MARKETING TO BORROWERS

For the second week in a row, the 30-year fixed increased by 11 basis points, Freddie Mac found, a result of reaction to oil price hikes from the Iran conflict.

The conflict pushed oil price futures above $100 a barrel for a short time earlier this week, which affected bond investors and the 10-year Treasury yield.

Borrowers or lenders could use the prediction markets as a hedging tool, although experts noted the lack of trading volume as cause for caution.

Active listings grew 7.9% year over year in February, but just 0.2% month over month, reaching more than 914,000 homes on the market, according to Realtor.com.

While this only shows a 2-basis-point rise in the 30-year fixed since last week, the Lender Price product and pricing engine data is 30 basis points higher.

For the first time since early September 2022, the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey has the 30-year below 6%, but the 15-year gained this week.

Mortgage rates edged higher after the Fed held rates steady, with markets weighing political shifts, Treasury moves and mixed signals on where borrowing costs head next.

Even with the 4 basis point rise in the 30-year fixed over the past two weeks, mortgage rates are still hovering near three-year lows, Freddie Mac said.

While Rocket increased 15 points, it slipped to 11th overall as other mortgage lenders had higher customer service score growth, J.D, Power said.

The 30-year fixed rate mortgage fell 2 basis points this week, Freddie Mac said, but other sources like Zillow and Lender Price reported larger drops.

The bank "temporarily" paused home equity line of credit lending in April 2020, over concerns regarding the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fannie Mae also foresees more home sales than it did in June, but the Mortgage Bankers Association reduced its origination projections for 2025.

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose for the first time in six weeks, driven by Friday's strong jobs report and renewed uncertainty around tariffs.

Even with the four basis-point drop, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage remained at levels last seen in February as the Spring homebuying season reaches its climax.

Versions of the bill were introduced in the House and Senate, raising odds that a national trigger lead ban could be near.

Regulators should approve the deal because post-merger, the servicing market remains fragmented and the mortgage origination business is even more dispersed.

This transaction, following Rocket's purchase of Redfin, could be the start of the creation of large players to compete with the likes of Zillow.