Originations

The government-sponsored enterprise financed 955,000 mortgages last year, down from the 1.8 million loans it backed in 2022.

January volume increased 36% compared to the month before and the annual decline in activity was the lowest in almost two years, Optimal Blue said.

Only a few dozen mortgage firms could likely afford the $7 million ad for this year's big game, a marketing veteran said.

While the Freddie Mac survey reported just a 1 basis point increase from last week, Zillow's tracker found a 30 basis point rise in the 30-year fixed, more reflective of what happened in the bond market.

The majority of users are looking for new credit lines and others want to improve their scores. Credit monitoring by consumers may be a good indicator of both, Transunion found.

As a result, a robust housing market is now on the horizon, Freddie Mac chief economist Sam Khater declared.

A key Senator had urged Fed Chairman Jerome Powell to lower rates early this year, but although there's more consensus on making such a move, it now looks unlikely to happen until after the next meeting.

A potential buyer with a budget of $3,000 per month for their payments is now able to afford an approximately $453,000 home.

Its January forecast reverses the call first made in April 2022 that the U.S. economy would slip into an extended downturn.

A common concern in housing finance reactions has been the lack of accommodation for strategies routinely used to manage credit, rate and liquidity exposures.

Lending activity among builders surged over 22% annually in December, but the growing share of FHA-backed borrowing in the segment took a step back for the first time in four months, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

The former Obama administration official and MBA head died unexpectedly on Jan. 16.

For the past week, the benchmark 10-year Treasury closed above 4%, as the markets priced in an increase in the consumer price index.

Both companies saw their stock rating cut because of their current valuation, similar to why Rocket's was previously dropped. They declined comment on the move.

Industry consolidation has resulted in fewer conventional and government loan programs being offered to consumers.

December's shift in Federal Reserve policy gave a notable boost to the share of consumer respondents who think the affordability of home financing will improve.

Low refinance volume creates a "relative disadvantage" for Rocket, which historically had a much larger share of that market versus purchase, a note by Bose George, analyst at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, said.

The end-of-year slowdown comes after a recent fall surge, but overall activity still finished 6% below late 2022 levels, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The segment demonstrated sustained resilience in the third quarter, growing its share of the market each month amid rate volatility, according to Corelogic.

But the decline may be close to its floor, as wide spreads compared to 10-year Treasury yields hinder how far averages could fall.