Mortgages

Nationally, prices jumped 19.2%, the fourth-biggest jump in data going back 35 years.

Wells Fargo won an early round in a lawsuit accusing the bank of running a predatory mortgage lending scheme in the Atlanta area before the 2008 financial crisis and continuing to discriminate against minorities for more than a decade afterward.

A majority of housing experts also believe first-time homeownership should hit 2019 levels again within four years; however, a substantial number don’t expect it this decade.

An analysis of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data reveals that banks continue to trail nonbanks in volume and another reveals that despite some improvement, inequities in lending to minority groups persist.

The permanent staff reductions appear to be concentrated in originations, where pretax income has been lower and outpaced by earnings generated by the servicing division, in line with broader industry trends.

As the effects of the pandemic continue to reshape the rhythms of the industry, mortgage lenders and brokers others predict a busy, competitive landscape but say more non-QM loans will fill volume gaps caused by low supply.

While the median income rose 1% over the last year, the median price of a home rose a staggering 25%, according to the the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

More properties on the market are also selling quicker, with almost 60% now receiving accepted offers within two weeks.

More than half of the seriously delinquent mortgages that did not have this type of payment relief were originated prior to ability-to-repay requirements enacted following the Great Recession, the latest Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia study found.

Home prices have increased at their fastest rate since the mid-2000s housing boom and driven skyrocketing inflation. Fed Gov. Christopher Waller says lenders are better prepared for a shock than in 2007 but still need to be monitored — especially nonbank lenders.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s inspector general said the Federal Housing Administration needs to improve guidance for servicers and improve controls.

A gauge of U.S. pending home sales fell unexpectedly in February for a fourth straight month as limited inventory continued to restrict a real estate market that’s now facing another challenge — rising borrowing costs.

Emergency legislation written early in the pandemic changed how things were done to protect borrowers with accommodations for hardships, and mortgage companies need to be careful as things return to normal.

Less than 5% of U.S. homeowners can save money by refinancing their housing loans, the smallest proportion in the history of the mortgage bond market, as borrowing rates surge to their highest level in three years.

Lawmakers also asked officials to include more perspectives from Veterans Affairs and USDA representatives and increase focus on manufactured home valuations.

Banking and credit union regulators are expected to respond to a White House call to root out discrimination in the predominantly white appraisal business. They will likely step up enforcement and data collection, reclaiming authority long ceded to the industry's governing body.

The number of people that have paid late in the near term has increased, according to multiple recent reports.

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said longer-run structural issues will continue to put upward pressure on home prices and rents even as the central bank begins a campaign to raise borrowing costs.

The Purchase Applications Payment Index was 8.3% higher in February compared with January and 22% over the same month in 2021, the Mortgage Bankers Association found.

Averages rose sharply across the board, as investors focus on the central bank's response to ongoing economic and geopolitical developments.