The Wall Street Journal reports that down payment requirements are easing a bit in some markets, as at least some level of confidence returns about the housing market. But there is no mention of Orange County — the closest I saw was a nod to central California. The Journal says in some parts of the country buyers can borrow 95% of the value of a home, up from 90%. MGIC Insurance Corp., which provides mortgage insurance for folks borrowing more than 80% of a home’s value, removed New Orleans, Dover, Del., Akron, Ohio, and four other areas in Ohio from its list of restricted markets. The company previously loosened restrictions on 11 nationwide markets, including Denver and St. Louis. Here’s more: Under the looser requirements, a borrower with a credit score of 680 or higher in New Orleans, for instance, can finance up to 95% of a home’s value. Before the change, a borrower who wanted to finance that much of a home’s value would have needed a credit score of at least 700. And Genworth Financial Inc. in September removed 63 markets from its troubled list, following an action in July that removed 136 other metro areas.

Read more here – Easier down payments may skip O.C.