Mortgages

All six companies were profitable in the fourth quarter and the full year, but had far less new volume than in 2021.

Average purchase sizes have increased each week this year, likely signaling greater buyer activity occurring toward the higher end of the market.

The increase in sentiment to a five-month high was fueled by more optimism about sales, the outlook and a pickup in prospective-buyer traffic.

New starts surged 75% compared to a year ago, but repossessions saw their first decline in one-and-a-half years, according to Attom.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's two new proposed rules make sense for most non-banks but applying them to independent mortgage banks is redundant, writes the head of the Community Home Lenders of America.

Weaker economic conditions, rising interest rates and expected changes in investment returns drove the reduced expectations, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

The government-sponsored enterprise expects a "moderate recession" in the first half of 2023.

Median expected growth in household income declined 1.3 percentage point to 3.3% in the January survey, the largest monthly drop in data going back almost ten years, the New York Fed found in a report released Monday.

Major secondary market investors recently allowing for the use of an attorney opinion letter (AOL) as an alternative to traditional title insurance has led to the emergence of both instigators and imitators, writes the CEO of Voxtur.

In cities where the demographic made a majority of purchases, homebuyers with average credit scores in the mid-700s submitted hefty down payments.

Interest rates and inflation are at the top of the list of problems facing the industry, but attracting consumers under current market conditions has become more concerning, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

But with rates turning back up this past week, activity could fall in February, Black Knight Optimal Blue said.

The change comes as the battle with rival United Wholesale Mortgage reaches a fever pitch and analysts speculate that more changes at the top could be coming.

Lenders have yet to publicly address the trendy software that's made headlines for its capabilities to write creative prompts, solve complex problems and generate and repair computer codes.

Average housing costs have surged over 40% since 2019, outpacing 15% in wage increases, the National Association of Realtors said.

The company reportedly hired Truist to broker the loan origination system, which observers have been saying all along would have to happen.

Executives at the company said building special-servicing capacity will help the company brace itself for a potential change in the credit cycle.

If he really wants to win reelection in 2024, President Biden and his administration should leave the mortgage industry in peace and find somebody else to torment, the Chairman of Whalen Global Advisors writes.

While reverse mortgages allow older homeowners the opportunity to draw on home equity with minimal risk, problems arising from flaws in program structure are causing headaches for borrowers and issuers alike, according to recent reports.

The Federal Home Loan Banks system's primary affordable housing program has not had an in-depth review in more than 12 years, according to a new inspector general report.