Rates
Homebuilding Dragged Down by Supply Problems; Rates Are Flat And Calm
Housing starts fell back from the annual rate of 1,733,000 units reported for March. Residential starts in April were down 9.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,569,000 units. This was also a slight rollback for the March estimate, which was originally reported at 1,739,000 million units. At that level, they were the […]
Rates Remain Resilient After Inflation Scare
The 70’s and 80’s brought unforgettable economic lessons about inflation. Since then, certain market participants have been watching inflation like hawks , even when they didn’t need to. After the start of the pandemic, the massive amount of fiscal stimulus (covid relief bill) and monetary accommodation from the Fed (bond buying and rate cuts) had […]
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 […]
Pending Home Sales Rise Less Than Expected as Inventory Remains Ultra Tight; Rates Recover After Bumpy Start; Digital Lending Speeds Things Up
While the degree to which is happened was somewhat disappointing, pending home sales did snap out of a two-month slump in March . The National Association of Realtors’® (NAR’s) Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) rose 1.9 percent to 111.3 in March and is now up 23.3 percent compared to March 2020. However, NAR points out […]
Disconnect Between Home Sales, Prices, and Rates
Posted To: Mortgage Rate Watch This week’s New Home Sales report (for the month of March) stole the show, coming in over 1 million for the first time since 2006. But although sales are up 66% year-over-year, prices have fallen in recent months and are now basically unchanged from last year. What’s up with that? […]
UI Says HARP 2.0 Could Help Pandemic-Era Borrowers; Rates Back to Recent Lows
The Urban Institute (UI) is advocating for a streamlined refinancing program similar to the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) which aided many homeowners during the Great Recession to assist those impacted by the pandemic. HARP, which was used by more than 3.4 million borrowers between 2009 and 2018, offered simplified documentation, automated appraisals, no or […]
Study Highlights How Credit Scoring Impacts Fair Lending, Minority Homeownership Rates
Credit Scoring Impact on Fair Lending, Minorities NAR will use new research to shape policy positions in effort to boost minority homeownership. Media Contact: Wesley Shaw 202-383-1193 Fair Housing
Another Tentatively Decent Day For Rates
Posted To: Mortgage Rate Watch Mortgage Rates have been doing pretty well so far in April. They bounced at long-term highs on March 31st (matching the highs from 2 weeks prior), but have been descending gently since then. Today’s move was definitely modest. The average borrower wouldn’t see much of a difference–if any–versus yesterday’s rate […]
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 […]