Daily Dose

In keeping with other recently released predictions, the latest housing forecast from market research firm IHS Global Insight calls for modest growth in home sales in 2015 following what's been a disappointing year. In her outlook, IHS economist Stephanie Karol focuses on two major trends that have shaped the housing market in 2014.

According to survey results released by the Collingwood Group this week, 33 percent of mortgage lenders, servicers, and other industry professionals believe business conditions are "a little better" than they were last year. That compares to 31 percent of respondents who said the same thing in October.

The Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Mortgage Credit Availability Index nudged up 1.2 percent in November, totaling 114.6 for the month. MBA's chief economist, Mike Fratantoni, said last month's uptick mostly came from the addition of jumbo loan programs that allow cash-out refinancing.

In a survey of more than 2,000 American adults, 61 percent of renters said they don't plan to purchase a house at any point in the next three years, Freddie Mac said Monday. When asked why they expect to keep renting for the near future, half of respondents said they can't afford to make a down payment for a mortgage, while 38 percent said they can't afford a monthly mortgage payment.

By lowering the down payment down to 3 percent, leaders from the GSEs and the Federal Housing Finance Administration (FHFA) hope to increase homeownership and particularly household formation by offering loans to those who can afford mortgages but lack resources to make a 20 percent down payment plus closing costs.

Mortgage lenders originated an estimated $320 billion in loans throughout Q3, according to information collected by Mortgage Daily. While up nearly 8 percent from the second quarter's total of about $300 billion, third-quarter volumes fell short of year-ago levels by 31 percent.

In a report released Monday, the Collingwood Group said that 65 percent of lenders and other mortgage industry workers support the push for GSE reform, calling their current state of conservatorship under the Federal Housing Finance Agency unsustainable. At the same time, none of the survey respondents called for a wind-down or elimination of the GSEs.

In its monthly National Housing Survey, Fannie Mae found consumer attitudes about the current state of the housing market ranged from flat to pessimistic in November after an October marked by more hopeful responses.

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced Friday it will leave loan limits unchanged for the highest- and lowest-cost housing markets in 2015. For most high-cost housing markets, the maximum allowable amount for an FHA loan will stay at $625,000, a threshold first set at the start of this year.

Out of 475 U.S. counties analyzed in the company's latest real estate report, 98—21 percent—had a higher affordability percentage than their historical average. In addition, 58 counties—12 percent of all markets analyzed—posted a median price higher than their bubble-era peaks as values continue to rise.