Origination Activity Fell Again In December

Origination activity fell for the fourth consecutive month in December as higher rates and seasonal slowdown pushed rate locks down, according to Black Knight’s December 2021 Origination Market Monitor. Rate locks fell 18.3% from November to December and 35% year-over-year (YOY), fueled by a 22.5% drop in locks on purchase loans and a 17.1% drop in rate/term refinances. Rate/terms refis hit their lowest point in two years at the end of 2021. Locks on cash-out refis also dropped by 10% from November, though they are up 18% YOY thanks to incredible gains in home equity. The share of refinances rose to 48% due to the decline in purchase locks, though average refi credit scores were down 20 points YOY as…

Morning Roundup (1/7/2022)– Rates Climb To Highest Level Since May 2020

Good Morning! Today is Friday, December 7. President Biden accused Donald Trump of spreading a “web of lies about the 2020 election.” The Supreme Court will hear arguments today in cases challenging the Biden administration’s vaccine mandates. Canada’s ban on conversion therapy takes effect today. And in mortgage and housing news… Rates Climb: Mortgage rates rose to their highest level since May 2020, up to an average of 3.22%, Freddie Mac reported. Forbearances Improve: Active forbearance plans dropped by 8% in the first week of January, according to Black Knight’s blog, Vision.  December Jobs: The US economy added just 199,000 jobs in December, far below economists’ expectations of 422,000 gains. FHFA Changes Explained: The FHFA this week announced loan-level price…

Forbearances Plans Drop In First Week Of 2022

Active forbearance plans dropped by 73,000 (-8%) in the first week of January, according to Black Knight’s blog, Vision.  The number of loans in forbearance fell across all categories, led by a 30,000 plan decrease in FHA/VA loans (-10%). Forbearances on loans held by portfolios and PSLs fell by 17,000 (-8%) and GSE loans fell by 27,000 (-19%). The number of active plans is down 123,000 (-13%) from last month. Additional declines are expected with 61,000 plans still listed as extension/removal in December 2021, of which 25,000 are expected to expire. An additional 186,000 plans are up for extension or removal in January, though less a third are expected to expire. Forbearance plan starts ticked up once again, continuing a…

Morning Roundup (12/17/2021)– Rates Up Slightly, Forbearances Rise

Good Morning! Today is Friday, December 17. France is banning travel to and from Britain due to high levels of Omicron infection. A federal judge overturned Purdue Pharma’s opioid settlement, ruling that members of the Sackler family could not receive protection from civil lawsuits. Haiti announced that the last of the 17 kidnapped US missionaries have been freed. And in mortgage and housing news… Buying Houses With Friends: As the number of homes purchased by people with different last names increases, it is being reported that Millennials are choosing to buy single-family houses with their friends. Rates Up Slightly: Mortgage rates rose slightly over the last week, up from an average of 3.10% to 3.12%, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. Forbearances…

Forbearances Rose Due To Mid-Month Slowdown

Another mid-month slowdown in exits brought on a 1% increase in active forbearance plan totals, according to Black Knight’s blog, Vision. Approximately 8,000 homeowners entered new forbearance plans this week.  Loans held by portfolio and PSLs had the largest increase, with a 4.5% jump of 12,000 new plans. FHA/VA loans in forbearance fell by 4,000, down 1%. GSE loans stayed flat. The total share of active plans is down by 125,000, or 12%, month-over-month. Black Knight noted that little is expected to change between now and the end of the year.  “The next opportunity for meaningful declines will occur in early January with nearly 200,000 plans scheduled for extension or removal through the end of the year, nearly half of…

Rate/Term Refinances Reach Lowest Point Since February 2020

Rate lock volume fell 4.7% month-over-month in November, Black Knight’s latest Originations Market Monitor report found. It is the third straight month of overall declines. The drop was driven by rate/term refinance originations, which fell 9.4% from October and almost 65% year-over-year (YOY), its lowest level since February 2020. Rate/term refinance dropped in eight out of eleven months in 2021. Locks on purchase and cash-out refinance fell 3.9% and 2.5% from October, respectively. However, they are still higher than 2020, with purchase locks up 13% YOY and cash-outs up 36% YOY. “While 30-year rates ended November relatively flat from where they were at the start of the month, there was some volatility in rate offerings throughout the month,” said Black…

OCC: Serious Delinquencies Down YOY At Major Banks

Seriously delinquent mortgages dropped by more than half year-over-year (YOY) at seven national banks, according to a report from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Though the findings are optimistic, the banks in the study– Bank of America, Citibank, HSBC, JPMorgan Chase, PNC, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo– were handling almost 1,900 fewer loans YOY, complicating the final picture. Overall, the banks serviced about 12.5 million first-lien residential mortgage loans, totaling $2.59 trillion in unpaid principal balances. This is 23% of all U.S. residential mortgage debt. In Q3 2020, $2.866 trillion or 14,393 loans. The share of mortgages that were current at the end of Q3 2021 was 95.6%, up from 92.5% in Q3 2020. The seven banks…

Forbearances Drop, Though Plan Starts Continue Climbing

Forbearances plan exits surged during the first week of December, according to Black Knight’s blog, Vision. Approximately 112,000 homeowners exited forbearance plans this week, a decrease of 11%. Loans held by portfolio and PSLs led the charge, seeing a drop of 49,000 (-15%). FHA/VA loans in forbearance fell by 12%, down 42,000. GSE loans saw a decrease of 21,000 or 7%. The blog notes that after this initial tidal wave, there is a “modest opportunity” for continued improvements in the next few weeks. Of the 33,000 loans still under November review for extensions or removal, about half are expected to be final expirations. However, this week also brought another onslaught of new plan starts, which jumped by nearly 8,000 the…

Millennials At Risk Of Becoming House-Rich, Cash-Poor

Millennials spend more of their monthly income on homeownership costs than other generations and are at the greatest risk of becoming house-rich and cash-poor, according to a new study from Hometap. The study, a survey of 1,000 US homeowners, found that 83% of millennials carry at least some debt, compared to 72% of baby boomers.  Of everyone surveyed, 47% were negatively impacted by the pandemic, and 77% carried some debt. More than a quarter of all homeowners say they plan to tighten their budgets until their debts are paid. But as homeownership costs rise, paying down the debts may become increasingly difficult. Hometap found that 52% of homeowners spend at least 16% of their monthly income on mortgages, and 46%…

Morning Roundup (12/07/2021)– CT Settlement, Equity At An All-Time High

Good Morning! Today is Tuesday, December 7. New York City will implement a vaccine mandate for private employers this month. President Biden will speak with Vladimir Putin today in an attempt to stave off a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Republican Representative Devin Nunes will resign to run Donald Trump’s media company. And in mortgage and housing news… CT Town Settles For $350,000: Officials from the U.S. Department of Justice have announced a settlement in a lawsuit against a Connecticut town that enacted zoning laws making housing for persons with mental health disabilities unavailable. Mortgage Monitor: Tappable equity reached an all-time high in October 2021, according to Black Knight’s latest mortgage monitor report. New FinLocker SVP: FinLocker has named Andria Thomas …