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Better Access to Conforming Loans Means More First-Timers in Market

Posted To: MND NewsWire

Access to mortgage credit moved higher in November, largely due to improved access to conforming mortgages. The Mortgage Bankers Association's Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI increased 1.1 percent to 188.8. A decline in the MCAI indicates that lending standards are tightening, while increases in the index are indicative of loosening credit. The Conventional MCAI increased (2.4 percent) and the Government MCAI decreased (0.1 percent). Of the component indices of the Conventional MCAI, the Jumbo MCAI rose 1.1 percent, while the Conforming MCAI gained 4.0 percent. "The supply of credit continues to drift higher, driven once again by growth in the conventional credit space, while credit supply in government loans was essentially unchanged from the previous month," said Joel Kan, MBA's...(read more)