happy with our leadership. They stood up to French President Nicholas Sarkozy, and Greman President Angela Merkel when they called for a "world regulator" to control what they (and many others) see as unfetered capitalism by the United States. Causing the current world wide recession.
Our leaders did agree to more transparency and better working relationships with other world regulators. However, Sarkozy and Merkel's stances should stand as a wake up call. The United States needs to start digging her collective heals in the dirt and pushing back on the world stage. Our culture is uniquely ours, and we must be proud of our country, even when antaganists, both foreign and domestic, seek to shame us. If you need a reminder, The United States and her people are by far is the most generous with aid and funding to the world. I have not heard Frence, Germany, or even China announce they are contributing more. I would prefer to see more global encouragement and less calls for a global regulations that bind us, the voluntary world's police force.
Matt Kemper
YourCreditCompany.com
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Clunker Program?
Lately it does not seem like there has been a whole lot of creativity coming out of the beltway. There has been a lot of "taking the easy way out" in regards to banking industries, automotive industries, and the like. However, today I saw some light, and it is presented in one of the worse named programs (give it time the the proposal is weeks away from seeing the floor of the House of Representatives) to date.
Reuters is reporting today that a tax incentive program is making it's way to the floor of the Senate and House of Representatives. The program is a tax incentive of up to $5,000 meant to encourage owners of older and inefficient automobiles to trade up to a new and high efficient vehicle. The program would cost approx. $2 billion, and would possibly coming out of remaining stimulus money (I'm biting my tongue on that).
I am strongly in favor of ideas like this one, which by the way similar ideas are in place in Europe. Instead of a bailout that arguably helps only a couple "groups" of people or jobs, this kind of creative plan helps many "groups" of people or jobs. Further, I encourage everyone to contact your state representative and encourage more creative problem solving and ideas like this to get us back on the road to prosperity.
Matt Kemper
YourCreditCompany.com
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Bank Kudos!
Let's give a big cheer to the following banks for giving back the government money!
The New York Times is reporting that these banks are "being allowed" to repay monies given to them by TARP:
Signature Bank of New York- has paid back $120 million.
Old National Bankcorp of Indiana- has paid back $100 million.
Iberiabank of Louisiana- has paid back $90 million.
Bank of Marin of Navato, CA- has paid back $28 million.
Sun Bank of New Jersey announced this morning they are returning/paying off $89.3 million.
Folks, if you live in New York, Indiana, Louisiana, California, or New Jersey look these banks up and support them by opening a savings or checking account.
Matt Kemper
YourCreditCompany.com
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Do It Yourself!
Nope! Spring is here. The weather is improving, days are getting longer, and today I have a touch of spring fever!
So today we should get beyond the state of our housing market, the credit market, and all the hype going into the G20 meeting. Take a step back and enjoy spring.
Spring time always reminds me of Do It Yourself (D.I.Y.) projects. You would be surprised at the return on investment you'll see on some of these D.I.Y. projects. So many projects are very easy and don't take long to complete. Check out these great deals offered by your local/national retail hardware store.
Home Depot
50% off bathroom accessories
Lowes
Sale on Thermostats (this one sounds odd, but when I sold my last house it was golden touch, plus it saved me money on my utility bill every month!)
Check back for more great values on projects that will add value to your home and on a budget you can afford!
Matt Kemper
YourCreditCompany.com
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Housing Market Finds Footing
According to USA Today there is more good news from the housing market! "Mortgage applications jumped last week as record low interest rates spurred a surge in demand for home refinancing, according to figures from the Mortgage Bankers Association."
This is the kind of ground swell that the housing market has been needing, and the market is certainly getting plenty of help. The cost of money or loans is at absolute record lows. In addition the devaluing of neighborhoods has brought homes across the board affordable to a larger group of potential buyers. Buyers are getting maximum bang for their buck.
Are you a potential buyer? Now is the time to find out! This market will not last forever. Hopefully it lasts until summer or fall, but interest rates will go up, thus increasing the cost to borrow.
First, you need to know your credit score YourCreditCompany.com can help click here. Next, you will need a mortgage lender, again YourCreditCompany.com can help click here. Maybe you need some credit rehab help, don't worry we can help click here.
Best of luck! Don't for get to look into the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit! The market turns as more of us get involved in it.
Matt Kemper
YourCreditCompany.com
Friday, March 20, 2009
Housing News is Good News
All toxic assets are now to be broadly referred to as "Legacy Assets". Thank you...back to the blog!
Wow! What day the stock market had yesterday. You could feel that traders were just happy to be pulling the buy trigger. The euphoria on the trading floor must have been electric!
