by Calculated Risk on 1/08/2018 03:32:00 PM

Black Knight released their Mortgage Monitor report for November today. According to Black Knight, 4.55% of mortgages were delinquent in November, up from 4.46% in November 2016. The increase was primarily due to the hurricanes. Black Knight also reported that 0.66% of mortgages were in the foreclosure process, down from 0.98% a year ago.

This gives a total of 5.21% delinquent or in foreclosure.

Press Release: Black Knight’s Mortgage Monitor: Tappable Equity at All-Time High, But Tax Code Changes Could Impact Homeowners’ Utilization

Today, the Data & Analytics division of Black Knight, Inc. released its latest Mortgage Monitor Report, based on data as of the end of November 2017. This month, Black Knight finds that tappable equity – the amount of equity available for homeowners to borrow against before reaching a maximum 80 percent total loan-to-value (LTV) ratio – is at an all-time high. However, as Black Knight Data & Analytics Executive Vice President Ben Graboske explained, recent changes to the U.S. tax code may have implications for homeowners’ utilization of that equity.

“As of the end of Q3 2017, 42 million homeowners with a mortgage now have an aggregate of nearly $5.4 trillion in equity available to borrow against,” said Graboske. “That is an all-time high, and up more than $3 trillion since the bottom of the market in 2012. Over 80 percent of all mortgage holders now have available equity to tap, whether via first-lien cash-out refinances or home equity lines of credit (HELOCs). We’ve noted in the past that as interest rates rise from historic lows, HELOCs represented an increasingly attractive option for these homeowners to access their available equity without relinquishing interest rates below today’s prevailing rate on their first-lien mortgages. However, with the recently passed tax reform package, interest on these lines of credit will no longer be deductible, which increases the post-tax expense of HELOCs for those who itemize. While there are obviously multiple factors to consider when identifying which method of equity extraction makes more financial sense for a given borrower, in many cases, for those with high unpaid principal balances who are taking out lower line amounts, the math still favors HELOCs. However – assuming interest on cash-out refinances remains deductible – for low-to-moderate UPB borrowers taking out larger amounts of equity, the post-tax math for those who will still itemize under the increased standard deduction may now favor cash-out refinances instead, even if the result is a slight increase to first-lien interest rates.

“As rates continue to rise and the cost associated with increasing the rate on an entire first-lien balance rises as well, the benefit pendulum will likely swing back toward HELOCs. Even so, the change could certainly impact HELOC lending volumes and loan amounts in the coming months and years. To a certain degree, the same question holds true for cash-out refinances, since tax debt for homeowners who will no longer itemize becomes generally more expensive without mortgage interest deduction in the equation. These refinances will likely be an attractive source of secured debt in the future, but increased post-tax costs may have a negative impact on originations. That said, it still remains to be seen whether and to what extent tax costs will impact borrower decisions in terms of either HELOCs or cash-out refinances. At this point, only time will tell.”

The increase in equity, driven by rising home prices, has also continued to shrink the population of underwater borrowers who owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. The number of underwater borrowers declined by 800,000 over the first nine months of 2017, a 37 percent decline in negative equity since the start of the year. Only 2.7 percent of homeowners with a mortgage (approximately 1.36 million borrowers) now owe more than their home is worth, the lowest such rate since 2006. Though still elevated from pre-recession levels, the negative equity rate continues to normalize. Even so, home prices in large portions of the country remain below pre-recession peaks. While 36 states and 70 percent of Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) have now surpassed pre-recession home price peaks, 43 of the nation’s 100 largest markets still lag behind.
emphasis added

Click on graph for larger image.

This graphic from Black Knight shows the number of homeowners with negative equity over time.

From Black Knight:

• The number of underwater borrowers declined by 800K over the first nine months of 2017, a 37 percent decline since the start of the year

• Only 2.7 percent of homeowners with a mortgage (1.36M) now owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth, the lowest such rate since 2006

• Though the national negative equity rate remains elevated from pre-recession levels, it is certainly normalizing

There is much more in the mortgage monitor.