Mortgages

Some housing numbers have been weaker than expected because affordability remains relatively low, outweighing slightly higher refinancing that has an upside for lenders but a potential downside for servicers.

Activity is coming in at or below 2020 levels according to reports from the Mortgage Bankers Association and Redfin.

At the same time, the share of overall vacancies fell due to limited inventory, according to a new Attom report.

Their activity was below the record share hit at the start of 2022, and down from the high water mark of 93,700 properties bought in the third quarter last year.

Insurers and Uncle Sam are having trouble footing bills for mounting climate-related risks, particularly in regions prone to hurricanes and wildfires.

Despite some moderation in overall supply prices, concrete products are running consistently higher.

Recent reports highlight the question of how much wage growth can do to sustain loan performance as pandemic relief gets rolled back, consumer costs rise and the housing market cools.

The rating agency has revised the long-term issuer default rating for PacWest Bancorp and its banking subsidiary, Pacific Western Bank, from "BBB" to "BBB-" and says it doesn't expect the bank's common equity Tier 1 ratio to bounce back anytime soon.

The REIT did not issue a securitization in the period because of the upheaval, but found a more receptive marketplace in July.

The changes, which appear to be separate from a controversial nonbank proposal that's pending, will reduce red tape for credit unions and housing finance agencies and clarify a calculation for loans eligible for repurchase.

Refinances inched up 2% as interest rates dipped, but accounted for only 31% of activity, compared to two-thirds a year ago.

Volumes set a record in 2021 and they've held up better than expected this year, but declines are forecasted for the sector some banks are using to partially offset single-family's slump.

At the same time, homes bought with FHA-backed loans accounted for the smallest share since 2007, according to an Attom sales report.

New American Funding scored the highest among eligible companies in this year's substantially redesigned measurement of customer satisfaction.

The jump for second mortgages and bank cards was even more pronounced, according to indices published by Standard & Poor’s and Experian.

New single-family home mortgage applications, housing starts and industry sentiment all came in at their lowest since 2020.

Inflation and higher interest rates are hurting distressed borrowers, but low unemployment, remaining forbearance and loss mitigation options are still blunting their impacts, recent loan-performance numbers suggest.

Delinquencies are likely to rise if both interest rates and inflation continue their upward movements, a DBRS Morningstar report said.