Mortgage rates

November's foreclosure starts hit their lowest level since Black Knight started tracking this data in 2000, while the foreclosure rate reached a 14-year low.

Mortgage rates ended the week little changed from the previous seven-day period and near historic lows for the year, according to Freddie Mac.

More than half of the third quarter refinance activity was the cash-out variety, with borrowers removing the most total equity from their homes in nearly 12 years, according to Black Knight.

Loan defect risk in purchase applications stopped falling and plateaued in October, according to First American Financial Corp.

With economic expansion expected to keep churning through at least the first half of next year, Fannie Mae upwardly revised its single-family mortgage origination outlook for 2019 and 2020.

Rising demand and plummeting mortgage rates pushed multifamily origination dollar volume above 2017's record to a new peak, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Mortgage debt climbed to a new peak of $9.4 trillion in the second quarter and the distribution across the U.S. varies greatly.

Mortgage rates rose for the first time since the middle of July, but that, along with continued consumer worries about the economy, helped to reduce application activity from the prior week.

Though advocates and industry are rarely aligned, they are starting to coalesce around a plan that would call for the elimination of the CFPB’s 43% debt-to-income limit as part of its qualified mortgage rule.

Refinances jumped in July in response to a considerable mortgage rate decline from the month prior as homeowners set to lock in lower costs, according to Ellie Mae.

While talks of an impending recession pick up steam, the housing market remains fairly stalwart and won't be to blame this time around, according to Zillow.

Lower rates will likely sustain higher levels of origination through at least the third quarter, but supply constraints and economic weakness could limit the purchase market's response in the long term.

Mortgage activity fell at the start of the year, but lower mortgage rates are boosting refinance volume, and Generation Z is starting to creep into the housing market, according to TransUnion.

The potential for negative long-term mortgage rates is surfacing around the world, and with global tensions building in the U.S. market, there's a small but growing chance it could happen here, too.

New Residential Investment Corp. took a $32 million net loss in the second quarter as it diversified its business lines and repositioned to protect its mortgage servicing rights from falling rates.

Some believe the administration will delay action on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to avoid any political fallout. Others say the window for reform is closing.

Fannie Mae increased its mortgage origination forecast as lower interest rates, driven by economic uncertainty, will lead to more refinance activity, but other factors will continue to hold back home purchases.

While mortgage rate optimism kept consumer confidence about the home purchase market high in June, affordability worries pulled overall sentiment lower, a Fannie Mae survey said.

The refinance share of mortgage applications climbed to the highest level since January 2018 as the average 30-year fixed interest rate continued tumbling, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Will the runoff of MSRs leave a hole in the capital of the mortgage finance industry?