In this Issue 

April 2023 Edition

Presidents Message

Legislative Update

State News & Events

Annual Golf Outing

Peer Chat

Online Event Calendar

Chapter News & Events

Milwaukee Chapter News + Events 

Madison Chapter News + Events

MBA Updates

Upcoming Educational Webinars

9th Annual Best in Business Award Winners:

Legislative Update - Buddy Julius

State news...


Senate GOP leadership releases flat tax proposal.

The legislation would shift the tax rate to 3.25% for all filers by 2026. The state’s current income tax rates range from 3.54% to 7.65%, depending upon marital status and income.

Gov. Tony Evers has said he opposes moving to a flat tax and suggested this week he could veto the entire budget if it's included.


GOP reintroduces personal property tax elimination legislation.

The bill, though, doesn't yet address concerns Evers raised in his veto message that the language the Legislature approved in June 2021 could have unintended consequences, including for utility taxes.

GOP state Rep. Dan Knodl, a lead author along with state Sen. Duey Stroebel said the new bill will go through the committee process and he is open to amendments to address any remaining concerns, including those the guv raised about utility taxes. He noted Evers and some Democratic lawmakers have indicated their desire to eliminate the tax. After Evers vetoed the bill in 2021, Democrats introduced their own version of the legislation, though it didn't go anywhere.


TikTok ban goes into effect.

As he signaled last week, Gov. Tony Evers issued an executive order banning TikTok from state devices.  The ban also includes WeChat. The Governor said he consulted with the FBI and emergency management officials. He cited potential risks to privacy, safety and security. Evers’ order applies to most state agencies, with some exceptions like criminal investigators who may be using the app to track certain people.


Senate Majority Leader forecasts votes on Evers cabinet appointees but has doubts about DNR Board members.

In an inteview this week, Sen. Devin LeMahieu predicted his caucus would likely confirm many of Evers cabinet secretaries.  The Senate hard largely declined to confirm gubernatorial appointees during Evers' first term, leading to 185 unconfirmed appointees.  Wisconsin law allows appointees to serve pending confirmation, however.

LeMahieu also cast doubt on recent appointees to the Dept. of Natural Resources Board, hinting that the Senate may reject those appointments.  IF that occurs, the members must stop serving immediately.  This happened only once during Evers' first term when Senate Republicans rejected Dept. of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Secretary Brad Pfaff.  Pfaff subsequently won a State Senate seat from his home area of LaCrosse.


Legislative lifts conversion therapy ban.

The Legislature’s Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules voted 6-4 on party lines to suspend a rule banning “conversion therapy,” which was passed in 2020 by the state board that oversees licensed therapists, counselors and social workers. The board’s policy added conversion therapy to the list of unprofessional conduct for those professions.

Conversion therapy is “any form of intervention, such as individual or group, behavioral, cognitive or milieu/environmental operations, that attempts to change an individual’s sexual orientation or sexual behaviors,” according to the American Medical Association.


Cigarette sales drop by half since 2001.

Last year, 193 million packs were legally sold in Wisconsin, compared to 420 million in 2001.  The Wisconsin Policy Forum report noted some of the largest drops in sales came after the state raised the cigarette tax and the smoking ban went into effect in July 2010.

The tax was raised from 59 cents to 77 cents per pack in 2002 before going to $1.77 in 2008 and $2.52 in 2009. The federal tax went from 34 cents per pack to 39 cents in 2002 and to $1.01 in 2009.


Evers appoints James Bond to lead Department of Veterans Affairs.

Bond, who joined DVA in 2010, served as administrator of the Divisions of Veterans Benefits and Veteran Services until he was appointed deputy secretary of the agency in 2019. He will replace outgoing secretary Mary Kolar, who announced her retirement late last month.

Bond is a former marine and is believed to be the first openly gay state cabinet secretary.


Evers appoints former State Sen. Jon Erpenbach to chair Parole Commission.

The Parole Commission became an issue for Evers last year after former Chair John Tate II originally agreed to parole a man who had stabbed to death his estranged wife in front of his children 25 years earlier.  The family of Johanna Balsewicz urged Evers to reverse the move.

The guv then called on Tate to change course. Tate eventually did, finding the family hadn't been given adequate opportunity to respond to the planned release.  Tate resigned in June after pressure from Evers.


Campaigns & elections...


Protasiewicz raises record amount for a Supreme Court candidate.

Milwaukee County Family Court Judge Janet Protasiewicz raised $924,449 in 2022, topping the record set by former Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson in the year before her successful reelection bid in 2009 where she raised $823,104.