According to USA Today home sales rose 5.1% in the month of February. Existing home prices fell during the same month.
This is good news and the market was correct to react favorably to it. At this point no one is blind to all the troubled properties on the market (i.e. foreclosures, pre-foreclosures, and the like). These properties must clear out of the market place before housing can get out of low gear.
It is obviously is a great time to buy! Now is the time to act. Yes! Interest rates are better than any of us will see again in our lifetime. Yes! Market pricing is at a low and will come back up. The strings are coming though. Bloomberg is reporting that mortgage fees are on the rise.
Something had to go up, and of course there are a lot of people working hard in the housing market to get these short deals done, and they deserve to be compensated. I am just suggesting that you should get in on the deal before it goes up too much.
If you are not in a position to take advantage of one of these foreclosures or short sales, don't worry! Settle into you home. Invest in your home! Paint the wall a new color. Find some cool DYI projects. It is your home, enjoy it! The market will come around and you will command a better price with some personal touches.
Matt Kemper
Your Credit Company
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Obama's Bailouts Questioned
I believe it is probably human nature to take the path of least resistance. The concern that one may have is... does this short cut take you to a dead end?
It seems recently all we have been hearing is talk of bailouts. Mortgage companies have all gotten in line to take the bailout money. Now we have stumbled across another obstacle. Once the money is given should the companies be accountable for how it is used?
President Obama’s political honeymoon is in danger. AIG is giving huge bonuses to there employees. Do they deserve such bonuses when they are taking money to keep the company running? I would say “NO.” However, was there a discussion that took place or contingency on accepting these funds? I think not.
One may assume that in the economic climate that is has sparked awareness for companies to be more pro-active in doing the right thing. Mortgage companies where encouraged to do loans. The majority of Loan Originators worked off straight commission. Shouldn’t one assume that they weren’t just concerned about the homeowner’s decision to buy a home, but that they needed to close the loan in order to be paid? AIG employees, regardless of what shape the company is in, is interested in fulfilling there own financial interests. Congressional leaders are threatening not to approve further bailouts for banks and financial institutions. AIG lost $100bn last year. These executives obviously where not making good decisions, but they still feel like they deserve bonuses? This is asinine.
Obama has become the “yes” man. He has hurried through quick fixes that have turned into large problems. He has failed to fill key administration posts, such as appointing Tim Geithner who had failed to pay his taxes, as US treasury secretary. Charles Grassley said that AIG executives have committed hara-kiri. In a radio interview yesterday, he said: "I would suggest the first thing that would make me feel a little bit better toward them if they'd follow the Japanese example and come before the American people and take that deep bow and say, 'I'm sorry', and then either do one of two things: resign or go commit suicide. And in the case of the Japanese, they usually commit suicide before they make any apology."
Obama is naïve to think that these companies are looking after the common folk. I would tend to agree with Charles Grassley. They have met immediate gratification, but the opportunity will never rise again. Now it is a matter of time to see how they plan to fix their problems. Remember, they have backed themselves into a corner thus fare. There needs to be a plan that is well sought out and that can be implemented for a long-term fix. Not one that is a band aid fix that will only endure the next four years that the President is in office.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/17/aig-bonuses-obama-economy
Renee Fogle
Your Credit Company
Friday, March 13, 2009
Find The Good News
In the spirit of ending the week, that has seen some good news in the economy, on a good note I wanted to highlight some good news in the Housing Market.
According to the Mortgage Bankers Association mortgage applications continued a string of weekly increases. The press release states that mortgage applications for the week of March 11, 2009 increased 11.6% from the previous week (ending March 6, 2009) and a 5.7% increase from the same week a year earlier.
Yes, many news articles this week are leading with last month's foreclosure numbers increasing 6%. However, interest rates are at an amazingly low 5.02% and with more and more people applying for loans this leads to the strong possibility of more action in the housing market.
In my previous position with a local home builder we watched these numbers closely. Movement in the housing market was very important to us (even when it was not us selling a home). We would be highly encouraged by people buying homes because that meant people who sold their home potentially would be buying another home, thus creating a domino effect.
Reduction in housing inventory is important to getting our economy back on track. The housing industry affects a myriad of business (many of them small business) from contractors and their sales/marketing and support staffs to installers to suppliers, to manufactures. We may still have to endure for awhile longer, but positive numbers should offer some encouragement and a reason to lift our collective chin.
Matt Kemper
YourCreditCompany.com
To apply for a mortgage or get more information on mortgages visit us today!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Hail To The Banks...
