Thu, May 11 2017, 9:36 AM
You've no doubt run across the phrase "the beatings will continue until morale improves." That's not too far from being an apt assessment of an uptre...
Thu, May 11 2017, 6:41 PM
To be fair to bond markets, they might not have needed much help to hold their ground today had it not been for the stronger economic data in the morn...
Thu, May 11 2017, 4:43 PM
It's been slow and steady, to be sure, but mortgage rates finally inched their way up to the highest levels in more than a month today, depending on t...
Thu, May 11 2017, 2:48 PM
Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Mel Watt had three messages for the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on Thu...
Wed, May 10 2017, 9:43 AM
Any time rates have been trending decidedly higher (as they have been since mid-April), every day of gains has the potential to become the turning po...
Wed, May 10 2017, 9:35 AM
For appraisers, sometimes a simple 3 bedroom, 2 bath tract home can have complications that make things difficult. What about houses that actually "hi...
Wed, May 10 2017, 8:20 AM
Both purchase and refinance applications increased during the week ended May 5. The Mortgage Bankers Association said its Market Composite Index, a me...
Wed, May 10 2017, 6:46 PM
Bond markets were having a decent enough day during the morning hours. Stocks and European markets were weaker, dragging bond yields lower in a clas...
Wed, May 10 2017, 6:26 PM
Mortgage rates were steady to slightly higher again today, making it the 13th out of the past 16 business days without an improvement. The situation w...
Tue, May 9 2017, 10:28 AM
After moving along a nearly flat track for several years, consumer sentiment regarding whether "now" is a good time to buy a home started to rise and ...
Tue, May 9 2017, 10:22 AM
While the historically low homeownership rate as reported by the Census Bureau has improved only marginally over the last year, a recent survey by Gal...
Tue, May 9 2017, 10:12 AM
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is revisiting its 2013 RESPA Mortgage Servicing Rule. The rule, after several amendments, took effect on Janu...
Tue, May 9 2017, 10:08 AM
I hate to break the news, but racial diversity exists in the United States. In fact, many will tell you that it is one of the U.S.’s strongest attribu...
Tue, May 9 2017, 9:46 AM
Let me take you back--but not necessarily "way back"--to March 2017. Geopolitical risks weren't on the radar yet (no Syria air strike, North Korea th...
Tue, May 9 2017, 6:23 PM
Let's get the caveats out of the way. Bond markets ended the day in slightly weaker territory, and the broader trend remains toward higher yields. M...
Tue, May 9 2017, 2:56 PM
Earlier this week we reported that BuzzFeed reporter Mary Ann Georgantopoulos had released a copy of an April letter sent by House Financial Services ...
Tue, May 9 2017, 2:51 PM
CoreLogic's monthly Loan Performance Report for February shows the national mortgage delinquency rate, loans that were 30 or more days past due, decli...
Tue, May 9 2017, 2:29 PM
Mortgage rates haven't necessarily moved higher every day recently. For instance, yesterday's rates were unchanged versus last Friday's. But the gener...
Mon, May 8 2017, 10:15 AM
Can a letter, or another form of communication, sent by Party A and received by Party B, remain the exclusive property of Party A, even when in the ph...
Mon, May 8 2017, 9:31 AM
Is LBHI's third wave of claims against and lenders and brokers starting? According to the American Mortgage Law Group's Managing Member, James Brody, ...
Mon, May 8 2017, 9:23 AM
The economic and event calendar is fairly light this week, especially on the first few days. The importance and pace of potential market movers incre...
Mon, May 8 2017, 6:54 PM
We've been tracking an uptrend in yields since they bottomed out in mid April. There was some hope that we would see a firmer ceiling take shape head...
Mon, May 8 2017, 6:12 PM
Mortgage rates were generally unchanged today. This is actually quite an accomplishment if you ask the average bond market participant. Mortgage rates...
Fri, May 5 2017, 9:31 AM
Today on “Jobs Friday,” don’t think California has some pull? It is home to 1 in 8 Americans and its economy is the 6th largest in the world. It has 5...
Fri, May 5 2017, 8:24 AM
Today's chart is essentially the same chart we examined yesterday, but this time the only trendlines are those surrounding the most recent trend. The...
