Market Comment

Bond prices are a little lower on the morning, but are up from earlier levels.
Gross Domestic Product came in better than expected this morning, which is weighing on Bonds and helping Stocks. In addition, both the Chicago Purchasing Managers Index and Consumer Sentiment were also reported better than anticipated, giving Stocks another boost.
For now, I recommend floating, as long as the Bond stays above the 200-Day Moving Average. But be prepared to lock if it falls below that level of support."

Leonard Winslow, New American Mortgage, Charlottesville
434-760-2580 (cell)
leonard.winslow@newamerican.com
www.newamerican.com/leonard.winslow
Licensed by the Virginia State Corporation Commission. License #: MC-5112

Market Comment

Bond prices are a little lower on the morning, but are up from earlier levels.
Gross Domestic Product came in better than expected this morning, which is weighing on Bonds and helping Stocks. In addition, both the Chicago Purchasing Managers Index and Consumer Sentiment were also reported better than anticipated, giving Stocks another boost.
For now, I recommend floating, as long as the Bond stays above the 200-Day Moving Average. But be prepared to lock if it falls below that level of support."

Leonard Winslow, New American Mortgage, Charlottesville
434-760-2580 (cell)
leonard.winslow@newamerican.com
www.newamerican.com/leonard.winslow
Licensed by the Virginia State Corporation Commission. License #: MC-5112

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Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Treasury Announces Documentation Changes to Expedite Permanent Mods Treasury said Thursday that it will begin requiring servicers to obtain all required documentation upfront, prior to evaluating a borrower for a trial plan under the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) - an about-face from the current process where trial mods can be initiated based on stated, not verified, income. Treasury officials also fielded speculation that they might make principal reduction a more central component of the program. They currently have no plans to address negative equity under HAMP, but called it a "serious policy concern." Bernanke Confirmed for Second Term as Fed Chairman The Senate has chosen the nation's foremost central banker for the next four years, and he's a familiar face already. In a 70 to 30 vote Thursday afternoon, senators confirmed Ben S. Bernanke to a second term as Federal Reserve chairman. Many lawmakers have criticized the Fed chief for failing to nip the financial crisis in the bud, but fellow economists have credited him with pulling the U.S. economy back from the brink of collapse and preventing a sequel of the Great Depression. Retail, Apartment Sectors See Upturn in Prices Despite negative reports regarding commercial real estate, this down market may be a window of opportunity for investors. According to the CCIM Institute and the Real Estate Research Corporation (RERC), commercial real estate is positioning itself to be an attractive investment on a risk-adjusted basis in 2010 and 2011. Property prices in the retail and apartment sectors, in particular, showed moderate increases in the fourth quarter of 2009, breaking the string of significant price declines during the previous 12 months. NAR Teams Up With NCST to Help Rebuild Foreclosure-Ridden Communities In an effort to rebuild communities devastated by the foreclosure crisis, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) has partnered with the National Community Stabilization Trust (NCST), a nonprofit organization that facilitates the transfer of foreclosed and abandoned properties from financial intuitions to local housing organizations. The collaboration will bring more than 1,400 state and local Realtor associations into a side-by-side relationship with nonprofits and state and local leaders to develop targeted plans to bring stabilization to struggling neighborhoods. You are receving this email because you opted in at our website dsnews.com or attended a Five Star Conference. Unsubscribe roballey.434-974-5586@blogger.com from this list. Corporate Office: DS News 1909 Woodall Rodgers Suite 300 Dallas, TX 75201 Add us to your address book Washington Bureau: 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Suite 600 Washington, D.C. 20004 Copyright (C) 2009 DS News All rights reserved. Forward this email to a friend Update your profile QUICK LINKS DSNews.com DS News' Red Book DS News' Black Book 2009 Five Star Conference DARE

