Refinance

Mortgage rates continued to drop this week and hit their lowest levels since November 2016, while stimulating the real estate market and the economy, according to Freddie Mac.

Mortgage application volume fell last week as the small drop in interest rates slowed refinancing activity, while economic worries likely kept purchasers out of the market, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Wide short-term swings in interest rates — and loan prepayments — that we've all witnessed have serious secondary effects on consumers, lenders, investors and also policymakers.

The world's headlong dash to zero or negative interest rates just passed another milestone: Homebuyers in Denmark effectively are being paid to take out 10-year mortgages.

With long-term interest rates at historic lows, mortgage refinancing is coming on strong. But that additional revenue may not be enough to offset net interest margin pressures and lost servicing income.

Lower rates will likely sustain higher levels of origination through at least the third quarter, but supply constraints and economic weakness could limit the purchase market's response in the long term.

Mortgage rates remained unchanged this past week even with all of the upheaval in the bond markets that pushed long-term Treasury yields down, according to Freddie Mac.

Mortgage activity fell at the start of the year, but lower mortgage rates are boosting refinance volume, and Generation Z is starting to creep into the housing market, according to TransUnion.

While last week's large drop in interest rates sparked a surge in refinance activity, purchase mortgage application volume increased for the first time in over a month, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

There's a silver lining to the recent economic turbulence: Mortgage rates have tumbled in recent weeks, triggering a rush to refinance and a race to the closing table for many Twin Citians.

Mortgage-backed securities investors are looking to the specified pool market to counter higher prepayment speeds seen with loans purchased through the TBA window.

Lower interest rates and improved gain-on-sale margins helped Impac Mortgage Holdings record its first profitable three-month period since the first quarter of 2018.

Rates for 30-year mortgages are at their lowest since late 2016, sending many previously hesitant homeowners to their brokers.

Millennials jumped to take advantage of low mortgage rates by refinancing at an increased share of 6 percentage points in June, according to Ellie Mae.

The potential for negative long-term mortgage rates is surfacing around the world, and with global tensions building in the U.S. market, there's a small but growing chance it could happen here, too.

The economic tensions between the U.S. and China drove interest rates down last week, leading to a surge in refinance applications, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

In the world’s biggest covered-bond market, a Danish bank says it’s now ready to sell 10-year mortgage-backed notes at a negative coupon for the first time.

Bank of America is tapping the commercial mortgage-backed securities market to refinance the debt on its namesake Manhattan office building, providing BofA and building co-owner The Durst Company with a hefty cash-equity payout.

The Federal Housing Administration is aiming to limit the share of borrowers who have been withdrawing money from the value of their homes.

Purchase mortgage applications continue to decline, falling to their lowest level since the start of the spring, as supply constraints limit homebuyer activity, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.