“The world is going to come to an end tonight at midnight. Tune in tomorrow to see if it did!” Sensationalist headlines or bad predictions are tiresome at best, misinformation at worst. There is actual news, however. For example, thank you to the Knowledge Coop’s Ken Perry who sent along the latest in the Matter of ICE and Black Knight. LOs and underwriters know that the Supreme Court overturned the Biden administration’s student-debt forgiveness plan which would have wiped off $430B in loans from the government's books, and people who worked hard to pay off their debt cheered. Although there are already some alternatives that are in the making, this carries huge implications for inflation, consumer discretionary spending, and the distribution of wealth in the U.S. In other news, the latest update on inflation in the U.S. is this week with June’s Consumer Price Index report. Economists forecast headline inflation to fall to 3.0 percent from 4.
This Commentary has made a name for itself in covering breaking, shocking news that other, lesser outlets are too timid to even mention. “One day I hope to be wealthy enough not to do a double take every time I see abandoned furniture on the side of the road.” “Wealth” is an interesting concept, and while lenders carefully watch their locks, funding volumes, and margins, and what they’re worth (STRATMOR’s current blog is titled, “Doing Business with the Agencies: The Golden Ticket?”), individuals are doing the same thing. Loan officers from coast to coast tell me the same thing: With inflation continuing to outpace consumers' wage increases, their levels of debt are rising. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, total U.S. household debt (mortgages, credit cards, car loans, and student debt) rose to $17.05T, with balances standing $2.9T higher than at the end of 2019 (before the pandemic recession). Fortunately