Fri, May 5 2017, 7:12 PM
Today's NFP report certainly could have been damaging for bond markets if it contained a significant revision to last month's low 98k headline. It ...
Fri, May 5 2017, 5:47 PM
Mortgage rates recovered today, moving sideways to slightly lower after losing ground over the past few days. Today's focal point was the Employment S...
Thu, May 4 2017, 11:44 AM
After years of quantitative easing, the Federal Reserve is estimated to own $1.75 trillion in agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS). The securities ...
Thu, May 4 2017, 11:31 AM
There was a very slight downward change in the availability of mortgage credit last month, driven primarily by on ongoing slippage in the availability...
Thu, May 4 2017, 11:22 AM
May the 4th be with you! People wonder if anyone from Freddie Mac has ever actually visited Fannie’s location for an office visit. Yes! Here’s actual ...
Thu, May 4 2017, 9:11 AM
I frequently use the lead-off analogy to characterize financial markets' propensity to start drifting in the direction of their next most-desired di...
Thu, May 4 2017, 7:37 PM
This morning's Day Ahead laid out a case for bonds taking a "lead-off" ahead of tomorrow's NFP data. It's not necessarily about NFP (the nonfarm pa...
Thu, May 4 2017, 7:13 PM
Mortgage rates moved higher today, bringing them back in line with the highest levels in nearly a month. That sounds a bit worse than it actually is, ...
Wed, May 3 2017, 9:28 AM
As the 1,400 or so registered participants in the MBA’s Secondary Marketing conference head home, bleary-eyed, the tag-line for the conference could h...
Wed, May 3 2017, 9:03 AM
Mortgage application volume decreased for the second consecutive week as the growing pool of purchase mortgage applications just missed covering the g...
Wed, May 3 2017, 8:57 AM
Bond markets are beginning the day in slightly weaker territory after as-expected ADP Employment data and the Treasury Department commented on the p...
Wed, May 3 2017, 5:12 PM
Today's Fed announcement turned out to be a dud . It's getting headline treatment here based solely on street cred. In and of itself, it could scar...
Wed, May 3 2017, 4:38 PM
Mortgage rates ended the day relatively close to ' unchanged ,' depending on the lender. That's somewhat surprising considering the presence of severa...
Wed, May 3 2017, 2:02 PM
(Additions underlined, deletions struck through)
Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in February March indicates tha...
Tue, May 2 2017, 10:57 AM
Home prices measured by CoreLogic's Home Price Index (HPI) posted their largest gains in nearly a year in March, continuing to confound the company's ...
Tue, May 2 2017, 10:54 AM
Down but not out. It ain't over 'til its over... All available clichés may apply to Ocwen Financial Corporation. At least the corporation hopes so. Th...
Tue, May 2 2017, 10:50 AM
In the second quarter of last year the homeownership rate hit its lowest level in U.S. Census Bureau reports going back 20 years, 62.9 percent. This c...
Tue, May 2 2017, 10:06 AM
The Supreme Court ruled on Monday, in Bank of America Corp. v City of Miami , that cities can bring suits alleging discrimination under the Fair Housi...
Tue, May 2 2017, 9:55 AM
Overheard yesterday here at the National Secondary Conference: “She is not the brightest crayon in the box.” Funny. But there are plenty of “bright cr...
Tue, May 2 2017, 9:28 AM
The relationship between stocks and bonds is difficult to speak about intelligently, unless you're prepared to define it in different ways depending o...
Tue, May 2 2017, 4:17 PM
The trading week has been relatively inconsequential so far. That's the best explanation for today's bond market gains. Sure, there are a few anec...
Tue, May 2 2017, 3:35 PM
Mortgage rates fell modestly today, but remained well inside the narrow range that's been intact for more than a week. For most lenders, that means co...
Mon, May 1 2017, 9:27 AM
Do you think the regulatory environment in residential lending is tough to navigate? Just think about who is going to regulate flying cars? Dust off t...
Mon, May 1 2017, 9:27 AM
It's an action-packed week for global financial markets, with several major motivations to consider. First and foremost, this is the first day of a n...
Mon, May 1 2017, 5:53 PM
Mortgage rates were unchanged to slightly higher today, keeping them in line with the previous 4 business days. This 5-day block stands out from the p...
