Mortgages

Monetary policy is on track to loosen later rather than sooner. Housing finance firms may look more to home equity until or unless a change revives activity.

The comment period for the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing interim final rule has been extended, but consumer advocates are clear in their opposition.

An index of applications for home purchases jumped 11.1%, the most since January, while a gauge of refinancing increased at a similar rate, according to Mortgage Bankers Association data released Wednesday.

Much of the increase came from the wholesale channel, where margins were thinner, leaving them flat on for the origination unit on a sequential quarter basis.

The Irvine, California-based firm had a net loss of $40.7 million in the first quarter of 2025, a rebound from a net loss of $67.5 million in the previous period.

Loan providers saw more frequent use of verification tools as well as shortened turnaround times from preapproval to application submission, Lenderlogix said.

Mortgage bankers have been supporting recent updates to the legislative proposal while urging legislators to fast-track it given the phaseout of VASP.

The builder reported increased revenue from a year ago, with profits near par, as it sets to absorb new acquisitions across different lines of business.

United Wholesale Mortgage originated $32.4 billion, up 17% year-over-year and its best first quarter since 2022, helped by refinance volume of $10.6 billion.

Mortgage delinquencies were up in March, according to data from Intercontinental Exchange.