Mortgage Bankers Association

Loan program revisions made by one large conventional mortgage investor led to a decrease in total residential home finance credit availability in February.

Tight margins, regulatory clarity and a renewed appetite to expand have made mortgage brokers and the wholesale channel attractive again, at least to the small and medium mortgage lenders.

Mortgage application activity increased slightly from one week earlier even as the rate for the 30-year conforming loan rose to its highest level in four years.

Commercial and multifamily fourth-quarter mortgage delinquency rates improved for most investor types compared to one year prior as the U.S. economy continued its recovery.

Recent developments in the Federal Housing Administration's Home Equity Conversion Mortgage program are making it easier for lenders to originate reverse mortgages to borrowers who want to buy a new-construction home.

Higher levels of purchase activity even with rising interest rates drove the increase in mortgage applications compared with one week earlier.

With 30-year mortgage rates reaching a four-year high, loan application activity was lower this past week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Rising rates, largely tied to the stock market turmoil, took their toll on mortgage application volume during the past week.

There was an increase in total mortgage defaults during the fourth quarter but that rise has to be measured in context of what had been a favorable environment prior to the third-quarter storms.

Mortgage servicers should approach efforts to overhaul their compensated structure with caution, as changes to the status quo "could have ripple effects across the entire real estate finance industry," warned Mortgage Bankers Association Chairman David Motley.