Originations

House hunting activity also slowed in December, with home tours declining 69% from the start of the year, a Redfin report found.

The 30-year fixed rate surged 15 basis points from a week earlier but ends 2022 at more than twice its mark from a year ago.

Sales of high-end homes fell 38.1% year-over-year, per a Redfin report.

Kindred Home Loans will serve buyers of properties in Dallas and San Antonio markets.

The partnership will expand UHM reach to new markets in Florida, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina and California.

But the lower rates of the past month did result in a $7-billion boost to its origination forecast for 2022.

The deal will close for $10 million in cash, plus the right to purchase nearly 33.9 million shares of common stock.

Home prices dropped again on a monthly basis in October, exacerbating the loss in home equity among recent buyers, but the size of the falloff was the smallest since June.

However, a tiered pricing system will limit an inflation-driven increase to under 10% for a small group of originators.

Nonbanks will probably see the least change, while securitization lenders, depositories and REITs are likely to experience the most, an Urban Land Institute survey suggests.