Originations

Rithm and UWM Holdings are the favorite names among publicly traded lenders, while BTIG adds coverage of Better Home & Finance at a buy rating.

Originators slightly loosened credit for conventional and jumbo products in May but they've held steady after larger growth to begin the year.

The share of warehouse lenders offering funding lines and sublimits for seconds has risen to new heights according to a Mortgage Bankers Association survey.

Approximately 54% of homeowners looked to a second lien product to access their home's stored value in the first quarter due to the "lock-in effect."

The 30-year fixed rate mortgage average not only remains where it was in September, it is still nearly a half-percentage point above February's trough.

The test of automated risk assessments for government-sponsored enterprise-eligible mortgages are designed to help determine when waivers might be possible.

The streamlining is designed to further expedite a process which allows mortgage companies to get a case number for loans on single units even if the building they're in doesn't have one.

Homebuyers applying for Federal Housing Administration loans in community property states are facing hurdles that current market conditions have heightened.

With the 10-year Treasury yield at levels not seen in 52 weeks, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage rose 15 basis points over last Thursday, Freddie Mac said.

The Mortgage Bankers Association now predicts a Federal Reserve rate hike to arrive in 2027, as housing price growth also slows over the next two years.

Regulatory proposals are boosting interest for banks to grow in mortgage, but sustainability demands deliberate, rather than reactive, strategy, experts say.

The litigants, with some of the industry's deepest pockets, may be filing the rare cases to flag and potentially punish bad brokers, one expert said.

Refinances drove growth of last year's lending activity, with both the volume share and average loan size coming in noticeably higher, according to IEmergent.

Home affordability declined on a monthly basis across loan types and racial demographics, but improved from a year ago, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Some litigants are "knuckleheads" but others are real threats, and well-pleaded cases can easily cost companies millions of dollars, TCPA attorney Eric Troutman said.

While last year was the best for origination income since 2022, annual net servicing revenue for mortgage bankers was approximately 70% below 2024's level.

This week's Freddie Mac mortgage rate survey shows rates at the lowest in four weeks, but homebuyers are giving mixed signals even with improved purchase power.

Both Chase and Wells Fargo had a 15% reduction quarter-to-quarter in mortgage originations, more than the industry forecast for a 6% drop-off, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods noted.

Adjustable rate mortgages accounted for 12% of total home loan volume in March, reaching its highest share of the market since October 2022.

The 30-year fixed fell to 6.37% after a two-week ceasefire tempered war-driven volatility, but economists warn the spring housing market faces continued turbulence.