Economy

TransUnion projected moderate growth in 2026 for mortgages, projecting purchases and refinances to increase 4% and 4.2% year over year.

In a speech Tuesday, Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr said it was possible that artificial intelligence will boost productivity in an undisruptive way. But he said policymakers should also be wary of a financial crash if those gains are not realized or a rapid adoption that could lead to labor displacement.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will add loan-level buydown data to MBS this spring, giving investors clearer insight into prepayment risk tied to temporary rate incentives.

A House subcommittee hearing discussing the future of the government-sponsored enterprises, noted both are still severely undercapitalized.

The income needed to afford a home had been rising on an annual basis nearly every month for five years, but affordability has been improving since the summer.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics issued its delayed January employment report Wednesday morning, showing the economy added 130,000 jobs in January. But the agency also sharply revised its estimates for total jobs created in 2025 to 181,000 from 584,000.

Borrowers in the lowest-income areas have seen their 90 or more day delinquency rates soar since 2021, jumping from 0.5% to nearly 3%, the New York Fed said.

The real estate industry has paid over $1 billion in combined settlements in the longstanding cases from home sellers challenging commissions payments.

A housing bill that already passed the Senate cleared the House Monday evening, but included bipartisan community banking provisions that have already raised objections in the upper chamber.

Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook said in a speech Wednesday night that the central bank's credibility depends on its ability to bring inflation back to its 2% target.

WomenVenture, a Minneapolis-based Community Development Financial Institution, was already under strain from stalled federal CDFI funding. The recent immigration crackdown added significant uncertainty for its customers as well.

Even with the 4 basis point rise in the 30-year fixed over the past two weeks, mortgage rates are still hovering near three-year lows, Freddie Mac said.

The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based bank expects the pace of loan growth to quicken this year, driven in part by its nine-month-old warehouse lending business.

The 30-year fixed rate mortgage increased 3 basis points this past week, off of a three-year low point, but are nearly a percentage point lower than a year ago.

Shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac extended days-long losing streaks amid mounting unease about the impact of President Donald Trump's policy moves on efforts to release the mortgage-finance giants from government control. 

This week the conforming 30-year fixed rate mortgage fell 10 basis points, with Optimal Blue data showing it broke through, at least briefly, the 6% level.

President Trump Tuesday told reporters he would not delay announcing his pick to fill a new vacancy on the Federal Reserve Board despite threats from Republican Senators to block any Fed nomination until a recently-disclosed Justice Department investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell is resolved.

The survey, taken before Pres. Trump's $200 billion MBS buy demand, finds panelists worried over inflation, but also see employment as the larger downside risk.

Lenders shouldn't expect the latest jobs numbers to yield major monetary policy moves after the unemployment rate came in mostly flat last month, experts say.

The 30-year fixed remains in its current range, but most expect the rate to reach 6% for 2026, and one observer feels it could actually break under this point.