Originations

Industry veterans are wary of prospective borrowers who can't pay for agents, and of compensation guidelines clashing with government mortgage lending programs.

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate for conforming loans fell, according to Freddie Mac, even as the 10-year Treasury yield rose nearly 18 basis points from the start of this week.

While some said the agency was ignorant of its own rules, one trade group praised the goals of the posting.

Regulatory reform – rather than Biden's proposed solutions – is needed to fix the inventory crisis, some say, but others applauded the president's buyer cost-cutting initiatives.

The title proposal is part of a broader housing cost reduction proposal being discussed in the State of the Union speech.

But those rates are still relatively high, and that is a barrier to entry for potential homebuyers, Freddie Mac said.

The latest inflation news has created concern that the Federal Reserve's pivot on short-term rates could be delayed.

Loan volumes fell for the third straight week, with depressed demand for government lending driving activity downward, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

For the first time since mid-December, the Freddie Mac survey reports mortgage rates over 6.7%.

The company was able release credit reserves because of actual and forecasted prices that boosted net income, CEO Priscilla Almodovar said.