Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight Director James B. Lockhart announced yesterday that the maximum 2008 conforming loan limit for single-family mortgages purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) will remain at the 2007 level of $417,000 for one-unit properties for most of the U.S.

The conforming loan limit determines the maximum size of a mortgage that an Enterprise can buy or guarantee. By law the maximum conforming loan limit is based on the October-to-October change in the average house price in the Monthly Interest Rate Survey (MIRS) of the Federal Housing Finance Board (FHFB). The FHFB reported the decline in the average price was $10,685 or 3.49 percent, from $306,258 in October 2006 to $295,573 in October 2007. The combined two-year decline is now 3.65 percent.

While many in the mortgage industry have felt that this number needs to increase, as the rise in property values in some states has outpaced this limit, the limit will remain the same…even though pricing indicators are showing a decline in values. This is good news for homeowners and mortgage professionals alike as a drop in this limit would make financing even more difficult and more expensive for the end user.

tags: fnma, financing, housing, loans, mortgages

The National Association of Realtors reported sales of previously owned homes fell 0.3% in May to the lowest in almost four years. In addition to slowing sales the supply of unsold homes jumped 5%, representing supply that will last 8.9 months at the current sales rate, the highest in almost 15 years. If you are not yet depressed, the report also told us the median price of an existing home fell 2.1% last to $223,700, the 10th consecutive month of year over year declines. Apparently the slowing housing and mortgage markets are taking their toll in California, as increased job losses have pushed the unemployment rate to 5.2%. This negative economic news has had a positive effect on the bond market, with the yield on the 10 year note dropping to 5.10%. Interestingly, the equity markets are also rallying after their steep decline on Friday.

tags: economics, economy, housing, real estate