Wed, Oct 4 2017, 9:19 AM
Hey, I am all in favor of the tiny house movement…if I have room for my bottle cap collection, antique banks, gumball machines, Spirograph and Battlin...
Wed, Oct 4 2017, 9:11 AM
In 2011-2016, Europe was the dark horse market mover that ended up winning the race. Far too few domestic market participants appreciated the impact ...
Wed, Oct 4 2017, 8:33 AM
Once again, a slowdown in refinancing overcame a slight improvement in applications for purchase mortgages, sending the Mortgage Bankers Association's...
Tue, Oct 3 2017, 4:36 PM
Both yesterday and today have been the sort of days that just haven't mattered in the slightest for bond markets. Yesterday was spent consolidating ...
Tue, Oct 3 2017, 3:36 PM
Mortgage rates were unchanged today, on average, marking the second straight day with minimal change near the highest levels in more than 2 months. Fo...
Tue, Oct 3 2017, 11:14 AM
The highest property taxes in 2016 were paid by homeowners New Jersey, and the lowest were in Alabama. The difference between the two was impressive; ...
Tue, Oct 3 2017, 10:27 AM
Home prices posted strong increases again in August. CoreLogic's Home Price Index was up 0.9 percent on a month-over-month basis, the same gain it pos...
Tue, Oct 3 2017, 9:18 AM
Sunday this industry lost a brother and a friend in the senseless and selfish Las Vegas massacre. Brian Fraser was an awesome husband, father, origina...
Tue, Oct 3 2017, 9:05 AM
Bond markets are in the throes of their worst uptrend in yields since the November presidential election. Granted, trading levels are still roughly...
Mon, Oct 2 2017, 5:30 PM
You never know... Sometimes the end of any given month will be skewed in one direction in terms of trading momentum only for the following month to s...
Mon, Oct 2 2017, 4:57 PM
Mortgage rates were lower today for a few lenders, but higher for most others, dragging the average 0.01% higher in terms of effective rates. Note rat...
Mon, Oct 2 2017, 1:35 PM
Construction spending in August came in a little higher than expected, posting the first increase in three months. Unlike housing starts and completio...
Mon, Oct 2 2017, 12:18 PM
Even though Hurricane Harvey didn't hit the Houston area until very late in August, its effects are already being felt on mortgage performance. Black ...
Mon, Oct 2 2017, 9:26 AM
Freddie Mac is re-imagining the Mortgage Experience to create a smarter, simpler, and less costly origination process. We're using big data and advanc...
Mon, Oct 2 2017, 9:11 AM
The current trend in bond markets is not your friend. While it may sound trite, there's a reason we say "the trend is not your friend until it's your...
Fri, Sep 29 2017, 3:49 PM
The music is currently playing for the role of Fed Chair next year. When the music stops, Yellen may or may not still have a seat. News came out t...
Fri, Sep 29 2017, 2:37 PM
Mortgage rates moved lower today, even though underlying bond markets (which ultimately drive rates) suggested a move higher. This happens from time t...
Fri, Sep 29 2017, 12:23 PM
Mortgage fraud may be both more prevalent than lenders know and more insidious than they realize according to Bridget Berg, a principal in Industry So...
Fri, Sep 29 2017, 9:23 AM
Yesterday was the release of the HMDA information by the CFPB. Yes, there is a dashboard to slice and dice the data; more information below. And yes, ...
Fri, Sep 29 2017, 8:31 AM
This morning brings one of the more important inflation metrics for the US economy via the "Incomes and Outlays" report. As the name suggests, the re...
Thu, Sep 28 2017, 4:39 PM
Treasuries hit their highest yields since the beginning of July today, although they'd already begun to calm down by the start of the domestic sessi...
Thu, Sep 28 2017, 3:43 PM
Mortgage rates were decidedly higher this morning, with most lenders back above last week's highs. At the time, those were the highest rates in more t...
Thu, Sep 28 2017, 10:38 AM
While it is still within what is considered normal limits, credit risk did move higher among loans originated during the second quarter of the year. C...
Thu, Sep 28 2017, 9:25 AM
Research by the Washington Post finds only about 20% of homeowners in Texas counties that were hit by flooding have flood insurance. In separate, but ...
Thu, Sep 28 2017, 8:32 AM
First off, let me say that the extent to which bond market weakness over the past 2 days is being wholly attributed to the tax plan borders on ridicul...
