Friday, December 7, 2007

Mortgage Bankers Association: Record Foreclosures In Q3

Home foreclosures hit an all-time high in the third quarter, according to a report released by the Mortgage Bankers Association. 0.78% of all mortgages nationwide were in foreclosure, up from 0.65% the previous quarter. Delinquency rates increased from 5.12% to 5.59%, the highest level in more than 20 years. 4.72% of subprime ARMs entered the foreclosure process, compared to 3.84% in the second quarter. The association’s chief economist, Doug Duncan, said that the situation is likely to get even worse, an opinion shared by analysts at Moody’s. Moody’s predicts that housing prices will drop 30% before the crisis is over. They believe the recession will last until early 2009 (!), with home prices falling 13%, maybe more if we factor in homebuilder incentives. The hardest-hit markets will see prices drop more than 30%, in the “most severe housing recession since the post-World War II Period”, according to Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Economy.com. Home sales are expected to hit bottom in early 2008, which makes me wonder what is going to spur sales – maybe buyers will finally get bored of waiting on the sidelines?

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