Underwriting

If approved by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the program will not lead to large amounts of home equity being extracted, nor is it mission creep, wrote Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analyst Bose George.

Originators increased program offerings for the fifth consecutive month, but overall credit availability remains tight, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

A new Federal Reserve analysis finds rising debt-to-income and loan-to-value ratios over the past two years, while credit scores largely remained the same.

Mortgage lenders offered more cash-out refinance programs at a time when consumers might be coming to terms with the rate environment.

In a study posted weeks after it raised concerns about "junk fees," the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau noted that the amount of borrowers paying discount points doubled from 2021 to 2023, with the increase larger among consumers with lower credit scores.

Fannie Mae's latest forecast now predicts rates to be half a percentage point higher, and volume to be $1.5 trillion lower than previously expected in 2024.

While some said the agency was ignorant of its own rules, one trade group praised the goals of the posting.

Regulatory reform – rather than Biden's proposed solutions – is needed to fix the inventory crisis, some say, but others applauded the president's buyer cost-cutting initiatives.

February was the second consecutive month where lenders eased underwriting, although overall availability remains near record low levels, the Mortgage Bankers Association.

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.