Mortgage rates

Digitizing the lending experience can go a long way toward boosting mortgage applications even as interest rates continue to fluctuate.

Lower interest rates that have the power to reduce house payments are triggering a surge in mortgage refinancing activity and giving real estate agents hope that more affordable rates can lift area home sales that are barely lagging behind 2018.

Refinances jumped in July in response to a considerable mortgage rate decline from the month prior as homeowners set to lock in lower costs, according to Ellie Mae.

Mortgage rates continued to drop this week and hit their lowest levels since November 2016, while stimulating the real estate market and the economy, according to Freddie Mac.

Central Ohio home prices continued their record ascent in July, as the one of the nation's hottest real estate markets shows no sign of cooling.

Sales of previously owned homes increased in July to a five-month high, underscoring stability in the residential real estate market that may be starting to get a boost from falling borrowing costs.

Mortgage application volume fell last week as the small drop in interest rates slowed refinancing activity, while economic worries likely kept purchasers out of the market, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

July's existing-home sales lived up to their potential after falling short the previous month, but that potential remains limited because tenure continues to increase, according to First American.

Wide short-term swings in interest rates — and loan prepayments — that we've all witnessed have serious secondary effects on consumers, lenders, investors and also policymakers.

The world's headlong dash to zero or negative interest rates just passed another milestone: Homebuyers in Denmark effectively are being paid to take out 10-year mortgages.

While talks of an impending recession pick up steam, the housing market remains fairly stalwart and won't be to blame this time around, according to Zillow.

July brought some zip to a Portland area housing market that had been in the doldrums relative to the past few years, but the rally might prove short-lived.

With long-term interest rates at historic lows, mortgage refinancing is coming on strong. But that additional revenue may not be enough to offset net interest margin pressures and lost servicing income.

The global rally in bonds on Thursday drove the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury below 1.5% for the first time since August 2016.

Lower rates will likely sustain higher levels of origination through at least the third quarter, but supply constraints and economic weakness could limit the purchase market's response in the long term.

July's low mortgage rate environment encouraged new homebuyers to overcome their fears about the direction of the economy that kept them out of the market in June, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Sentiment among homebuilders rose in August to match its 2019 high as mortgage rates tumbled, though a weaker outlook signaled concern that any gains will be temporary as investors fret about an economic downturn.

Mortgage rates remained unchanged this past week even with all of the upheaval in the bond markets that pushed long-term Treasury yields down, according to Freddie Mac.

Mortgage activity fell at the start of the year, but lower mortgage rates are boosting refinance volume, and Generation Z is starting to creep into the housing market, according to TransUnion.

The U.S. government bond market sounded alarms Wednesday as investors fleeing riskier assets drove the 30-year bond's yield to a record low and the 10-year yield fell below the two-year for the first time since 2007.