Fitch has downgraded 270 bonds from 59 residential mortgage-backed securities transactions to "D." Forty-nine of the transactions are second-lien deals and the rest of the transactions are "scratch and dent" or subprime deals. All of the bonds had previously had CC or C ratings, indicating a default was expected. A D rating indicates a principal writedown has occurred.
Short-sale transactions increased 4% from 2023 to 2024, nearly 10% from 2024 to 2025 and about 16% annually in the first quarter of this year, according to Realtor.com.
The 30-year fixed rate loan average is at its highest since August, while the 15-year is now above where it was one year ago, Freddie Mac found.
A one-time chief lending officer for Heritage State Bank has been barred from the industry for signing off on mortgages backed by over-valued appraisals.
Sales trends for new homes are on the upswing, another reason mortgage lenders need to keep an eye on this segment, the Mortgage Bankers Association found.
While raising concern, foreclosures were returning to normal historical trends, with timelines also shortening in the first half of 2026, Attom said.
Bob Murphy was a key figure in vendor management as the co-founder of Lenders Service Inc., which is considered the first AMC, and later created ValuAmerica.