Your Daily Dose from DSNews.com

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Treasury Announces Documentation Changes to Expedite Permanent Mods Treasury said Thursday that it will begin requiring servicers to obtain all required documentation upfront, prior to evaluating a borrower for a trial plan under the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) - an about-face from the current process where trial mods can be initiated based on stated, not verified, income. Treasury officials also fielded speculation that they might make principal reduction a more central component of the program. They currently have no plans to address negative equity under HAMP, but called it a "serious policy concern." Bernanke Confirmed for Second Term as Fed Chairman The Senate has chosen the nation's foremost central banker for the next four years, and he's a familiar face already. In a 70 to 30 vote Thursday afternoon, senators confirmed Ben S. Bernanke to a second term as Federal Reserve chairman. Many lawmakers have criticized the Fed chief for failing to nip the financial crisis in the bud, but fellow economists have credited him with pulling the U.S. economy back from the brink of collapse and preventing a sequel of the Great Depression. Retail, Apartment Sectors See Upturn in Prices Despite negative reports regarding commercial real estate, this down market may be a window of opportunity for investors. According to the CCIM Institute and the Real Estate Research Corporation (RERC), commercial real estate is positioning itself to be an attractive investment on a risk-adjusted basis in 2010 and 2011. Property prices in the retail and apartment sectors, in particular, showed moderate increases in the fourth quarter of 2009, breaking the string of significant price declines during the previous 12 months. NAR Teams Up With NCST to Help Rebuild Foreclosure-Ridden Communities In an effort to rebuild communities devastated by the foreclosure crisis, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) has partnered with the National Community Stabilization Trust (NCST), a nonprofit organization that facilitates the transfer of foreclosed and abandoned properties from financial intuitions to local housing organizations. The collaboration will bring more than 1,400 state and local Realtor associations into a side-by-side relationship with nonprofits and state and local leaders to develop targeted plans to bring stabilization to struggling neighborhoods. You are receving this email because you opted in at our website dsnews.com or attended a Five Star Conference. Unsubscribe roballey.434-974-5586@blogger.com from this list. Corporate Office: DS News 1909 Woodall Rodgers Suite 300 Dallas, TX 75201 Add us to your address book Washington Bureau: 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Suite 600 Washington, D.C. 20004 Copyright (C) 2009 DS News All rights reserved. Forward this email to a friend Update your profile QUICK LINKS DSNews.com DS News' Red Book DS News' Black Book 2009 Five Star Conference DARE

Market Comment

Mortgage Bonds are still holding about support at the 200-Day Moving Average, after digesting lots of news.

Yesterday, the Fed confirmed that its Mortgage Backed Security purchase program will end March 31, 2010. In today's news, Initial Jobless Claims showed that the labor market is still struggling, as last week's claims were higher than expected. Durable Goods Orders also disappointed, coming in much lower than anticipated.

I recommend floating for now, as Bond prices try to hold above the 200-Day Moving Average. But be prepared to lock if the situation changes, especially with another Treasury auction on tap this afternoon.

Leonard Winslow, New American Mortgage, Charlottesville
434-760-2580 (cell)
leonard.winslow@newamerican.com
www.newamerican.com/leonard.winslow
Licensed by the Virginia State Corporation Commission. License #: MC-5112

Market Comment

Mortgage Bonds are still holding about support at the 200-Day Moving Average, after digesting lots of news.

Yesterday, the Fed confirmed that its Mortgage Backed Security purchase program will end March 31, 2010. In today's news, Initial Jobless Claims showed that the labor market is still struggling, as last week's claims were higher than expected. Durable Goods Orders also disappointed, coming in much lower than anticipated.

I recommend floating for now, as Bond prices try to hold above the 200-Day Moving Average. But be prepared to lock if the situation changes, especially with another Treasury auction on tap this afternoon.

