Originations

A potential end to the Iran War could lead to economic recovery, suggesting sub-6% rates may be far off as monetary policy discussions take a hawkish tone.

The decline in non-owner occupied acquisitions came as sales fell overall due to high mortgage rates and bad winter weather in the Northeast, BatchData said.

Rithm and UWM Holdings are the favorite names among publicly traded lenders, while BTIG adds coverage of Better Home & Finance at a buy rating.

For the fifth time in the past seven weeks, mortgage rates moved higher, Freddie Mac reported, as consumer prices keep rising due to the Iran conflict.

Approximately 54% of homeowners looked to a second lien product to access their home's stored value in the first quarter due to the "lock-in effect."

The retained portfolios' latest record monthly number puts Fannie Mae in front while Freddie Mac has held onto a lead in quarterly single-family loan purchases.

Market wonderment over inflation data and a possible halt to the Iran conflict resulted in what some trackers found to be a sideways week for mortgage rates.

Lenders at the MBA conference say non-agency is more than just non-QM — and those still treating it as a niche product are falling behind as it becomes a core part of the business.

The Mortgage Bankers Association's Mortgage Credit Availability Index declined 0.4% to 107.9 in April after reaching a three-year high in March.

The 30-year fixed spiked earlier in the week, but fell as Middle East news helped to drive the 10-year Treasury yield lower by 9 basis points by Wednesday.

PennyMac Financial Services reported $82.3 million net income, inclusive of a $44 million net reduction related to servicing fair value and hedge losses.

"In looking at eight currently available proprietary RM products, there is a distinct relationship between HECM growth rates and proprietary product availability," Reverse Market Insight said.

The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield topped 4.4% on April 29 — its highest level since late March — as investor anxiety mounted.

The 30-year fixed is still over 20 basis points higher than its February bottom, but fell 7 basis points this past week on Iran peace hopes, Freddie Mac said.

Over half of all second-home inventory in the U.S. is concentrated in just eight states, with Florida leading the pack, according to analysis by NAHB.

About 43% of Americans upgraded their homes last year, and 33% plan to remodel in the next year, according to a recent survey from Redfin.

In an update to its seller and servicer guide, Fannie Mae laid out details on responsibilities for vendor oversight and the need for transparent AI policy.

The 30-year fixed fell to 6.37% after a two-week ceasefire tempered war-driven volatility, but economists warn the spring housing market faces continued turbulence.

The Mortgage Bankers Association found gains in March for conforming, jumbo and government-sponsored loan indices for the third consecutive month.

United Wholesale Mortgage lost ground to RKT in one category but held onto a healthy lead in another, an analysis of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data shows.