Refinance

With independent title companies scoring the largest market share gain last year, the sector saw a 22% increase in premiums overall, the American Land Title Association said.

The shift ended a long run of higher rates that have depressed loan application activity, and it temporarily creates a new refinancing incentive for some borrowers.

Mortgage rates that are rising in tandem with a recovering economy dampened borrower activity, even with prime homebuying season underway.

After two straight months on an upward trajectory, rising interest rates pushed homebuyer demand down to a third of where it stood at the start of 2021, according to Freddie Mac.

While there were fewer new mortgages sought on a week-to-week basis, the index was higher than it has been during the same week in the last two years.

Point of sales providers are bringing improvements to their systems as loan officers look for ways to keep their pipelines active.

But the 10-year Treasury yield began backing down after the weekend as investors reacted to turmoil in Europe.

Despite a 3% increase in new mortgages, overall applications dropped 2% on a consecutive-week basis due to a 5% decline in refis, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

While the economic recovery and stimulus checks drove upward movement in purchases, it wasn’t enough to offset tumbling refinance activity.

As more borrowers between 21 and 40 leveraged the historically low mortgage rates in January, the average age rose to a report high, according to ICE Mortgage Technology.

Finance of America Reverse's product combines features of a forward mortgage, like 10 years of payments, with parts of a non-recourse reverse loan.

Mortgage rates surged 40 basis points since the start of the year as the economy improved.

Servicers struggled to bring back their borrowers as the overall retention rate crept down to a nadir in the fourth quarter, according to Black Knight.

A slight lift in the purchase market paired with a surprising reversal in the size of the average loan, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The rush to refinance led to more errors in January and the shift to more-risky purchase apps will add to lenders' fraud concerns going forward.

Severe winter weather and another hike in mortgage rates stifled loan volume for the week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

While sales shot up from the same time last year, inventory reached its lowest level since Remax started its National Housing Report in 2007.

Origination volume hit a record high in 2020 as more borrowers tapped the equity in their homes and investors and second-home purchasers flocked to the market at levels unseen since before the Great Recession.

Between the dip in refis and the approach of the spring buying season, mortgage lenders are likely to start paying a little more attention to the purchase market, which is less rate-sensitive.

While its net income declined annually for the second consecutive year, CEO Hugh Frater touted Fannie Mae’s resiliency in a record year for providing mortgage liquidity.