Leonard Winslow, New American Mortgage, Charlottesville
434-760-2580 (cell)
leonard.winslow@newamerican.com
www.newamerican.com/leonard.winslow
Licensed by the Virginia State Corporation Commission. License #: MC-5112

Your Daily Dose from DSNews.com

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Sun Belt Cities Continue to Lead Foreclosure Stats Cities in the Sun Belt continue to post the nation's highest foreclosure rates. According to a year-end report released by RealtyTrac Thursday, four states accounted for all top 20 metro foreclosure rates in 2009. Las Vegas, Nevada registered the nation's highest rate - more than 12 percent. California claimed nine of the 20 metros with the highest percentage of foreclosures. Florida was home to eight, with the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale metro area in Arizona also landing a spot on the list. Fed Sees Signs of Recovery, Confirms Withdrawal from MBS Market The Federal Reserve offered its most upbeat economic outlook in nearly a year at the conclusion of its two-day policy meeting Wednesday, but again voted to maintain the benchmark federal funds rate at near-zero. Policymakers also made it clear that they are sticking to their plan of pulling back from the secondary market, with the program to purchase mortgage-backed securities (MBS) coming to a close on March 31, as scheduled. Altos Researchers Anticipate "Controlled Inventory" in 2010 New data from Altos Research shows that housing supplies have been steadily declining for the last 16 months. The company says there are 20 percent fewer homes for sale now than there were in 2008. Some fear this decline is because banks have been holding back their repossessed properties, but Altos doesn't expect this so-called shadow inventory to result in a real estate day of reckoning in 2010 as some market observers have warned. NAR Creates Single-Source Database of Properties Across the Nation Starting this summer, Realtors will have access to an online real estate library with data on every property in the United States. Dubbed the Realtors Property Resource, this new tool is a project by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), and gives practitioners access to tax and assessment data; neighborhood, school, and demographic information; and maps and trends. You are receving this email because you opted in at our website dsnews.com or attended a Five Star Conference. Unsubscribe roballey.434-974-5586@blogger.com from this list. Corporate Office: DS News 1909 Woodall Rodgers Suite 300 Dallas, TX 75201 Add us to your address book Washington Bureau: 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Suite 600 Washington, D.C. 20004 Copyright (C) 2009 DS News All rights reserved. Forward this email to a friend Update your profile QUICK LINKS DSNews.com DS News' Red Book DS News' Black Book 2009 Five Star Conference DARE

Your Daily Dose from DSNews.com

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Sun Belt Cities Continue to Lead Foreclosure Stats Cities in the Sun Belt continue to post the nation's highest foreclosure rates. According to a year-end report released by RealtyTrac Thursday, four states accounted for all top 20 metro foreclosure rates in 2009. Las Vegas, Nevada registered the nation's highest rate - more than 12 percent. California claimed nine of the 20 metros with the highest percentage of foreclosures. Florida was home to eight, with the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale metro area in Arizona also landing a spot on the list. Fed Sees Signs of Recovery, Confirms Withdrawal from MBS Market The Federal Reserve offered its most upbeat economic outlook in nearly a year at the conclusion of its two-day policy meeting Wednesday, but again voted to maintain the benchmark federal funds rate at near-zero. Policymakers also made it clear that they are sticking to their plan of pulling back from the secondary market, with the program to purchase mortgage-backed securities (MBS) coming to a close on March 31, as scheduled. Altos Researchers Anticipate "Controlled Inventory" in 2010 New data from Altos Research shows that housing supplies have been steadily declining for the last 16 months. The company says there are 20 percent fewer homes for sale now than there were in 2008. Some fear this decline is because banks have been holding back their repossessed properties, but Altos doesn't expect this so-called shadow inventory to result in a real estate day of reckoning in 2010 as some market observers have warned. NAR Creates Single-Source Database of Properties Across the Nation Starting this summer, Realtors will have access to an online real estate library with data on every property in the United States. Dubbed the Realtors Property Resource, this new tool is a project by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), and gives practitioners access to tax and assessment data; neighborhood, school, and demographic information; and maps and trends. You are receving this email because you opted in at our website dsnews.com or attended a Five Star Conference. Unsubscribe roballey.434-974-5586@blogger.com from this list. Corporate Office: DS News 1909 Woodall Rodgers Suite 300 Dallas, TX 75201 Add us to your address book Washington Bureau: 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Suite 600 Washington, D.C. 20004 Copyright (C) 2009 DS News All rights reserved. Forward this email to a friend Update your profile QUICK LINKS DSNews.com DS News' Red Book DS News' Black Book 2009 Five Star Conference DARE