Origination

The credit grader lowered Brookfield Property's score by two steps to BB from BBB-, the lowest level of investment grade, and the rating remains on negative outlook.

The title company was also attacked in 2019 and joins Fidelity National and Mr. Cooper among recent victims.

Recent pullbacks in interest rates have lowered monthly payments, but amounts needed still make home buying unaffordable by most standards, according to new reports.

Rates that have been below 7% for two consecutive weeks have given originators a gift at what's typically a slow time of year, Freddie Mac said.

Even if lower rates boost inventory and shift sales from new to existing homes, these companies are well-positioned to deal with the change, analysts said.

The effects of expected lower mortgage interest rates are boosting a lot of different facets of the housing market.

With a tough winter predicted for lenders, servicers may struggle making timely principal and interest payments to investors, industry stakeholders warn.

Indicators are starting to align, that with falling interest rates and prices, buyers and sellers will return to the housing market in 2024, a trio of interested parties commented.

Activity fell despite an ongoing slide in rates, but elevated interest in VA loans, particularly refinances, managed to lift the government-sponsored index higher by a fraction, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Contract closings increased 0.8% from a month earlier to a 3.82 million annualized rate, according to the National Association of Realtors, and ahead of estimates of 3.78 million units.