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Attorneys At Law

Attorneys practicing in and around the Chicagoland area. Experienced in the practice areas of Real Estate Law, Mortgage Foreclosure Defense Litigation, Business Law, & Estate Law.

Attorneys At Law - Attorneys practicing in and around the Chicagoland area. Experienced in the practice areas of Real Estate Law, Mortgage Foreclosure Defense Litigation, Business Law, & Estate Law.

Credit Score Changes Help Consumers and Worry Lenders

An upcoming change to the way credit scores are calculated will likely benefit millions of consumers but also has others who depend on scores to calculate risk worried.

Starting July 1, 2017, the three primary credit bureaus will be implementing a new change in the type of information they collect to determine credit scores.

According to the Consumer Data Industry Association, (the industry group representing credit reporting bureaus), they plan to stop collecting and reporting most tax liens and civil judgments from people’s credit scores by roughly July 1.

This type of information has negative impacts on credit scores and previously remained in credit files for extended periods.

Tax liens are levied against properties when an owner is delinquent on payment of property taxes. Civil judgments are orders by courts in legal disputes, such as a creditor taking a borrower to court over an unpaid debt.

How does this impact consumers?

mortgage rates going up after presidential electionThe plan to stop collecting and reporting civil judgments and tax lien information currently on public records will affect millions of consumers.

VantageScore Solutions, the credit scoring developer created by the three credit bureaus, estimated that 8 percent of consumers would see an average score increase of 10 points if all civil judgments and tax liens were removed from credit reports.

Ten points may seem small but in the mortgage industry that could affect a significant number of applicants.

This could result in as many as 12 million Americans appearing to be more creditworthy after the changes occur.

According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the largest single source of all overdue debt on credit reports is from unpaid medical expenses. Much of this debt is eventually paid late by insurance companies. The delays caused administrative and billing processes on the part of insurance companies often end up negatively impacting consumer credit scores.

Because of this change, consumers may save money in lower interest rates caused by insurance companies paying bills late.

How does this impact lenders?

It is feared by many within the industry that these changes may make risky buyers appear more creditworthy than they actually are.

The president and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association David H. Stevens has said that with tax lien and civil judgment information removed from credit reports, “it’s unclear whether creditors will be able to make informed decisions” about loan applicants.

According to Tim Coyle of LexisNexis Risk Solutions, an internal study by his firm showed that borrowers with a civil judgment or a tax lien are 5.5 times more likely to end up in serious default or foreclosure.

How these changes affect you depends on whether you work in the mortgage industry or on the content of your individual credit report. We will have to wait and see how lenders will adapt to the elimination of this information from the scores they use.


Related Information:

New credit policy: Good for consumers, worrisome for lenders – Chicago Tribune

3 Big Changes To Credit Scores That Will Impact Your Wallet – Forbes

CFPB Spotlights Concerns with Medical Debt Collection and Reporting – Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

This Regulatory Change Means a Credit Score Boost for 12 Million Americans – The Motley Fool


* Advertising Material: To the extent that the information in this post is interpreted as attorney advertising in accordance with the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct or within the meaning of state bar rules from all other localities, this statement is made pursuant to those rules.

Specialties: Specialization claims are prohibited by Illinois Supreme Court Rules and we do not claim to be specialists. The content of this e-mail is organized and presented for the sole purpose of general information. None of the included content should be construed as legal advice. Viewing this e-mail or e-mailing the account holder does not create an attorney-client relationship. NOTICE: This page may be considered advertising material.


The Law Offices of Lora Fausett P.C. provides real estate law attorney services including buying & selling assistancemortgage foreclosure defense, and short sales.

For Information Call 630-858-0090


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Low Inventory for Midpriced Suburban Chicago Homes Driving Up Prices

In a positive development for existing homeowners in suburban Chicagoland, low inventory for midpriced homes is driving up home prices. 

According to the Chicago Association of Realtors, ten Chicago suburbs this March have less than two months of inventory available on the market.

A rule of thumb in real estate is that five to seven months of housing inventory is considered a balanced market, but less than five months of available inventory means a housing shortage that shifts the advantage to sellers.

“Illinois continues to see sustained growth in sales and median prices, indicating the market is poised for a strong rollout for the spring selling season,” said Mike Drews, president of Illinois Realtors.

Suburban Chicago Cities with Lowest Inventory

Cicero
Carol Stream
Buffalo Grove
Romeoville
Hanover Park
Berwyn
Morton Grove
Prospect Heights
Schaumburg
Mount Prospect

At this same time last year, each of these suburbs had four or more months of inventory.

Unfortunately for homeowners in the most expensive markets, they are seeing the opposite problem. There is too much inventory in Hinsdale, Highland Park, Barrington and Lake Forest, with 8-12 months of inventory.

What is driving the shortage

On the buying side, younger and first time home owners are snatching up midpriced homes quickly because of the inventory shortage, and also because interest rates are expected to continue rising.

On the selling side, there are still homeowners in these markets that hesitate to list their homes because in many cases prices have still not returned to pre-recession prices they paid.

The mild winter also had home buyers out earlier than usual this year. According to Catherine Terpstra, president of Mainstreet Organization of Realtors, “People were out buying homes earlier than they would have in a more difficult winter.”

The low inventory is definitely helping sellers in cities with low inventory. The market has still not returned to the pre-housing bubble buying frenzy, though, and seems unlikely to anytime soon.


Related Stories:

Chicago-area home prices jump 7 percent; buyers struggle with low inventory – Chicago Tribune

Midpriced suburbs’ market tightens – Crain’s Chicago Business


* Advertising Material: To the extent that the information in this post is interpreted as attorney advertising in accordance with the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct or within the meaning of state bar rules from all other localities, this statement is made pursuant to those rules.

Specialties: Specialization claims are prohibited by Illinois Supreme Court Rules and we do not claim to be specialists. The content of this e-mail is organized and presented for the sole purpose of general information. None of the included content should be construed as legal advice. Viewing this e-mail or e-mailing the account holder does not create an attorney-client relationship. NOTICE: This page may be considered advertising material.


The Law Offices of Lora Fausett P.C. provide real estate law attorney services including buying & selling assistancemortgage foreclosure defenseshort sales, and loan modifications and workouts.

For Information Call 630-858-0090