Mortgage rates

Bankers in St. Louis weren't surprised when mortgage data released this summer showed a drop in loans made between 2017 and 2018.

Consumer confidence in the housing market remains relatively strong, but economic uncertainty is testing its resiliency, according to Fannie Mae.

Employment estimates for nonbank mortgage companies rose to a 2019 high as lower rates spurred consumer demand in August, but higher rates in September could mean future numbers will be weaker.

Real estate economists' outlook for single-family housing starts through 2021 weakened compared with six months ago even though they are relatively bullish on the economy, an Urban Land Institute survey found.

Economic issues were the biggest influence on average mortgage rates in the past week, although two trackers moved in different directions.

Millennials took advantage of mortgage rates falling to near three-year lows in August, increasing their refinance share to the highest percentage since December 2015, according to Ellie Mae.

Millennials — now more than ever — dictate the direction the housing market is moving in, and with the deceleration of starter home prices, more should become homeowners soon, according to CoreLogic.

Guild Mortgage, which originated loans on some of the first manufactured homes eligible for new lower-rate Fannie Mae financing, anticipates demand for this housing type will continue to grow this year.

The switch to a buyer's home purchase market, as well as fewer natural disasters helped drive the five-month-long decline in mortgage application fraud risk, First American said.

Neither boom nor bust, the Palm Beach County, Fla., housing market ended the summer selling season with a steady but unspectacular performance.

Economic uncertainty and high housing prices will put a damper on home sales next year, but low mortgage rates will offset that, pushing house prices to all-time highs in 2020, the California Association of Realtors forecast.

Rising demand and plummeting mortgage rates pushed multifamily origination dollar volume above 2017's record to a new peak, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Rising home prices are likely to constrain affordability for some time to come, with only the current low mortgage interest rate environment softening the blow, Attom Data Solutions said.

September has been the most volatile month since March when it comes to 30-year conforming mortgage rates, with average weekly movements of 11 basis points up or down, according to Freddie Mac.

Contract signings to purchase previously owned homes rebounded in August by more than forecast, helped by low mortgage rates and continued household income gains.

The recent run of lower interest rates may bode well for today's commercial mortgage-backed securities, unless it's undermined by an increase in leverage, according to Fitch Ratings.

It looks like lower mortgage rates are helping lure Americans who are buying the priciest properties.

The recent spike in mortgage interest rates reduced home purchase application activity last week, contributing to a 10.1% decline in total activity, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Orange County, Calif., may be on the verge of seeing a gain in home sales for the first time in more than a year, new CoreLogic figures show.

Foreclosure starts dropped to their lowest level in 18 years, and properties foreclosed on but not yet sold fell to a 14-year low in August, according to Black Knight.