Eric Gaylord, CFA
Senior Vice President
Recently, the decline in the U.S. housing market has shown some evidence of bottoming. The national average home price has crept up off of lows according to the Case-Shiller Home Price Index, and inventories of existing homes on the markets have shrunk significantly since the outset of the credit crunch. Given this new data and a Federal Reserve fiscal policy including QE3 designed to induce access to home financing, it begs the question, “Has access to home financing returned?”
The Federal Reserve conducts a quarterly survey of banks operating in the U.S. called the Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices. As part of this survey, mortgage lenders report changes in demand for residential loans as well as whether standards for loan approval are becoming more or less stringent. To assess the health of the loan market, this week’s chart focuses on prime mortgage borrowing, since this category reflects loan seekers that should be considered creditworthy. In the chart, we see that banks are reporting a notable increase in demand for prime residential loans this year. Meanwhile, lending standards required by banks remain strict. The data appears to show that for Americans with control over their personal finances, the affordability of home ownership is starting to outweigh the risks. Meanwhile, banks remain cautious. The percentage of outstanding prime mortgages on their balance sheets remains elevated above the historical average. If these trends continue, investors can expect slow improvements in the residential real estate market, but given the persistent attention to high lending standards that was absent pre-crisis, these improvements should prove to be sustainable and accretive to long-term value.
09.22.2023
Watch the flash talks from Marquette’s 2023 Investment Symposium livestream on September 15 in the player below — use the upper-right…
09.21.2023
After a red hot 2021, the initial public offering (IPO) market has materially slowed over the last two years amid…
09.12.2023
As investors and economists meticulously analyze data to predict future actions of the Federal Reserve, the domestic economy has maintained…
09.06.2023
The U.S. Department of Commerce recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of the CHIPS and Science Act, which was signed into…
08.30.2023
Readers who have recently shopped for Labor Day barbeque supplies may lament the fact that beef prices have climbed to…
08.23.2023
On August 2, Brazil’s central bank cut its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points, from 13.75% to 13.25%. This…
Research alerts keep you updated on our latest research publications. Simply enter your contact information, choose the research alerts you would like to receive and click Subscribe. Alerts will be sent as research is published.
We respect your privacy. We will never share or sell your information.
If you have questions or need further information, please contact us directly and we will respond to your inquiry within 24 hours.
Contact Us >