Wed, Apr 17 2019, 8:31 AM
Economic doldrums? Probably not – but there is always someone out there claiming dire straits are right around the corner. A CNBC survey of Wall Stree...
Wed, Apr 17 2019, 8:17 AM
It would appear that Refis' time in the sun is listing back towards purchases, as mortgage rates increased for the second straight week and applicatio...
Tue, Apr 16 2019, 5:11 PM
Rates were flat to start the overnight session and didn't bat an eyelash at initial strength in equities markets during Asia-only trading hours. Thin...
Tue, Apr 16 2019, 4:22 PM
Mortgage rates rose again today, albeit at a slightly slower clip compared to yesterday. Still, that's little consolidation considering this is the 4t...
Tue, Apr 16 2019, 10:41 AM
Builder confidence levels as reported by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) remained in the low 60s in April, a space it has now occupie...
Tue, Apr 16 2019, 10:32 AM
Reading the news this morning, I came across multiple articles with such bogus claims that I feel compelled to rant about it here. All of the offen...
Tue, Apr 16 2019, 8:22 AM
Things aren’t always what they seem. Does the mainstream press, or politicians, think about how about how much money it takes to attract top talent to...
Mon, Apr 15 2019, 6:15 PM
What would you expect to care more about Chinese economic data: the US bond market or the Chinese stock market? Option 2? Good, I agree.
Now, if y...
Mon, Apr 15 2019, 5:25 PM
Mortgage rates continued higher to start the week, following a relatively sharp increase on Friday. Interestingly enough, the underlying bond market w...
Mon, Apr 15 2019, 3:48 PM
In an opinion piece published by MarketWatch , the president of the nation's third largest non-bank lender says institutions such as his could find th...
Mon, Apr 15 2019, 10:56 AM
Homeowners are and should be proud of their homes, but that often leads them to think it has a higher value than does an appraiser and the difference ...
Mon, Apr 15 2019, 10:12 AM
Ah China... the US financial market's scapegoat of choice for many a swing that has nothing to do with China (with a few big, notable exceptions). ...
Mon, Apr 15 2019, 8:41 AM
M&A grab current headlines (Freedom buying JG Wentworth’s mortgage biz being the latest) but it’s hard to put the past behind us, as an industry, when...
Fri, Apr 12 2019, 5:19 PM
Mortgage rates rose fairly quickly on Friday, depending on the lender and the scenario. Bonds (which dictate mortgage rates and interest rates in gene...
Fri, Apr 12 2019, 11:04 AM
The domestic bond market woke up this morning to find itself pushed up against the same ceiling that had offered a friendly bounce late last week. Be...
Fri, Apr 12 2019, 9:04 AM
Loan officers everywhere tell me about “The Bank of Mom and Dad” helping buy homes , either through gifts or co-signing, helping overcome that down pa...
Thu, Apr 11 2019, 6:33 PM
As expected, the result of the emergency EU summit overnight was a hefty brexit extension, giving the UK until 10/31 to approve a compromise deal to l...
Thu, Apr 11 2019, 5:41 PM
Mortgage rates were arguably flat today for the average lender although a few were slightly higher or lower depending on their offerings from yesterda...
Thu, Apr 11 2019, 11:14 AM
Multifamily properties led the list of investments in what was a record year of of commercial and multifamily lending in 2018. Commercial and multifam...
Thu, Apr 11 2019, 10:32 AM
Global financial markets caught a glimpse of a world with 10yr yields above 3% in late 2018, and they didn't like it. A combination of stock selling ...
Thu, Apr 11 2019, 9:11 AM
Kim Kardashian has vowed to take and pass the bar exam in 2022 without attending law school. You go girl! Few who go that route pass the test. Then ag...
Wed, Apr 10 2019, 5:04 PM
European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi is getting very good at telling the world that the EU economy is in dire straits, but not to worry ...
Wed, Apr 10 2019, 4:33 PM
Mortgage rates dropped today. It wasn't a huge move, but they didn't have to go very far to get to the best levels of the month. To be fair, many pros...
Wed, Apr 10 2019, 10:02 AM
Wednesday is off to a good start with friendly inflation data leading things off at 8:30am and an even friendlier press conference from European Centr...
Wed, Apr 10 2019, 8:56 AM
“My 8-year-old daughter can already read at a 5th grade level and ignore me at a 12th grade level.” Talking about young ‘uns, who needs great grades w...
