Refinance

Popular TV shows about house fixers and flippers have sparked consumer interest in remodeling, creating an opportunity for lenders to build a specialty in renovation loans while traditional mortgage lending is weak.

Better credit quality and the influx of refinancing during the low interest rates of the last few years pushed mortgage performance to the highest levels since the turn of the century, according to Black Knight.

Mortgage application defect risk was at its highest level in four years because of higher interest rates as well as natural disasters during the latter part of 2018, according to First American.

Ginnie Mae has restricted loanDepot's ability to securitize Veterans Affairs mortgages because of apparent churning of recent originations.

Mortgage originations for the next two years will be higher than previously expected as lower interest rates at the end of 2018 will lead to more refinance volume, Freddie Mac said.

Mortgage application activity decreased 3% from one week earlier as rates for conventional loans continued to move higher, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

As 30-year fixed-rate mortgages rose 30 basis points year-over-year, non-QM originations are estimated to grow 400% in 2019.

Mortgage application activity decreased from one week earlier as rising interest rates cooled borrowers' interest in getting a loan, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Flagstar Bancorp's acquisition of 52 Midwest branches of Wells Fargo helped increase its core customer base, but its mortgage results were lower than anticipated in the fourth quarter, according to the Troy, Mich.-based bank.

Slower growth to interest rates and home prices will boost housing affordability in 2019, according to Fannie Mae.