Wed, Sep 27 2017, 5:40 PM
While MBS definitely did sell-off today, and while mortgage rates did indeed move higher, it was Treasuries that took the brunt of the damage. Specif...
Wed, Sep 27 2017, 4:49 PM
First thing's first: mortgage rates didn't have nearly as bad a day as US Treasuries. The latter serve as a general benchmark for the former, but can ...
Wed, Sep 27 2017, 12:51 PM
Ginnie Mae, is a wholly owned U.S. government corporation that guarantees and securitizes pools of mortgages originated through FHA, Veterans Administ...
Wed, Sep 27 2017, 10:22 AM
The prospects for home sales weakened further in August, and the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) has downgraded its sales forecast for the rem...
Wed, Sep 27 2017, 9:24 AM
Before it even began, today was set to be a challenge for bond markets. As discussed in an earlier update on MBS Live , Treasury yields rose sharpl...
Wed, Sep 27 2017, 9:14 AM
Princess Bride 30-years old ? Time flies. My 94-year old father remembers his childhood phone number in San Francisco: WAlnut 4694. Telephones moved t...
Wed, Sep 27 2017, 9:10 AM
A second consecutive downturn in refinancing volume during the week ended September 22 offset one of the best weeks for purchase mortgage applications...
Tue, Sep 26 2017, 4:33 PM
Today was another good day for bond markets despite the fact that Treasury yields moved somewhat higher during the course of trading hours. At leas...
Tue, Sep 26 2017, 3:30 PM
There are copious resources available on what you should do during the loan process to expedite your closing. Your loan officer probably gave you a “t...
Tue, Sep 26 2017, 3:09 PM
Mortgage rates improved moderately today, making this the 4th straight business day without any new weakness (aka "higher rates"). It's necessary to i...
Tue, Sep 26 2017, 10:43 AM
New home sales were down again in August, following a 9.4 percent plunge in July. The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Devel...
Tue, Sep 26 2017, 9:59 AM
The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index accelerated again in July , posting a 5.9 percent year-over-year gain compared to 5.8 pe...
Tue, Sep 26 2017, 9:21 AM
Don’t you hate it when the dog tracks muddy footprints into the house? It certainly doesn’t help if you’re trying to sell your house. What if the foot...
Tue, Sep 26 2017, 9:05 AM
For some of you, this may seem very basic. For others, hopefully it will serve as an eye-opener or even just a useful refresher. I got the inspirati...
Mon, Sep 25 2017, 5:16 PM
It's tempting to say that bond markets are definitively pushing back against the sharp correction that brought rates higher over the past 2 weeks. In...
Mon, Sep 25 2017, 4:37 PM
Mortgage rates held their ground yet again , and are finally starting to look resilient after a relatively sharp move higher over the past 2 weeks. Th...
Mon, Sep 25 2017, 12:38 PM
Since the fourth quarter of 2016, lenders have increasingly reported to Fannie Mae that they have been loosening their home mortgage credit standards....
Mon, Sep 25 2017, 10:37 AM
Home sales might be a bit disappointing, but the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) says consumer attitudes about the economy are not the reason ...
Mon, Sep 25 2017, 9:29 AM
After accelerating on a year-over-year basis through every previous month in 2017, the rate of home price appreciation appears to have stabilized in J...
Mon, Sep 25 2017, 9:23 AM
Think you have problems? What if you owned a mall and your main tenant is Toys “R” Us? As in the Toys “R” Us that declared bankruptcy. You aint alone:...
Mon, Sep 25 2017, 9:03 AM
The current week begins with bonds holding ground for a 3rd day after a fairly sharp selling spree in the preceding 2 weeks. The big question is whet...
Fri, Sep 22 2017, 4:52 PM
Who knows how today's trading would have unfolded absent the overnight headlines that North Korea was planning to test an ICBM with a Hydrogen warhead...
Fri, Sep 22 2017, 4:27 PM
Mortgage rates held their ground yesterday. That was a refreshing development given the abrupt move higher over the past 2 weeks and a relatively thre...
Fri, Sep 22 2017, 12:26 PM
Refinancing accounted for 35 percent of all mortgages originated in August, unchanged from July, but down from 47 percent at the beginning of the year...
Fri, Sep 22 2017, 11:14 AM
Sometimes government gets it right. The Urban Institute (UI) clearly thinks that the Home Affordable Refinance Program, at least in its second iterati...
