Origination

While the 30-year average has hovered near the same level for weeks, the past year brought with it promising trends that may ease affordability in 2026.

Further mortgage payment reductions and other "aggressive" changes to federal policy impacting homeowners are on the roadmap for the coming year.

Mortgage activity fell 3.8% from one week prior for the week ending Dec. 12, led by a 4% drop in refinance applications, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

The trade group's letter to FHFA Director Bill Pulte pointed out that lenders were facing credit report price hikes for four straight years.

New-home purchase activity rose 3.1% year over year, but dropped 7% from October, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Remote work helped fuel migration and erased the loss of rural residents that occurred in the decade prior to the arrival of Covid, Harvard researchers found.

The threshold regards loans where the annual percentage rate is at least 1.5 percentage points higher than the average prime offer rate on first liens.

The home purchase market, which competes for consumers with rentals, should remain subdued in 2026 because of high mortgage rates and low affordability.

Rising labor and material costs could weigh on final expenses, despite a slower summer for hurricane and tornado claims, according to Verisk.

The partnership also includes a $50 million equity investment in Finance of America, securing long-term alignment between the companies.