Origination

New-home purchase activity rose 3.1% year over year, but dropped 7% from October, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Remote work helped fuel migration and erased the loss of rural residents that occurred in the decade prior to the arrival of Covid, Harvard researchers found.

The threshold regards loans where the annual percentage rate is at least 1.5 percentage points higher than the average prime offer rate on first liens.

The home purchase market, which competes for consumers with rentals, should remain subdued in 2026 because of high mortgage rates and low affordability.

Rising labor and material costs could weigh on final expenses, despite a slower summer for hurricane and tornado claims, according to Verisk.

The partnership also includes a $50 million equity investment in Finance of America, securing long-term alignment between the companies.

Confidence among US homebuilders edged up in December as builders continued to deploy sales incentives to motivate buyers.

After home equity surged in 2023, average gains slowed last year before falling into negative territory over the past 12 months, Cotality said.

For 2026, the mortgage industry operating environment will improve, while nonbank financial metrics should be within Fitch's rating criteria sensitivities.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the FHA-insured loan caps for low- and high-cost areas, which are set based on conforming loan limits.