Zillow sounds worried… Macy’s sounding alarm…

Zillow offers 1% down payment to attract more homebuyers

Real estate marketplace Zillow has launched a new program to help people who want to buy homes but are being squeezed out of the market by a surge in interest rates.

Zillow Home Loans is offering mortgages with a 1% down payment option for eligible homebuyers looking to own property in Arizona, and will contribute an additional 2% at closing, the company said Thursday. It also plans to expand the program to other markets.

“For those who can afford higher rent payments but have been held back by the upfront costs associated with homeownership, down payment assistance can help to lower the barrier to entry and make the dream of owning a home a reality,” Zillow Home Loans’ senior macroeconomist Orphe Divounguy said in a statement.

It will be interesting to see where this is all headed.

If the Fed leaves interest rates higher for longer, it's tough to see a case where supply returns to the market.

Until then, affordability will decline.

Follow us @KobeissiLetter for real time analysis as this develops.

— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) August 24, 2023

Macy’s sounding alarm on credit card debt

New York
CNN
—
Macy’s is warning of a spike in customers who are failing to make credit card payments, adding to the evidence of mounting financial stress on consumers.

The iconic department store had anticipated delinquencies would climb following a post-Covid lull. But Macy’s management has been caught off guard by the magnitude of the uptick.

“The speed at which the increase occurred for us and the broader credit card industry…was faster than planned,” Adrian Mitchell, Macy’s chief operating officer and chief financial officer, told analysts during an earnings call on Tuesday, adding that this problem “accelerated” in June and July.

This situation is hurting Macy’s business, driving down credit card revenue by 36% year over year and contributing to a quarterly loss, he said. Citing worsening consumer leverage metrics, Macy’s is bracing for a further increase in “bad debt” in its credit card portfolio.

Macy’s blamed the jump in delinquencies on broader financial pressure facing consumers and mounting debt levels.