Mortgage rates

Commercial and multifamily mortgage debt outstanding continued rising, aided by low mortgage rates and the steady incline of property values, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

With refinance activity rising to its highest level in three years, mortgage application volume increased 26.8% from one week earlier, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Prepayment speeds for loans included in agency mortgage-backed securities were up approximately 20% both monthly and annually during May as the decline in interest rates boosted activity, according to Keefe, Bruyette & Woods.

Colorado Springs-area home prices soared to a second consecutive record high last month, as a steady demand on the part of buyers and a dearth of properties for sale helped to send housing costs higher.

The use of financing to buy fix and flip properties increased 35% annually by dollar volume to its highest level in nearly 12 years, according to Attom Data Solutions.

For the first time since 2012, home prices are falling in metro Orlando, new data and real estate experts say.

Mortgage rates fell to their lowest level since September 2017, with the 30-year down 17 basis points as worries over foreign trade policy continued to roil the markets, according to Freddie Mac.

Millennial homeowners took advantage of April's drop in mortgage rates by quickly securing refinance loans, which closed faster than purchases for the first time since March 2016, according to Ellie Mae.

The rate of annual home price appreciation sped up for the first time in over a year during April, affecting affordability at the low end of the market, according to CoreLogic.

Velocity Mortgage Capital's new loan for income-producing residential and small-balance commercial properties was designed to afford investors more payment certainty than traditional bank financing.

The most borrowers in three years currently qualify for refinancing as the average for the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped below 4% for the first time in over a year, according to Black Knight.

Mortgage company merger and acquisition activity should continue to increase in 2019 as loan production costs rise and originations stay flat.

Mortgage application fraud risk declined for the first time since last summer because the home sales market became less competitive with an easing of the inventory shortage, First American said.

As the bond market drives yields down because of the economic turmoil, mortgage rates moved in concert, dropping below 4% for the first time since January 2018, according to Freddie Mac.

Contract signings to purchase previously owned homes unexpectedly fell in April, adding to signs the housing market is struggling to regain momentum.

Mortgage prepayment speeds may rise with the strong U.S. rate rally, and that may be cause for alarm for mortgage investors.

With the starter home inventory shortage pressuring first-time homebuyers to act, four out of five millennial purchasers lament at least one aspect of their mortgage, according to Zillow.

Consumer worries over the direction of the U.S. economy affected mortgage application activity this past week even as interest rates remained flat or declined, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

From secondary markets along the East Coast to the heart of the Midwest, here's a look at cities where consumers are losing ground in purchasing power as summer approaches, based on changes in housing values compared to local wages and mortgage rates.

Sales of new homes cooled in April from an 11-year high amid a surge in prices, adding to signs of softness in housing at the start of the quarter.