Mortgages

The refinance market saw a 35% jump in activity, as borrowers continued responding to downward trending rates, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

The lender says the acquisition will boost its retail run rate to more than $240 million per month.

Against the backdrop of high interest rates and inflation, consumers have held off buying homes or pursuing bigger renovations that typically need financing. This pullback in spending has hurt Home Depot and other retailers, a reversal from the pandemic when people upgraded their houses. 

Five other cities are now at over $1 million in median price, up from four in previous periods, the National Association of Realtors said.

Issuance of new mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by Ginnie Mae has returned to levels last seen during the year monetary policymakers began raising rates.

The administration will release $100 million in grant funds focused on slashing red tape at the state and local levels, and will advance other programs to increase home construction.

Pandemic era changes to credit reporting have dangerously distorted credit scores for mortgage borrowers. The market is in worse shape than we realize, writes a former Federal Housing Finance Agency director.

The change in medical debt reporting initiated by the three credit bureaus did not go far enough as 15 million Americans are still impacted, the groups led by the National Consumer Law Center said.

The FHA-loan market, in particular, saw the share of piggyback originations increase over two years, while the pace of growth in conventional lending was more muted, Corelogic said.

The increase in refinance volume in July took place before the mortgage rate collapse in early August that brought the share to over 25%, Optimal Blue data showed.

Zillow said the share of listings on its platform that offered concessions topped 33% last month, up from 25% a year earlier. 

Risks include pushing debt-to-income ratios too high for qualifying and rising costs leading to defaults, all of which affect the secondary markets.

The top city, Myrtle Beach, S.C., saw a 23.1% rise in the amount of people aged 65 and over moving in.

The financial services regulator believes Mr. Cooper is violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act due to its $25 fee for payoff quote statements.

Remax Holdings had net income of $3.7 million, up from $2 million one year prior, but a non-GAAP measure used for the mortgage business showed a near $200,000 increase in losses.

The company's mortgage segment, Zillow Home Loans will be its primary emphasis going forward, leaders said in their earnings report.

The lender and servicer saw origination volume jump to $6.5 billion as of June 30, up from $3.9 billion the previous quarter.

Moderating interest rates in the first quarter led to changing fortunes from 2022 and 2023, a Transunion report said.

Soaring insurance costs may add to escrowed funds that servicers can earn money on in some cases, but higher premiums also could lead to affordability issues.

The move aims to end a conflict between service-related disability benefits and rental assistance. HUD and the Treasury also are looking at tax credit impacts.