First, I would like to congratulate Citi Bank for turning a profitable first couple months of 2009. Now I hope they will be able to do as the following banks are planning to do, which is to pay back the government and get back to running their bank the way they intended.
The New York Times is reporting that:
"As public outrage swells over the rapidly growing cost of bailing out financial institutions, the Obama administration and lawmakers are attaching more and more strings to rescue funds.
The conditions are necessary to prevent Wall Street executives from paying lavish bonuses and buying corporate jets, some experts say, but others say the conditions go beyond protecting taxpayers and border on social engineering.
Some bankers say the conditions have become so onerous that they want to return the bailout money. The list includes small banks like the TCF Financial Corporation of Wayzata, Minn., and Iberia Bank of Lafayette, La., as well as giants like Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo.
They say they plan to return the money as quickly as possible or as soon as regulators set up a process to accept the refunds. On Tuesday, Signature Bank of New York announced that because of new executive pay restrictions in the economic stimulus package, it notified the Treasury that it intended to return the $120 million it had received from the government only three months ago."
Another bank mentioned in the article was Johnson Bank of Racine, WI.
I would like to applaud these banks for boldly standing firm in this economic downturn and recognizing the opportunities for them to succeed if they are not restrained by the government.There is at least one bank on this list that is local to me. I pledge that if that bank gives back all taxpayer money, thus cutting the strings imposed by the government, I will express my vote as a consumer by opening an account. I encourage you to take note of these banks and keep an eye on the news. When you see a bank in your area that has given back taxpayer money to the Treasury, support them with either your voice and/or your dollars.
Matt Kemper
YourCreditCompany.com
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Power to the Consumer!
Lately I've been thinking about the consumer. There is a lot of commentary about bubbles these days. The Savings and Loan Bubble, The .com Bubble, and most recently the hosing bubble. Wild fluctuations over several years of expanding and contracting economies. My brain has really been working on the relation with these bubbles, and the consumer. Can a balance exist? Certainly balance can be achieved, but who's responsibility is it to create that balance, and to what extent?
There are those out there that will shout very loudly that the business community in general, and Wall Street specifically, caused this deepening recession. Governments are another choice to create balance. Obviously right now our government is throwing everything, including the kitchen sink, at the economy hoping it will improve. However, let me introduce you to a third choice. This group rises above the other two. The other two choices are ultimately dependent upon this group. Look into the glare of your monitor. The group is you.
Can you comprehend the amazing responsibility you have as a consumer? You, as a part of the consumer collective, decide what products reamain in the market. If you don't like a company, certainly you can sell your interest in that company, maybe even get others to sell too! Government might be more tricky, especially here in the United States. You do have voice and a vote, but not on everything. The United States is a "representative democracy". You get a say in who represents you, but after that the best you can do is remind them who and what they represent. Not to worry though, he/she will be back in a couple years asking for your support again, and you will have the responsibility again.
The consumer vote must remain strong. The strength of that vote is threatened by misuse of personal credit. Personal credit has marginalized many consumers, and will continue to as long as consumers use it irresponsibly. Consumers should work toward a minimizing their personal debt and create responsible habits when using personal credit. Personal credit allows a single consumer to become the equivalent of 3/8 of a vote or less, and barring and misrepresentation, the consumer did it to his/her self.
In this difficult economy it is more important than ever that the consumers recognize their role and responsibility. Every dollar that is spent, or invested, or saved is an affirmative vote. Power to the Consumer!
Matt Kemper
www.YourCreditCompany.com
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Barrack Obama says "Yes" again. A Quick Fix for a Large Problem.
The survey that was taken says that only forty percent of the American people believe there should even be a bailout for irresponsible homeowners. Hardship or not! Nevertheless, let us move past that, and get to the point. The President has implemented a plan, a bail out. This is not just to give them a bailout, but it also include incentives for…paying your bills on time. This does not only apply to the consumer paying their bill, but the banking institution that is receiving it. WOW…an incentive to do the responsible thing!
I understand that there are things in life that happen that one has no control over, like loss of a job. The irony here is that this plan will not apply to these individuals. Their payments need to be paid up-to-date. The housing ratio cannot exceed 38% percent of their budget. The goal is to get it to 31%. This can be achieved by, lowering interest rates, extending the term of the loan (Obviously beneficial to the bank. They will make more interest), or giving a principal reduction. To the banks discretion of course. I have not decided if one should be rewarded for doing what they are suppose to. I will get back to you on this. As a parent, I never rewarded my son for doing the responsible thing. He suffered his own consequences when he did not. The obvious answer for all of us.
