Shares of mortgage and life insurers jumped Thursday on optimism about the extension of the home-buyer tax credit and solid earnings by Lincoln National.
Radian Group (RDN), MGIC Investment (MTG) and PMI Group (PMI), among the largest mortgage insurers, gained at least 11% during morning trading.
Senators struck a deal late Wednesday to extend a tax credit for home buyers beyond those buying their first house. An $8,000 credit for first-time home buyers was set to expire at the end of November. Legislators have agreed to extend the tax credit through the end of April and expand the credit to repeat buyers who have lived in their home for five consecutive years. The credit for repeat buyers would be $6,500.
The tax credit has spurred home buying this year, helping to stabilize the housing market. For mortgage insurers, stronger demand for houses is good news because that could help limit losses they face from delinquencies and foreclosures.
Bond insurers Ambac Financial (ABK) and MBIA Inc. (MBI), which are also exposed to the housing market through guarantees they sold on mortgage-related securities, climbed 12% and 9%, respectively.
Lincoln National (LNC) gained 12% to $24.93. The life insurance and annuities provider reported third-quarter net income of $153 million late Wednesday, along with net inflows of $2.3 billion, up 25% from the previous quarter.
"We view this as a strong quarter, characterized by robust flows in Annuities and Defined Contribution," Bret Howlett, an insurance analyst at Standard & Poor's Equity Research, wrote in a note to clients on Thursday. "Lincoln trades at a discount to the group, which we believe will narrow."
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