An increasing number of potential home buyers who need fast cash to close a deal or end a bidding war are turning to margin loans for short-term financing. Margin loans are backed by a borrower’s investments. Typically, brokerage firms permit loan amounts of up to 50% of the portfolio’s value at the time the loan is originated. The […]

House prices in the New Jersey are climbing again after a six-year roller coaster ride in which they lost roughly a quarter of their value. Buyers who have been waiting have jumped back in, creating bidding wars for many desirable properties. Market reports show that median home prices hit a bottom in late 2011 or early […]

Nearly 10% of banks said they eased their lending standards for “prime,” or low-risk, mortgages in the first quarter, according to the Federal Reserve’s latest survey of senior loan officers.  Most banks said they weren’t any more willing to approve loans to borrowers with middle-of-the-range credit scores, and standards for “subprime” mortgages remained very tight. Wall […]

Rising home values have lifted more borrowers out of the hole of owing more than their properties are worth. The number of “underwater” homeowners in the fourth quarter of 2012 declined by 1.7 million from a year earlier, meaning 1.7 million U.S. households have regained home equity. Overall, 21.5% of households with a mortgage were […]