Mon, Sep 20 2021, 11:23 AM
Builder confidence edged its way higher in September, ending a three-month slump. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reports that the NA...
Mon, Sep 20 2021, 10:46 AM
Someone asked me if I had plans for the fall. It took me a moment to realize they meant “autumn,” not the collapse of civilization. Lots of folks are ...
Mon, Sep 20 2021, 9:53 AM
Evergrande is a Chinese real estate company that has been circling the drain for months. During that time, press reports increasingly suggest that Ev...
Fri, Sep 17 2021, 4:33 PM
Traders Move to Sidelines Ahead of Fed Announcement
September's big Fed announcement doesn't hit until next ...
Fri, Sep 17 2021, 1:19 PM
The number of homes flipped by investors grew by 3.5 percent in the second quarter of the year. It was the first increase in more than a year. ATTOM s...
Fri, Sep 17 2021, 11:21 AM
Another powerful group of federal officials are in the hotseat after details of their personal finances were revealed. While there are no accusations ...
Fri, Sep 17 2021, 11:19 AM
Some things stick with you , some don’t. Many of the topics covered here in Atlanta’s NAMMBA Connect 2021 will stick with folks since they mirror what...
Fri, Sep 17 2021, 10:07 AM
The headline is a bit dramatic, but not untrue. 10yr yields were as high as 1.351 yesterday--just a moderate day of weakness away from the 2-month hi...
Thu, Sep 16 2021, 4:20 PM
Mortgage rates moved higher again today, bringing the average lender to the worst levels since last Thursday. There are a few exceptions to that due t...
Thu, Sep 16 2021, 3:54 PM
Uneventful Afternoon After Strong Data Sends Yields Higher
Today's key development was the duo of much stron...
Thu, Sep 16 2021, 11:02 AM
Refinancing and home purchases had a nearly even share of mortgage originations in July. ICE Mortgage Technology said that 50 percent of closed loans ...
Thu, Sep 16 2021, 11:01 AM
I’m getting old. I can remember the lyrics from a Steppenwolf song that I haven’t heard in 20 years but I don’t remember what I had for lunch yesterda...
Thu, Sep 16 2021, 9:08 AM
Bonds are starting the day on the back foot as Retail Sales rose 0.7% despite a median forecast of -0.8. The Philly Fed numbers also surged past 18.8...
Wed, Sep 15 2021, 4:28 PM
Mortgage rates began the day with promise. Actually, it was the underlying bond market (which largely dictates mortgage rates) was sending promising s...
Wed, Sep 15 2021, 4:08 PM
Sideways Vibes Won't Give Up Just Yet
Bonds made a move yesterday with yields breaking below the lower bound...
Wed, Sep 15 2021, 10:51 AM
Today there are 400,000 homeowners in their final month of forbearance and another 1.2 million still in the program as it winds down, thus, it is prob...
Wed, Sep 15 2021, 10:25 AM
How ‘bout some random Q&A for Hump Day? Did you know that almost 2,400 of your co-workers are already registered for the National MBA conference next ...
Wed, Sep 15 2021, 10:19 AM
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced late Tuesday that they were suspending some of the provisi...
Wed, Sep 15 2021, 10:17 AM
The traditional end of summer was accompanied by a tiny boost in the volume of mortgage applications. The Mortgage Bankers Association said its season...
Wed, Sep 15 2021, 9:57 AM
Yesterday's most notable accomplishment for the bond market was the breakout of the prevailing consolidation range (aka "pennant," to use a technical ...
Tue, Sep 14 2021, 7:04 PM
arlier this year, the FHFA and Treasury amended Treasury's preferred stock repurchase agreements (PSPAs) to put limits on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (...
Tue, Sep 14 2021, 4:13 PM
Bonds Rally After CPI Gives Fed The Week Off
Today's Consumer Price Index (CPI) was one of the only big tick...
Tue, Sep 14 2021, 3:17 PM
Mortgage rates started the day modestly lower , but many lenders ended up offering mid-day improvements in response to market conditions. When it come...
Tue, Sep 14 2021, 10:41 AM
When Miley Cyrus licks a hammer and dances around naked, it’s considered “art.” When I tried it, I got kicked out of Home Depot. Go figure. How is you...
Tue, Sep 14 2021, 9:34 AM
Today's Consumer Price Index (CPI) was one of the only big ticket economic reports left before next week's Fed announcement, and perhaps the only one ...
