Capital markets

Total lock volume increased 2% from November and finished 30% higher than last December, according to Optimal Blue's latest Market Advantage report.

Trump's proposed $200B MBS purchase briefly tightened mortgage spreads, but analysts question the long-term impact on mortgage rates and GSE balance sheets.

With ongoing affordability issues, the Federal Housing Administration program will keep taking low down payment market share from the private mortgage insurers.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is selling more due-and-payable HECMs on homes that are occupied while reviewing the loan program.

A shared client base helped lead to introduction of the new integration, with implementation scheduled to come later this year, the companies said.

A housing official renewed his call for credit bureaus to address lenders' concerns. Low pull-through magnifies a cost that's small relative to others.

While the US military operation in Venezuela didn't hit sentiment on American financial markets, the action reminded investors how tenuous any trading thesis can be in a world undergoing geopolitical changes.

Late last year, commercial bank holdings of mortgage paper reached the highest level since 2023 as these depositories are flush with deposits.

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods attributes Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac portfolio growth for the narrower spreads, but other reasons include lower volatility.

A definitive move could occur as early as fiscal year 2026 or take until 2033, depending on what the government is willing to do, according to one analyst.

For 2026, most Wall Street interest-rate strategists expect stable-to-higher Treasury yields as the Fed's rate-cutting cycle comes to an end.

Some action items could make a big difference for both mortgage lenders and consumers, but the Trump Administration is not yet focused on these concerns.

National Mortgage News takes a look back at some of the major or unique transactions which went on, or in some cases didn't happen, in the past 12 months.

Three Democratic Senators say Demotech's assessments "raise profound governance and reliability concerns" in letters to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Fewer than 1% of members reported surges relative to total assets outside the normal range, making Silvergate's experience unusual, according to the GAO.

Fannie Mae sees growth in refinance activity pushing volumes upward, but flattening purchases will temper lender momentum, according to its December report.

A rise in issuance of nonqualified mortgages and seconds is in the forecast but home prices, credit and the GSEs may impact private-label bonds' trajectory.

The move formalizes acting leadership roles both have had in different segments of the government-backed mortgage market serving many first-time homebuyers.

The option for holders of older government-sponsored enterprise bonds that predated the move to uniform mortgage-backed securities now has a deadline.

A coalition of mortgagees said the zombie seconds law negatively impacts 1.2 million junior liens statewide, despite just over 500 potential "zombie" loans.