Mortgages

For the second time in the past three weeks, the 30-year fixed mortgage moved lower, but investors want clarity about U.S. economic policy, Freddie Mac said.

The deal comes about 18 months after Maritime Partners completed its securitization of Jones Act shipping business revenue, raising $235.3 million.

Government securitization guarantor Ginnie Mae got the terms for the popular HMBS 2.0 program across the finish line ahead of a major change in federal leadership.

Investors bought 15.9% of U.S. homes sold in Q3, according to Redfin, a level similar to 2018 and 2019, when the share was around 14%.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra said the FICO credit-scoring model has drawbacks in price, predictiveness and market competition, and stakeholders should develop a more open-sourced model that uses artificial intelligence.

Critical defects increased for the second consecutive three-month period, with appraisal-related errors nearly doubling, Aces Quality Management said.

Those born between 1997 and 2012 will go from making up a scant 6% of today's market to a 25% share by 2028, and mortgage lenders need to be ready to serve them.

Some lenders are once again hiring mortgage lenders, but memories of the painful staffing cuts they were forced to make over the past two years remain top of mind.

Private-label securitization volume increased 75% this year versus 2023; conditions are right for that to continue, KBRA said.

Mortgage rates have stopped the run of increases following the September Fed meeting but consumers are not likely to notice.