Candidates have until January 17th to file their 2022 reports.  Protasiewicz faces Dane County Judge Everett Mitchel, former Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly and Waukesha County Judge Jennifer Dorow.


Covid-19 news...


Latest numbers.

The 7-day average for daily cases decreased to 686 per day from 786 a week ago.  The 7-day average for daily confirmed Covid-19 deaths decreased to 6 per day from 7 per day a week ago.  This is the highest level since March 2022.

The WI Hospital Association reports 566 people hospitalized with Covid-19, down from 611 a week ago.  Of those, 84 are in ICUs, steady from 84 a week ago.


Have a great weekend,

Ryan, Buddy & Cynthia
The Firm Consulting

 Statewide Peer Chat

A new feature on the member website page is a discussion forum where you can add your comments to a posted topic or suggest another topic. There are currently three topics posted including: 

- eClosings - Remote Online Notarization
- Closings at your bank or company
- How are you effectively managing your remote staff?
 

You can find the Peer Chat at: https://wmba.wildapricot.org/MemberChat/

Online Event Calendar

Check out the new Online Event Calendar on the WMBA website that will include Statewide events, Board Meetings, Chapter Events and Educational Events. If you have an event to add, use the Suggest Event feature to give us the details to add to the calendar.

The calendar can be found at: http://wimba.org/Events
 

Milwaukee Chapter Events

Visit the Milwaukee Chapter Webpage for new events + chapter updates.

Madison Chapter Events

Please join us for our annual golf outing on June 1st! Registration includes 18 holes of golf w/cart, lunch, two drink tickets per person and one raffle ticket per person for awesome prizes!  Additional prizes for hole events, the winning team, second place team and one randomly drawn team. Registration begins at 9:15 with tee times starting at 10am.

Event Info:

Thursday, June 1st, 2023
Pleasant View Golf Course
1322 N Pleasant View Rd, Middleton, WI 53562

Registration Info:

Registration and Sponsorship opportunities are available! Your registration includes 18 rounds of golf w/cart, lunch, two drinks tickets per person, and one raffle ticket per person for a chance at awesome prizes!

Agenda:

Visit the Madison Chapter Webpage for new events + chapter updates.

MBA Statement on FHFA’s Enhancements to the GSEs’ Radon Standards for Multifamily Properties

MBA President and CEO Bob Broeksmit, CMB, released the following statement regarding the Federal Housing Finance Agency's (FHFA) announcement of its enhancements to Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s (the GSEs) radon standards for multifamily properties:

“MBA and its members fully support safe and healthy multifamily housing and appreciate FHFA’s willingness to work closely with scientists and industry stakeholders during this process. We hope that these new radon testing standards strike the appropriate balance of ensuring tenant safety without leading to significant delays and added costs to multifamily projects.

“We ask FHFA to remain flexible on the six-month implementation date if it becomes apparent that the new standards will impact the current lending pipeline.

“Industry participants, FHFA, the GSEs, and HUD – which has its own testing protocol – should continue to collect data on radon and strongly consider adjustments to these standards, if necessary, to ensure they align with tenant risk. 

“MBA will continue to work with FHFA, the GSEs, and HUD to increase safe and affordable multifamily housing in communities across the country.” 

For more information, please contact Adam DeSanctis at 202-557-2727

MBA Statement on FHFA Updates to the GSEs’ Pricing Framework

Bob Broeksmit, CMB, President and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), issued the following statement regarding today’s Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announcement of updates to Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s pricing framework: 

“FHFA’s holistic review of the GSEs’ up-front pricing framework has led to extensive reworking of the grids, and it will take some time to assess the full impact on borrowers and the market. 

“Our initial review indicates that the new framework results in a modest net increase in overall pricing, which is a concern given ongoing affordability challenges and the higher interest rate environment.

“With the peak homebuying season coinciding with these changes, FHFA should consider additional program changes to improve affordability, including raising the area median income threshold for the GSEs’ low down payment products. This move would expand eligibility for borrowers who can meet the monthly obligation of a mortgage payment but do not have significant savings to make a large down payment.

“We also urge FHFA to be flexible with its May 1, 2023, implementation date should the industry need more time to integrate these updates and the recalibration of the upfront fee matrix into mortgage pricing. 

“MBA will continue to work with FHFA, the GSEs, and the Biden administration and advocate for policies and actions that expand homeownership opportunities for all qualified borrowers.” 

