Archive of Chris Birk's Articles
Chris Birk writes about government loans, real estate marketing and industry trends for VA Mortgage Center.com, the nation's No. 1 dedicated VA lender.
Chris has written 8 article(s) for the BiggerPockets Blog.
Mortgages & Lending by Chris Birk | January 20, 2011 
Thirty could be the new twenty. Unfortunately, we’re talking about down payments instead of states of mind. If the nation’s biggest mortgage lender gets its way, a 30-percent down payment would become the standard for the safest and most prized home loans on the market. That could make home purchases and even some refinances more [...]
Read the full article → Mortgages & Lending by Chris Birk | August 19, 2010 
Military communities are booming nationwide, according to a fascinating analysis by USA Today. Eighty percent of the country’s 20 fastest-growing metro areas in terms of per-capita income have a military base or are near one. The staggering growth in these places represents an burgeoning opportunity for real estate and mortgage folks. As a demographic, military [...]
Read the full article → Commentary by Chris Birk | July 10, 2010 
A proposed North Carolina law meant to help military families stave off foreclosure may ultimately make it more difficult for service members across the state to purchase a home. The state Senate approved a bill this week that would essentially slow down the foreclosure process against active-duty service members and require lenders to take those [...]
Read the full article → Mortgages & Lending by Chris Birk | May 14, 2010 
Military families might have to pay a steep price for the mortgage lending sins of the recent past. The Senate this week tacked on a new amendment to the massive Financial Services bill it’s considering. Introduced by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), the amendment bans the flimsy “liar loans” that required no real documentation and eliminates [...]
Read the full article → Mortgages & Lending by Chris Birk | April 26, 2010 
When it comes to potential new legislation governing the mortgage industry, the cure may prove worse than the disease. The Senate is preparing to consider the “Restoring American Financial Stability Act,” a wide-ranging bill that aims to resolve lingering problems involving “too big to fail” outfits and institutional risk. But, at least as currently written, [...]
Read the full article → Mortgages & Lending by Chris Birk | April 21, 2010 
With its funding all but dried up, the USDA’s increasingly popular Rural Development loan program may be on the brink of resuscitation. Two House members recently introduced bills that would make the program self-funding. One of the proposed measures, from Pennsylvania Democrat Paul Kanjorski, would require lenders to pay an origination fee of up to [...]
Read the full article → Real Estate Market by Chris Birk | April 5, 2010 
Make room for Mom. A growing number of home buyers are looking for extra space to accommodate multiple generations of family, according to a recent Coldwell Banker survey of real estate agents. Almost 40 percent of the agents who responded noted an increase in home buyers looking to purchase homes to accommodate more than one [...]
Read the full article → Mortgages & Lending by Chris Birk | March 19, 2010 
FHA Chief David Stevens didn’t exactly inspire confidence last week when he rebuffed repeated calls to boost the housing program’s minimum down payment. In fact, he might have injected a new degree of concern into the already murky debate over how to reform the increasingly crucial home lending program. As has been covered extensively here [...]
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Joshua Dorkin
North Carolina Foreclosure Law Would Harm, Not Help Military Families
by Chris Birk | July 10, 2010A proposed North Carolina law meant to help military families stave off foreclosure may ultimately make it more difficult for service members across the state to purchase a home. The state Senate approved a bill this week that would essentially slow down the foreclosure process against active-duty service members and require lenders to take those [...]