Back to the guidelines, I am getting there. The loans have to show proof of income i.e. tax returns, form 4506, two most recent pay stubs. If the borrower is self-employed, their income needs to be verified by a third party. (Such as a letter form an attorney or accountant.) It needs to be a primary resident, one to four units. This will not be done for any investment properties. The borrower needs to show an appropriate amount of liquid assets as well. These all seem like logical guidelines. The government has allowed the loans to be underwritten with three different systems. These are electronic. In the guideline, it says that the consumer has to have a certain confidence score. Who knows how that is being affected? Just as I wrote the other day…the FICO scores are adversely being affected by even ones credit card habits. This was no fault of the consumer that these companies implanted different rules themselves, lowering ones limits. Therefore, we will see how this will contribute to a modification or refinance under this program.
Last and certainly not least, the consumer has to show hardship. This seems simple enough. Between the price of groceries and the stock market and the down turn. However, those circumstances will not apply. It needs to be divorce, payment shock of an adjustable rate mortgage, or other types of payments adjusting, such as one’s credit card.
These loans are controlled and serviced by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Government controlled and insured loan services. If they are not Fannie or Freddie loans, these conditions for a modification will not applied. Again, the advantage of a modification is that there are NO closing costs. There will be exceptions for the loan to value. There is a new formula that will be applied and it is not necessary to have 20% equity in order to acquire this transaction. In a refinance, one still will have to have this wiggle room.
One very important fact about this program is that the interest rate will be reduced, but not necessarily for the whole life of the loan. The rate can adjust, and will be reevaluated in a five-year period. I question this? Our new hope will either be re-elected or no longer dealing with this band aid that then has to be torn off , hopefully, in a recovered economy.
http://Yourcreditcompany.com
Renee Fogle
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Homeowner Affordability Plan Is Out!
YourCreditCompany.com is dissecting the plan and will bring you specific details on plan, which goes into effect immediately. You can find the plan here, and read it for yourself to determine if you qualify or how it might affect your business.
We highly reccomend reading the text. Thus far the television coverage has just scratched the surface of what the plan entails. We can tell you that there are requirments that homeowners will have to meet. Homeowners will have to provide some documentation and will have to show hardship. The lender/servicer that carries your mortgage will also have to participate in the program, however if your home is serviced by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or certain banks that took TARP funds will be required to participate in the plan.
Look for more details tomorrow!
Matt Kemper
YourCreditCompany.com
Don't forget to subscribe to the Your Credit Company Blog!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Credit Card Crunch
This morning on GMA Elisabeth Leamy met a couple who is directly affected by the ripple affect of the changes that the credit card companies are making. http://abcnews.go.com/gma Banks are now lowering consumer’s credit card lines. This in turn is causing credit scores to be lowered.
What does this mean to the average consumer? Their FICO scores are lowering and it is costing the consumer by paying more in interest on all their other loans. This can include car loans, mortgages, and personal loans. These consumers can no longer even consider refinancing, because based on their credit score; they will then receive a higher mortgage rate of interest.
Most of these companies are doing this with a computer-generated piece of software. It can blanket a large part of this market. These cases are not looked at on a case-by-case basis. When the consumer’s credit card limits are cut, it will then increase the ratio (the amount that they have already put on the card). The consumer does have a responsibility. They have signed a contractual agreement when borrowing these funds. Have they read the fine print before that have spent this money? Are people being forced into using these cards as an instant fix in a financial crunch such as loosing their jobs?
Chris Dodd-chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs has proposed the Credit Card Accountabilty, Responsibilty and Disclosure Act. This is to insure against predatory practices. This Act is to protect the consumer by “bringing an end” to unfair practices and strengthening consumer’s financial security. It is outlined below: Protect consumers from “any time, any reason” interest rate increases and account changes; Prohibit unfair application of card payments; Protect cardholders who pay on time; Limit fees and penalties; Ensure that cardholders are informed of the terms of their account; and Protect young consumers from credit card solicitations.
My question being…when and how and why not now?
Renee Fogle
YourCreditCompany.com
Friday, February 27, 2009
Social Networking
Hey Everyone!
You can now check-in with us at YourCreidtCompany.com at a whole bunch of different social networking sites!
Follow us and get the scoop on what we are doing at Twitter:
www.twitter.com/yourcreditcomp
Facebookers! Search for Kemper Matt
MySpace-a-holics!
www.myspace.com/yourcreditcompany
Soccial networking is a fun and exciting way to interact with one another, and if we can help and inform our new friends along the way...ALL THE BETTER!