For more information, please contact Adam DeSanctis at 202-557-2727

MBA Statement on FHFA’s Announcement to Lower the Fee for Commingled Securities

Bob Broeksmit, CMB, President and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), issued the following statement regarding today’s Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announcement reducing the fee for commingled securities from 50 basis points to 9.375 basis points:

“FHFA’s move to lower the fee significantly for commingled securities is a sound decision and should remove much of the friction observed in the UMBS market since the fee was implemented last summer. The UMBS is intended to increase liquidity in the market, but the high fee was having the opposite effect.  

“While MBA continues to believe that there should not be any fee for commingled securities, we appreciate FHFA’s receptiveness to industry feedback and its willingness to make an adjustment that better reflects any perceived risk.

“We remain focused on ensuring a well-functioning UMBS market and will continue to work with FHFA, the GSEs, and industry stakeholders on this issue.”

December New Home Purchase Mortgage Applications Decreased 25.2 Percent

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Builder Application Survey (BAS) data for December 2022 shows mortgage applications for new home purchases decreased 25.2 percent compared from a year ago. Compared to November 2022, applications decreased by 5 percent. This change does not include any adjustment for typical seasonal patterns.

“December new home purchase activity – both for applications and estimated sales – ran more than 20 percent behind last year's pace,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist. “The decline in activity was in line with single-family housing starts that were 32 percent lower than a year ago. Higher mortgage rates and a weakening economy held back buyers at the end of last year.”

Added Kan, “This week’s builder sentiment index from the NAHB reflected an improving outlook and increased buyer traffic, as mortgage rates have backed off from recent highs. The housing market is still in need of more starter and entry-level homes, especially when current demographic trends point to the potential for more younger households to enter homeownership in the near future. New construction of these units will help these buyers entering the housing market.”

MBA estimates new single-family home sales, which has consistently been a leading indicator of the U.S. Census Bureau’s New Residential Sales report, is that new single-family home sales were running at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 641,000 units in December 2022, based on data from the BAS. The new home sales estimate is derived using mortgage application information from the BAS, as well as assumptions regarding market coverage and other factors. 

The seasonally adjusted estimate for December is a decrease of 2.9 percent from the November pace of 660,000 units. On an unadjusted basis, MBA estimates that there were 45,000 new home sales in December 2022, a decrease of 8.2 percent from 49,000 new home sales in November. 

By product type, conventional loans composed 69.1 percent of loan applications, FHA loans composed 20.0 percent, RHS/USDA loans composed 0.3 percent and VA loans composed 10.5 percent. The average loan size of new homes increased from $392,465 in November to $399,555 in December.

MBA’s Builder Application Survey tracks application volume from mortgage subsidiaries of home builders across the country.  Utilizing this data, as well as data from other sources, MBA is able to provide an early estimate of new home sales volumes at the national, state, and metro level. This data also provides information regarding the types of loans used by new home buyers. Official new home sales estimates are conducted by the Census Bureau on a monthly basis. In that data, new home sales are recorded at contract signing, which is typically coincident with the mortgage application.  

For additional information on MBA’s Builder Application Survey, please click here. 

For more information, please contact Falen Taylor at 202-557-2771

Upcoming Educational Webinars

Click here to view the calendar to register for upcoming webinars
 

Other News...

The New American Homebuyer

Even with the massive gains of the last year, mortgage industry experts say that any plateau for the residential real estate market is nowhere in sight.

Due to a persistent short supply of homes, low interest rates, and readily available credit, single-family homes are commanding multiple offers replete with various sweeteners, such as inspection waivers, offers to cover any appraisal shortfall, etc.

However, homeowners who get too greedy and list their homes at too high a price can still run up against issues of appraisals coming in too low and buyers recognizing the house is overpriced to start with. That’s according to Brian Koss, EVP, Mortgage Network.

Housing affordability declined in May (the latest figures available as of this writing) compared to a year ago, according to National Association of Realtors (NAR) Housing Affordability Index. Median family incomes rose modestly by 1.2%, while the monthly mortgage payment increased 20%. The effective 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 3.01% this May compared to 3.29% one year ago, but the median existing home sales price rose 24.4% year over year.

Compared to the prior month, affordability also worsened as the monthly mortgage payment rose by 1.7% while the median family income declined by 1%.

With all these factors in play, what does the face of the modern American homebuyer look like in 2021? MReport spoke to the experts for insights into the qualities, priorities, and needs of those on the road to the American Dream.

The State of the Market

The adage about the critical importance of location still applies to this current market, said Yvette Clermont, Branch Manager, Inlanta Mortgage. Where homes are available, buyers want to be in good school districts, near shopping, and so forth.

“It’s a little bit of getting whatever you can get your hands on right now,” Clermont said.

Read More...

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