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…
Mortgage rates rose slightly over the last week, up from an average of 3.10% to 3.12%, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. Freddie’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) found that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.12%, rising slightly after a weeks-long pattern of hovering around 3.10% or 3.11%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 2.67%. “Mortgage rates inched up as a result of economic improvement and a shift in monetary policy guidance,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. “While house price growth is slowing, prices remain high due to solid housing demand and low supply. We expect rates to continue to increase into 2022 which may leave some potential homebuyers with less room in their budgets…
Lenders don’t feel optimistic about their future profit margins, with 65% reporting they believe their profit margins will shrink in the next three months, according to Fannie Mae’s Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey. The share of lenders who feel pessimistic about future profits rose by 19% from Q3, citing competition from other lenders and changing market trends. If they prove right, next quarter will mark the fifth consecutive quarter of profit declines. “This quarter’s MLSS results suggest that the housing market may be poised to return to a more ‘normal’ state in the new year, following the boom experienced over the past two years due to historically low mortgage rates and pandemic-related changes in homebuyer behavior,” said Fannie Mae Senior Vice…
Good Morning! Today is Wednesday, December 15. Congress passed a measure raising the government’s borrowing limit by $2.5 trillion. Mr. Trump lost his bid to shield his tax returns from the House Ways and Means Committee after a federal judge dismissed the case. Britain’s antitrust regulator said Apple and Google hold a “vise-like grip” over how people use mobile devices, limiting innovation and choice and leading to higher prices. And in mortgage and housing news… Thompson Tapped For Full Term…: President Biden will nominate Sandra Thompson, currently the acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to a full term at the regulator, the White House announced. …And The Industry Responds: The industry’s response has been largely positive. Mortgage App…
Mortgage loan application volume dropped 4% last week, overwhelming a 2% increase from the week prior, the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) weekly survey reported. The seasonally adjusted Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, rose 4%. The seasonally adjusted purchase index rose 1%, while the unadjusted purchase index fell 4% and was 9% lower YOY. The refinance index fell 6% and was down 41% YOY. Refinances made up 63.3% of total applications. The report noted that refinances fell even though rates remained steady week to week. Interest rates are 40 basis points higher year-over-year, however, in line with the 41% drop in refinances from the same period in 2020. “Fewer homeowners have a strong incentive to refinance…
President Biden will nominate Sandra Thompson to become the permanent director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), the White House announced in a statement on Tuesday. Thompson is the current acting head of the FHFA, having taken over the position in June when Biden replaced Mark Calabria. She would serve a five-year term after her approval by the Senate. Though Thompson has held the position since June, her nomination was at one point in question. Biden faced criticism in September when rumors spread that he was considering nominating Center for Responsible Lending President Michael Calhoun. Thompson maintained support among Democratic politicians focused on housing, especially House Financial Services Chair Maxine Waters, which may have solidified her position. “We will…
Good Morning! Today is Tuesday, December 14. Members of the Federal Open Market Committee begin their two-day policy-setting meeting today. Larry Nassar’s victims reached a $380 million settlement. The Supreme Court turned down emergency requests by New York healthcare workers for a religious exemption from state requirements to vaccinate against Covid-19. And in mortgage and housing news… Rental Rates Skyrocket: More than a quarter of the states in the country have experienced a rental price increase of 20% or more in 2021 and a senior research analyst says people moving out of cities and into more rural communities are partially to blame. November 2021 Originations: Rate lock volume fell 4.7% month-over-month in November, Black Knight’s latest Originations Market Monitor report…
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…
Good Morning! Today is Monday, December 13. At least 90 people are dead after tornadoes leveled 250 miles across six states. Stock buybacks hit a record $234.5 billion in Q3 as companies responded to pandemic hardship. Chris Wallace is leaving Fox News to join CNN. And in mortgage and housing news… Reality Check: There will be more houses on the market in 2022 because of the number of people who have died due to COVID-19 and its variants, a sobering reality was highlighted during the National Association of Real Estate Editors conference in Miami, Fla., last week. Mortgage Credit Down: Mortgage credit availability shrank in November, falling by 0.6% to 124.9, according to MBA’s Mortgage Credit Availability Index. OCC Reports…
Good Morning! Today is Friday, December 10. The Senate voted to allow Congress to raise the debt ceiling with a simple majority vote. The FDA authorized Pfizer boosters for 16- and 17-year-olds. Workers at a Buffalo Starbucks voted to unionize, making them the first of 9,000 stores to do so. And in mortgage and housing news… Rates Stay The Same: Mortgage rates once again remained basically the same over the last week, averaging 3.10%, Freddie Mac reported. Forbearances Plunge: Forbearances plan exits surged during the first week of December, though plan starts grew for another week. Equity Continues To Soar: Homeowners with a mortgage gained over 31% in equity YOY in Q3, according to CoreLogic. Inflation Up To 39-Year-High: U.S. inflation reached a nearly four-decade high in November, as…
