Mortgages

The Mortgage Bankers Association forecast comes as bankers continue keeping an eye on their commercial real estate portfolios, including office buildings. The MBA also noted that many companies have long-term leases on their offices, likely making the hit more gradual.

The servicer is evaluating alternatives in light of the new rule the government bond insurer will put in place next year.

Special-purpose credit programs figure prominently in the recently released equitable housing finance plans of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

BofA Securities Inc. predicts that single-family rental securitizations — which repackage a single loan tied to multiple properties — will fall to just $2 billion for the rest of 2022 as Federal Reserve rate hikes send shivers across the industry.

Historically tight underwriting reinforced by regulation and third-party reviews could be buffers, so long as manufacturing standards for production and servicing hold up as residential mortgage companies downsize, according to KBRA.

Completions in August remained far lower than before COVID-19 arrived in the United States but initial actions rose fast enough to potentially meet expectations that they'll normalize in 2023.

At least one other nonbank wholesaler will be following suit, with more likely to follow.

The 15-year average crossed the 5% threshold for the first time in over a decade.

Price levels "remained highly elevated," but nine districts reported some degree of moderation in their rate of increase, the report showed. The price of food, rent, utilities and hospitality services, in particular, rose substantially across all 12 Fed districts.

Frustrations with gatekeeping, a lack of diversity and the way home appraisal is overseen are spurring many practitioners to call for an overhaul of the industry's governance structure.

A "Big 3" credit bureau is testing a direct data feed into a FICO score, and a top multifamily mortgage lender signed a multiyear contract with a high-profile fintech platform.

The venture-backed fintech also rolled out an option that allows the borrower to "undercollateralize" a property using the USDC stablecoin, pledged at 40% of the value.

Home values dropped for the first time in 31 months between June and July but this is obscured by 14.5% year-over-year appreciation.

Manhattan home sales under $1 million sagged well below their pre-pandemic levels this summer, as rising interest rates cut into buyers' purchasing power and sidelined some potential consumers. 

Declines in both purchases and refinances contributed to fractionally lower activity, as rising interest rates provided no relief.

Housing's unusually high appreciation rates have now slowed for three months straight, and the number of metropolitan areas that are considered overvalued keeps growing, according to CoreLogic.

Consumer demands for lower density and more affordable prices fueled a larger share of construction outside urban cores, but recent trends have led to slowdowns across the board.

The company is acting nearly a month earlier than its competitors did in 2021, the first shot in this year's "loan limits wars."

Citigroup joined rivals in trimming the ranks of its mortgage workforce as rising interest rates continue to crimp demand in the housing market. 

Higher mortgage rates have led to a sharp slowdown in cash-out refinances. Second mortgages were up nearly 50% in the first five months of the year as homeowners looked for new ways to borrow against their equity.