Mortgages

JPMorgan Chase & Co. plans to sell credit risk on a $531 million portfolio of adjustable-rate mortgages, a new kind of offering by the bank and the latest example of the industry's efforts to de-risk balance sheets.

Borrowing costs have fallen to their lowest level in more than a year as inflation metrics drop to 2021 levels, seemingly vindicating the Federal Reserve's decision to maintain their restrictive monetary policy.

While the Department of Veterans Affairs does not have a credit score usage mandate, it has shown to be open to the use of advanced models.

Mortgage rates, already easing, should keep falling as inflationary pressure cools during the rest of the year, but a pair of wild cards could upset the prediction.

While flat from a year ago, volumes surged between June and July, with notable increases in both starts and completions, according to Attom.

The Federal Housing Administration may soon complete the modernization of "face-to-face" rules and end a temporary, partial exemption from the original mandate.

Nearly two-thirds of consumers in a July survey said they expect mortgage rates to decline soon, but most want to see them cross a very specific threshold before they act, Mphasis Digital Risk found.

Specialized Portfolio Servicing's sale resolves questions about it that arose when UBS bought the troubled Credit Suisse last year.

Thanh Roettele will help guide the Canadian bank's growth in the mortgage warehouse space in one of its latest moves aimed at the U.S. market.

Underlying U.S. inflation eased for a fourth month on an annual basis in July, keeping the Federal Reserve on track to lower interest rates next month.

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.