Natural disasters

Mortgage insurers had been operating under the belief that rules pertaining to natural disaster delinquencies apply with COVID-19, but now it's in writing.

If delinquency rates rise, all four stand-alone firms would have a capital shortfall.

In addition to the potential wave of mortgage defaults resulting from coronavirus-driven forbearances, hurricane season could put nearly 7.4 million homes worth $1.8 trillion at risk.

County homeowners may be eligible for federal assistance in the form of low-interest loans rather than grants.

Loans with coronavirus-related forbearance have to be reported as current to the credit bureaus but there’s a ripple effect from them that has implications for credit reports and underwriting.

Florida's first-ever — and short-lived — climate change czar set a clear priority for the state: Protect the real estate market.

Treating COVID-19 forbearances as a natural disaster will likely mean the MIs will not need to hold as much capital.

Despite the increased frequency and intensity of natural disasters caused by climate change, just 33% of consumers said it's a major factor in determining when or where to buy or sell a home, according to Redfin.

After the 2017 October fires in Sonoma County, Calif., prices inflated in 2018 as the destruction strongly stoked demand for homes. Last year, the housing market cooled and balanced itself.

The number of large-scale natural disasters continued to proliferate in 2019, creating new situations where local mortgage delinquency rates could stay inflated for the following 12 months, according to CoreLogic.