Mon, Sep 13 2021, 4:20 PM
Quiet Summertime Monday Leaves Bonds Slightly Stronger
Treasuries have experienced more of the volatility in...
Mon, Sep 13 2021, 3:44 PM
Mortgage rates were fairly flat to start the new week. This leaves the average lender in the high 2% range for top tier conventional 30yr fixed scenar...
Mon, Sep 13 2021, 11:23 AM
On HGTV, people can flip a whole house in a month. Meanwhile, I’ve been “getting ready to vacuum” for a week now. There isn’t a lot of mirth in reside...
Mon, Sep 13 2021, 10:06 AM
There is a smattering of data in the week ahead with Tuesday's CPI and Thursday's Retail Sales reports being the headliners. Data is merely a "potent...
Fri, Sep 10 2021, 7:51 PM
Rates are dictated by the bond market and bonds are flashing a warning sign about volatility on the horizon. In other words, rates look like they're r...
Fri, Sep 10 2021, 4:00 PM
Bond Weakness Reinforces The Consolidation Pattern
Bonds were weaker overnight and the selling trend continu...
Fri, Sep 10 2021, 3:25 PM
With interest rates expected to rise and most homeowners who could benefit from refinancing having done so, mortgage bankers are not expecting the som...
Fri, Sep 10 2021, 2:17 PM
The other shoe didn't drop last month, but maybe the laces did start to unravel. ATTOM reports that, within a month after the government's pandemic-re...
Fri, Sep 10 2021, 11:11 AM
Thank you to Virginia’s Marc A. who, after reading my comment about companies keeping customers on hold due to “higher-than-normal call volume,” sent ...
Fri, Sep 10 2021, 11:06 AM
There was a huge reduction in the number of borrowers in COVID-19 related forbearance plans over the last week as servicers plowed through the remaini...
Fri, Sep 10 2021, 9:26 AM
Bonds are starting the day in moderately weaker territory. In so doing, 10yr yields are rejecting the opportunity to break below the 1.30% technical ...
Thu, Sep 9 2021, 3:59 PM
Mortgage rates moved lower again today, with many lenders making it back to the levels seen after last Friday's jobs report. In week-over-week terms, ...
Thu, Sep 9 2021, 3:54 PM
Higher interest rates pushed refinancing lower in August and lenders moved to generate more origination activity. That, in part, led to an increase in...
Thu, Sep 9 2021, 3:52 PM
American homeowners got $20,000 richer in the second quarter just sitting in their family room. Black Knight’s newest Mortgage Monitor says that was t...
Thu, Sep 9 2021, 3:38 PM
Strong Auction Trifecta Helps Bonds Hold The Range
The day began with a relatively bond-friendly European Ce...
Thu, Sep 9 2021, 11:28 AM
The GSEs, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, will be required to submit Equitable Housing Finance Plans to their regulator the Federal Housing Finance Agency...
Thu, Sep 9 2021, 11:18 AM
I don’t think I’ve ever made a call, in recent years, to any number that wasn’t “experiencing high call volumes…” Owners of lenders are certainly fiel...
Thu, Sep 9 2021, 10:50 AM
The European Central Bank (ECB) was widely expected to do "something" to tighten up its PEPP (Pandemic Emergency Purchase Program) in today's policy a...
Wed, Sep 8 2021, 4:02 PM
Mortgage rates moved lower today after starting the week by jumping noticeably higher yesterday. Today's gains came courtesy of global growth concerns...
Wed, Sep 8 2021, 3:44 PM
10yr Auction Easily Helps Rates Hold The Range. What Next?
Today's 10yr auction was exceptionally strong. ...
Wed, Sep 8 2021, 11:21 AM
If you wait long enough to cook dinner, everyone will eat cereal. Follow me for more recipes! It’s a good time to be long real estate, and one recipe ...
Wed, Sep 8 2021, 9:50 AM
Yesterday marked the weakest weekly opener in several months as bonds built on negative momentum following last week's jobs report and positioned them...
Tue, Sep 7 2021, 3:50 PM
3 Times in a Row: Auction Week Bringing The Weakness
Bonds have been consolidating in roughly a 17bp range c...
Tue, Sep 7 2021, 2:43 PM
Mortgage rates moved slightly highe r to begin the holiday-shortened week. With Labor day being a bank holiday, mortgage lenders were closed yesterday...
Tue, Sep 7 2021, 2:42 PM
Consumers felt a little better about the wisdom of buying a home last month than they did in July, although that isn't saying a lot. Fannie Mae says 3...
