Refinance

Residential loan application activity continued its post-election slump, declining for the sixth time in the eight weeks, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The commercial-and-industrial loan space is overheated and higher rates could stifle mortgage refinancings. Bankers could be fighting these fires and more in the new year.

Some of the most popular contributors to National Mortgage News' Voices community weigh in on what they see coming in the next year for origination, servicing, technology and regulation.

From selling servicing rights along with the loans to issuing private-label securities, a host of strategies from the past could return to the market as a result of the new political climate and interest rate environment.

Expectations of transaction volume in the year ahead are down for the fourth quarter in the wake of the presidential election, according to data from First American Financial Corp.

Refinance activity in November was even compared with the prior month, though the data suggested that the market is prepping for higher rates to cut into this segment, according to Ellie Mae.

Mortgage application volume rose 2.5% from the prior week, even as interest rates reached two-year highs, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Rising interest rates have turned mortgage lenders' post-election outlook on profit margins bearish, according to Fannie Mae.

Mortgage rates moved higher for the seventh consecutive week, a sign that the markets are still in flux after the presidential election, Freddie Mac said.

The forecast for mortgage origination volume moved down for the first quarter of 2017 in the wake of the second interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve in a decade, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.