Wed, Apr 10 2019, 8:29 AM
Applications for financing new home purchases were up significantly in March. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reports that Builder Application ...
Wed, Apr 10 2019, 8:18 AM
The rally in mortgage application volume that sent several of the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA's) metrics to recent highs at the end of March f...
Tue, Apr 9 2019, 5:29 PM
Treasuries were stronger today while MBS were mostly weaker. These days can happen, and they're all the more likely when a few key variables are pres...
Tue, Apr 9 2019, 4:45 PM
Mortgage rates were flat-to-slightly-higher yet again today. Whereas that depended on the lender yesterday, today's weakness was more universal. That'...
Tue, Apr 9 2019, 10:53 AM
CoreLogic says mortgage delinquencies in January were the lowest for that month in 20 years . Meanwhile, in a separate report, they note that non-mort...
Tue, Apr 9 2019, 9:20 AM
There are no significant economic reports or scheduled events on the calendar today, unless you count the 3yr Treasury auction at 1pm (and you probabl...
Tue, Apr 9 2019, 8:17 AM
Free ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shops today? Count me in! Going back a few days, in Saturday’s commentary I mentioned a company offering blockch...
Mon, Apr 8 2019, 7:37 PM
A few couple of warm days, the appearance of a few tulips, and wham, homebuyer sentiment goes through the roof. At least the results from the March Na...
Mon, Apr 8 2019, 6:33 PM
Back on Thursday afternoon, bonds/rates looked like they were just wrapping up the process of rising into position between the old range and the new r...
Mon, Apr 8 2019, 6:05 PM
Mortgage rates were flat-to-slightly-higher today, depending on the lender and the time of day. Why would the time of day matter? Mortgage rates are b...
Mon, Apr 8 2019, 9:46 AM
At first glance, this week's economic calendar is fairly light, with Wednesday's Consumer Price Index (CPI) being the only upper-tier report in terms ...
Mon, Apr 8 2019, 8:24 AM
The move down in rates has sparked optimism about volume (and perhaps margins) out there. But mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and the details thereof,...
Fri, Apr 5 2019, 5:39 PM
The tale of two ranges continued in grand fashion overnight as 10yr yields made it all the way to the top of the lower, better range seen since the Ma...
Fri, Apr 5 2019, 4:08 PM
Mortgage rates moved lower today following a mixed report on the US labor market. The once-a-month Employment Situation (the official name for the "jo...
Fri, Apr 5 2019, 9:05 AM
Some New Yorkers like to think that they’re at the Center of the Universe. But, though larger Java, in terms of islands, in Indonesia, is home to 135 ...
Fri, Apr 5 2019, 8:20 AM
Yesterday's bond market volume was as low as it's been since Monday, March 18th. Then, like now, bonds were on the approach to a big potential market...
Thu, Apr 4 2019, 5:27 PM
Bonds were very modestly stronger today, although the more important takeaway is that they effectively held in line with the highest yields of the pas...
Thu, Apr 4 2019, 4:21 PM
Mortgage rates barely budged today after hitting the highest levels in more than a week yesterday. In general, the bond market (which dictates rate mo...
Thu, Apr 4 2019, 10:34 AM
Borrowers had a bit of an easier time getting a loan in March, especially those looking for Jumbo products. The Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA's)...
Thu, Apr 4 2019, 10:04 AM
We've talked a lot about 2.55% in 10yr yields as an important floor for most of Q1 2019. It was broken after the Fed's March 20th announcement. For ...
Thu, Apr 4 2019, 8:56 AM
NASA has taken another step to make interplanetary living a reality, naming the top three finalists for its ongoing 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge . I a...
Wed, Apr 3 2019, 4:34 PM
The title of yesterday's recap was "Don't Call It a Comeback," and today's weakness is why. Well, to be fair, since I'm always the first to tell you ...
Wed, Apr 3 2019, 3:56 PM
Mortgage rates resumed a week-long move higher today, bringing them to the highest levels since March 19th or 20th, depending on the lender. Between n...
Wed, Apr 3 2019, 10:01 AM
With 10yr yields beginning the day well over 2.50% and with 2.55% being the line in the sand marking the breakout from the sideways range at the begin...
Wed, Apr 3 2019, 8:45 AM
Anyone traveling near San Francisco may have seen “The Flintstones House” perched on a hill next to the freeway. Neighbors don’t like it. But I guess ...
