Mortgage Rates

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reports that the volume of loan applications submitted during the week ended November 19 increased slightly, continuing the weekly up and down pattern that has prevailed since the beginning of October. MBA says its Market Composite Index, a measure of that volume, increased 1.8 percent… Read more »

New home sales improved slightly on the unexpected, reported surge in September and still managed to disappoint. The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development report that sales of new single-family homes ticked up 0.4 percent in October to 745,000 seasonally adjusted annual units but that… Read more »

Existing home sales moved higher in October, the second consecutive month of growth. The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) said sales of pre-owned single-family houses, townhomes, condos and cooperative apartments was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.34 million units.  This was 0.8 percent higher than the rate of… Read more »

The ink wasn’t dry on Fannie Mae’s October economic forecast when the month’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) was published showing an inflation rate two-tenths higher than the company’s economists had predicted. Fannie Mae’s November forecast now says their already upwardly revised Q4 2021 forecasts of 6.2 and 4.6 percent for… Read more »

Refinancing continued to account for the largest share of mortgage originations in September, 53 percent of the total compared to 52 percent in October. ICE Mortgage Technology's Origination Insights Report said this was the largest share for refinancing since last April. Conventional loans continue to be the overwhelming choice of… Read more »

Residential construction numbers were mixed in October. The U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development report an increase in construction permits but a small decline in construction starts. Overall, however, both single-family and multi-family production are running well ahead of their 2020 results. Permits for residential construction were… Read more »

After its 5.8 percent jump the previous week, the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA's) Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage application volume, fell back during the week ended November 12 as rates ticked higher. The index fell 2.9 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis and was down 4 percent before… Read more »

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) is expecting that a higher volume of new home sales occurred in October than in the previous month, even as purchase prices rise. MBA says its Builder Application Survey (BAS) showed a 6 percent month-over-month increase in purchase applications even though they were down 15.2… Read more »

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) said builder confidence in the new home sales market increased in November for the third consecutive month despite the many challenges builders are facing. The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) rose 3 points from its October level to 83. NAHB chief economist… Read more »

The National Association of Realtors® (NAR), holding its annual conference in San Diego, heard from chief economist Lawrence Yun about the prospects for residential real estate in 2022. Yun told NAR members that the market, which performed exceptionally well during the height of the pandemic, continues to be promising. "All markets… Read more »

Foreclosure filings increased in the fourth month following the July 31 expiration of the pandemic related moratorium. ATTOM says those filings were up 5.0 percent in October compared to September with 20,587 properties the subject of a default notice, scheduled auction, or actual bank repossession. This represents 76 percent growth… Read more »

The universe of mortgage regulators issued a joint statement on Wednesday, notifying servicers that they intend to again enforce "critical protections" for families and homeowners. The protections, first instituted during the Great Recession, are intended to prevent another foreclosure crisis as more than 1 million homeowners face the end of… Read more »

More than 200,000 homeowners have exited forbearance in the last two weeks, 123,000 during the week ended November 9. Black Knight says that there are now 1.013 million mortgage loans remaining in the COVID-19 related program, 1.9 percent of the 53 million active loans. The past week marked the first… Read more »

The national delinquency rate has seen a massive improvement over the last year. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reports that, at the end of the third quarter of 2021, the rate was 4.88 percent of all outstanding loans. This is 59 basis points (bps) lower than the rate in the… Read more »

Consumer attitudes toward both buying and selling improved in October, although the number who feel it is a good time to buy a home remains at record lows. The increases helped Fannie Mae's Home Purchase Sentiment Index (HPSI) eke out a 1-point gain from its September level, rising to 75.5.… Read more »