Tue, Dec 24 2019, 9:02 AM
Where are the well-known Democratic presidential hopefuls on housing issues? As with most politicians, it’s a little vague . While we’re on politics, ...
Tue, Dec 24 2019, 8:24 AM
Bond markets will be closed for Christmas tomorrow and only open for a half day today. Volume and liquidity will be mere shadows of their normal selve...
Mon, Dec 23 2019, 4:19 PM
Freddie Mac reported this week that its total mortgage portfolio increased at an annualized rate of 0.4 percent in November, down from 3.0 percent the...
Mon, Dec 23 2019, 12:38 PM
There sure are lots of people, borrowing lots of money, for lots of houses out there! And the bump in activity is coming from non-bank lenders and is ...
Mon, Dec 23 2019, 10:53 AM
New home sales continued their recent run in November, increasing by 1.3 percent from the revised October rate of 710,000 to a seasonally adjusted ann...
Mon, Dec 23 2019, 8:49 AM
Bond markets will be closed for Christmas on Wednesday and only open for a half day on Tuesday. Even on the remaining days of the week, volume and li...
Fri, Dec 20 2019, 10:21 AM
Mortgage rates rose in October for the first time this year and that increase, while small, is reflected in loans that closed in November according to...
Fri, Dec 20 2019, 9:41 AM
For all practical purposes, today is the last trading day of the year. In fact, based on volumes so far, today may actually be the first day of the w...
Fri, Dec 20 2019, 9:01 AM
As we zip toward the end of the decade, do you want the U.S. economy to be “Hotter than the hinges of hell?” Probably not, as rates would shoot higher...
Thu, Dec 19 2019, 4:46 PM
First thing's first: putting too much time/thought into the writing or reading of bond market analysis this time of year isn't really necessary. If th...
Thu, Dec 19 2019, 3:42 PM
Mortgage rates were somewhat higher again today--the 4th day in a row that we've been forced to observe such mildly unpleasant things. Technically, th...
Thu, Dec 19 2019, 2:21 PM
Democratic senators, including members of the Senate Banking Committee sent a letter to the Treasury Department and Federal Housing Finance Agency ear...
Thu, Dec 19 2019, 12:46 PM
The two government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac charge guarantee fees or g-fees to lenders when they acquire their single-f...
Thu, Dec 19 2019, 11:46 AM
Fannie Mae substantially revised its housing forecast this month, especially as regards new home construction. The company's Economic and Strategic Re...
Thu, Dec 19 2019, 11:32 AM
Existing home sales fell back again in November, erasing most of October's 1.9 percent gain. Sales have now declined in two of the last three months ....
Thu, Dec 19 2019, 9:16 AM
Sure the world noted that Sweden’s central bank hiked its rate to 0%. But in this country, Michigan is making mortgage news. First, United Shore/UWM h...
Thu, Dec 19 2019, 8:39 AM
My 12-year old emails me from the next room when he's doing homework sometimes. It only happens a few times a year and only when it's really serious....
Wed, Dec 18 2019, 5:00 PM
Frustrating day for market watchers today as bonds suffered moderate losses despite a complete absence of any compelling market movers. These sorts o...
Wed, Dec 18 2019, 4:10 PM
Mortgage rates moved moderately higher today, but remained well within the range that's been intact for at least a month now. During that time, the av...
Wed, Dec 18 2019, 9:18 AM
With trading activity rapidly winding down and with the end of the year rapidly approaching, rather than send you a forced rehash of the same old comm...
Wed, Dec 18 2019, 8:57 AM
My background is in capital markets, with a razor-sharp mind for figures. Not anymore. Remember when you’d have dozens of phone numbers memorized? Now...
Wed, Dec 18 2019, 8:08 AM
The volume of mortgage applications retreated this past week, giving back most of the gains scored during the week ended December 6 following the Than...
Tue, Dec 17 2019, 3:53 PM
Mortgage rates didn't do much today, and that's the sort of thing that could get to be all too familiar as we head into the end of the year. With the ...
Tue, Dec 17 2019, 10:37 AM
The numbers for November residential construction permits and housing starts came in higher than expected , marking the second straight month of incre...
Tue, Dec 17 2019, 9:35 AM
Based on volumes, liquidity, and most importantly, the calendar itself, there's a compelling case to be made for closing the book on 2019 as a trading...