Matt
YourCreditCompany.com
Thursday, February 26, 2009
What Is The Priority?
I was reading this a.m. on the HUD web site about the allocation of more that $10 billion of funds being distributed to HUD from the Recovery Act. Well really, who wouldn’t be excited about that? When these government loans where given they were insured by the government. They insure these loans with Mortgage Insurance, which is required on government loans, and the home owner pays for it directly out of his own pocket. This insurance does not benefit the borrower, it benefits the servicer of the home loan. The government is now funding a bail out or recovery plan for these loans. Who will this money help and what houses will it recover?
The plan is said to modernize public housing and fund energy-efficient programs. Is this a primary concern at the present time? The Native American Housing Block Grant will receive $255 million, again to be used for energy efficient modernization. $100 million to be allocated for lead based paint and hazard reduction. Tax Credit Assistence Program coming in with $2.25 billion. The list goes on and on…
These grants will help “State Housing” to kick start affordable rental housing projects that rely on low housing tax credit, and a measly $2 billion to be allocated to help section 8 project-based housing contracts. ( Since this is were we are all heading anyway) Is this the primary concern of the public right now? Is this really creating stable communities when the owners are walking away from there home because they can longer afford to support their families?
Lead based paint or going green…is this a priority to anyone else except the politicians? When you can’t go home, does it matter that you can’t afford to go green? Green…I think we are all seeing red right now.
Renee
YourCreditCompany.com
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Help The Consumer
This morning I found an article from the Associated Press stating...
"...the Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has steadied Wall Street by telling Congress the recession might end this year. Bernanke predicted the economy is likely to keep contracting in the first six months of 2009. But he also said, "there is a reasonable prospect" the recession will end this year. He reports, and warns that a recovery will require getting credit and financial markets to operate normally."
What does this mean to the average consumer? The consumer's confidence spending index for February came in at 25 on a scale of 100. That is obviously well below expectations. These concerns attribute to unemployment rates on the rise, adjustable mortgages increasing, and the stock market remaining in an unstable position. The Home Owner Affordability and Stability Initiative has not been implemented. However, it will affect the consumers on many different levels. It is intended to keep people in their homes first and foremost. Further, it aims to lower monthly payments, thus it could change spending habits in a positive manner.
In an effort to get the credit and financial markets to operate normally the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve, and other banking regulators said Monday that they could exercise an option to convert to government's stock in the banks from preferred shares to common shares upon results of a "stress test" of the banks the government has a stake in through TARP funds. The stress test will help the Treasury Department identify and weigh the toxic assets on the banks' books.
the President will address the U.S. congress this evening. It is important that all of us, as consumers, work to move forward and find solutions.
Renee Fogle
YourCreditCompany.com
Monday, February 23, 2009
What We are Watching
I hope everyone had a great weekend. This week we are looking at a couple topics that directly pertain to you or your friends' financial affairs.
First, Credit Cards always seem to be a hot topic. As they should be. It is not hard to find someone who has been broke, to use credit cards (in the interest of fairness there have been a significantly less number that have made a fortune because they maxed out their credit cards). The Senate Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs Committee have been holding hearings examining the credit card industry. We will be following the hearings as well as any other events in this industry.
If you are looking for information on credit cards or a place to "shop" the best rates check out YourCreditCompany.com
Second, we are watching for more updates on the Homeowner Affordability and Stability Initiative. The U.S. Senate's Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee is scheduled to hold hearings on the initiative on February 26, 2009 at 10:00am.
Check back soon, or better yet subscribe!
Matt Kemper
YourCreditCompany.com
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan
The Initiative will begin with 3-4 million “at risk” homeowners targeted. These homeowners have loans that are conforming and secured by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The total Initiative’s goal is to help 7-9 million families save their homes. To achieve this Mr. Obama would like lenders to refinance loans or modify loans. In return, the government will give monetary incentives to the lenders as borrowers make payments on time. Additionally, the government intends to incentivize the homeowner for making payments on time.
Affected by the collapse of the housing market are a great many people. Housing lead us into this recession and many hope housing will lead us out. Mr. Obama’s Initiative seems to have that in mind. A major question that you should be considering over the nearly 2 weeks before this Initiative is enacted is: “How does the government define “at risk” or “responsible” homeowners? This will help you identify if you will qualify this Inititaitive.
I would like to close by pointing out two axioms of the real estate industry. First, all markets are local (do not look too closely at the nationwide scope). Second, real estate is a cyclical market. Every homeowner must endure down markets and enjoy up markets.
Stay tuned for more details!
Matt Kemper