Mortgage
Mortgage Rates Near Long-Term Despite Taper Talk
“Taper talk” refers to comments, speeches, or official policy communications from the Federal Reserve (aka “the Fed”) that speak to the timing and nature of a reduction in the Fed’s bond buying activities. Wow! What a boring and potentially confusing sentence! Let’s try again… The Fed buys bonds –US Treasuries and mortgage backed bonds (which, […]
Mortgage Rates Moving Higher So Far This Week
Mortgage rates are coming off a solid performance last week after having moved to the lowest levels in 5 months by Thursday afternoon. This week is shaping up to be a bit different , however. In fact, as of this afternoon, the average lender has lost most of last week’s improvements. What’s behind the volatility? […]
Mortgage Rates Are Actually LOWER This Week
Mortgage rates hit their lowest levels in a week yesterday and are sideways to slightly lower today, depending on the lender. These facts are not well represented in the news today, where you’re more likely to see stories about rates being much higher this week. What’s up with the discrepancy? As is often the case […]
Forbearances Tumble; Mortgage Profits Break 2008’s Record; Locking/Floating After Jobs Report
The number of loans in forbearance declined sharply over the course of the past week. Black Knight said the number of homeowners exiting their plans jumped to the highest level in four weeks due to end-of-May expirations. There were also noticeable declines in the number of borrowers returning to the program as well as new […]
Mortgage Rates Are Low and Stable, But Face Bigger Risks Tomorrow
Mortgage rates moved lower today, bringing the average lender to the best levels since late February. Despite the milestone, the day-over-day movement in rates has been pretty mild. Most lenders are making changes that are only noticeable in the form of upfront costs (aka “points”) as opposed to rates themselves. If we use upfront costs […]
Mortgage Rates Sideways Near 2-Month Lows
Mortgage rates were mixed today, depending on the lender. On average, rates were unchanged and remained very close to their lowest levels in nearly 2 months. The bond market (which most directly impacts day-to-day rate movement) was calm. Both of today’s important economic reports came in weaker than expected, but close enough to forecasts to […]
FHA Will Keep Mortgage Insurance Fund Rates Stable
The newly installed Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released her first quarterly report on the agency to Congress on Tuesday. A key point regarded the Federal Housing Administration’s Single Family Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) Fund. Secretary Marcia L. Fudge said the fund has remained resilient despite the financial challenges faced […]
Mortgage Profits Decline but Remain Close to Record Levels
Mortgage originators’ profits remained strong in the fourth quarter of 2020, although they were down considerably from the previous period. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA’s) Mortgage Bankers Performance Report says that independent mortgage banks (IMBs) and mortgage subsidiaries of chartered banks reported a net gain of $ 3,738 on each loan they originated during the […]
MBA Survey: “Share of Mortgage Loans in Forbearance Decreases to 5.05%”
Note: This is as of March 14th. From the MBA: Share of Mortgage Loans in Forbearance Decreases to 5.05% The Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) latest Forbearance and Call Volume Survey revealed that the total number of loans now in forbearance decreased by 9 basis points from 5.14% of servicers’ portfolio volume in the prior week […]