Tue, Dec 17 2019, 8:50 AM
Mark Twain famously said, “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21,...
Mon, Dec 16 2019, 5:40 PM
Friday was a somewhat glorious day for bond markets, but perhaps only because Thursday was so terrible. Both of those sessions were completely driven...
Mon, Dec 16 2019, 4:59 PM
Mortgage rates were nicely lower on Friday, though not quite as nicely as we would hope or expect. Why is that? Simply put, the bond market (which und...
Mon, Dec 16 2019, 10:41 AM
Home builders ended the year with an apparent outbreak of euphoria. Responding to higher trending sales and low interest rates they sent the National ...
Mon, Dec 16 2019, 9:14 AM
Have you ever worried about the negative repercussions of some anticipated event in your life only to find out they weren't so bad? For the bond mark...
Mon, Dec 16 2019, 8:56 AM
No one wants their labors to go to waste, whether you’re an underwriter who is over-ruled by the head of credit, or an MLO who finds out your approved...
Fri, Dec 13 2019, 5:10 PM
Bonds were leading off in a slightly friendly direction during the overnight session, largely because we hadn't really heard from China with respect t...
Fri, Dec 13 2019, 4:34 PM
Mortgage rates were somewhat distressed , to say the least, after yesterday's various news stories pertaining to the US/China trade deal. For a variet...
Fri, Dec 13 2019, 11:57 AM
Lenders responding to Fannie Mae's Q4 2019 Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey ® didn't have as bright an outlook for their future profit margins as in t...
Fri, Dec 13 2019, 11:05 AM
The litany of updates/alerts listed below effectively serves to frame the launch sequence for today's trading. If you don't care to wade through the ...
Fri, Dec 13 2019, 8:57 AM
While the markets are talking about Boris Johnson’s victory in the U.K. (“get Brexit done”), here’s your trivia of the day: Every month that starts on...
Fri, Dec 13 2019, 8:14 AM
According to Dr. Frank Nothaft, chief economist for CoreLogic, "Ten years ago, during the depths of the Great Recession, more than 11 million homeowne...
Thu, Dec 12 2019, 2:58 PM
Mortgage rates jumped quickly higher today following a series of headlines/tweets regarding the probability of a US/China trade deal ahead of Sunday's...
Thu, Dec 12 2019, 10:06 AM
While the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) is predicting newly constructed homes sold at a much higher rate in November than they did a year earlier...
Thu, Dec 12 2019, 9:15 AM
Yesterday brought a nice little rally in response to a surprisingly rate-friendly press conference with Fed Chair Powell. The counterpoint to that co...
Thu, Dec 12 2019, 9:06 AM
We never see the headline, "Psychic Wins Lottery!" No one has a crystal ball, but originators often ask their capital markets staff about the directio...
Wed, Dec 11 2019, 4:55 PM
We moved from NFP not mattering (and then causing a surprisingly big intraday stir) to the Fed undergoing quite a similar routine. Granted, in the bi...
Wed, Dec 11 2019, 4:14 PM
Mortgage rates improved today following the Federal Reserve's policy announcement and Fed Chair Powell's press conference. The Fed doesn't set mortgag...
Wed, Dec 11 2019, 2:02 PM
Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in September October indicates that the labor market remains strong and that econo...
Wed, Dec 11 2019, 1:26 PM
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) used the occasion of a summit headed by Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson to release it...
Wed, Dec 11 2019, 9:41 AM
Aloha! As any servicer with borrowers in Hawai’i knows, if you’re going to ask, “Is Ms. Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele* home?” or “Do you live on...
Wed, Dec 11 2019, 8:41 AM
Mortgage applications activity recovered strongly during the week ended December 6 after the usual Thanksgiving week lull. The Mortgage Bankers Associ...
Wed, Dec 11 2019, 8:32 AM
Last week, I stunned the world by claiming that NFP (the nonfarm payrolls component of the big jobs report) "didn't matter." OK, maybe not the whole ...
Tue, Dec 10 2019, 5:15 PM
Last week saw an apparently important jobs report ATTEMPT to have a lasting impact on financial markets only for the move to be completely erased by t...
Tue, Dec 10 2019, 4:14 PM
Mortgage rates moved up modestly today as bond markets weakened in response to trade headlines. This week's key consideration on the trade front is wh...
