Posted To: Mortgage Rate WatchMortgage rates have been more willing to move higher than lower recently. While that may continue to be the case in the near-term future, there have been pockets of resistance to that trend. The first 2 days of this week seem to be just such a pocket. The direction of the movement is good, but the magnitude may leave a bit to be desired, depending on your standards. The average loan scenario would still be seeing the same "note rate" quote as yesterday, but the effective rate would be slightly better due to lower upfront borrowing costs. In the bigger picture, it makes sense to remain defensive about the possibility that the broader trend toward higher rates can continue. We'd need to see a much more substantial push back toward lower rates in order to abandon that defensive stance. Loan Originator...(read more)Forward this article via email:  Send a copy of this story to someone you know that may want to read it. […]

Posted To: MBS CommentaryThe most defining moment of the big 2019 bond rally was undoubtedly the August 1st tariff announcement and the resulting massive reaction in both yields and volumes. The 2 weeks that followed represented the market's attempt to price in a scenario where global trade tensions would push the US and other countries toward economic contraction. With the benefit of hindsight, we can look back to mid-August and observe that bonds have essentially been correcting that initial rally ever since then. There was an early opportunity to claim the correction was complete in mid September, but we didn't need hindsight to identify that as a head fake. The past 4-5 weeks, however, have been more serious, with the most troubling developments seen on Thursday and Friday of last week. That's when...(read more)Forward this article via email:  Send a copy of this story to someone you know that may want to read it. […]

Posted To: Pipeline PressI continue to see headlines as I head to balmy Kansas today. There was, “A Court Ruling Makes Mortgages Vanish Into Thin Air.” This is a headline no lender wants to see, but apparently this court decision might change how home loans are valued in the secondary market . As if capital markets personnel don’t have enough to worry about in the last few months or so with the FHFA-motivated sudden price movements by Freddie and Fannie, servicing values taking a tumble, and renewed talk of slimmer margins heading into the winter. And what about “Australia launches first EVER digital mortgage you can secure with the touch of a button from your smartphone ”? Recently I was telling a friend on my walkie-talkie that you can’t ignore innovation. Lender Products and Services...(read more)Forward this article via email:  Send a copy of this story to someone you know that may want to read it. […]

Posted To: MND NewsWireAccess to government loans continues to decline, but conventional and jumbo loans picked up the slack in October, pushing the Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI) higher. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) said the Index grew by 0.9 percent to 185.1 in October. A decline in the MCAI indicates that lending standards are tightening, while increases in the index are indicative of loosening credit. "Mortgage credit availability expanded in October, driven mainly by an increase in conventional loan programs, including more for borrowers with lower credit scores, as well as for investors and second home loans ," said Joel Kan, MBA's Associate Vice President of Economic and Industry Forecasting. "Credit supply for government mortgages continued to lag, declining for the sixth straight month...(read more)Forward this article via email:  Send a copy of this story to someone you know that may want to read it. […]

Posted To: MND NewsWireOnce again the "Good Time to Buy" component of Fannie Mae's Home Purchase Sentiment Index (HPSI) is on the decline. Net positive answers to that question fell by 7 percentage points in October , helping to drag the entire index lower for the second straight month. The HPSI decreased 2.7 points to 88.8 but remains up 3.1 point compared to October 2018. The Index set an all-time high of 93.8 in September. The HPSI is constructed from responses to six questions included in Fannie Mae's monthly National Housing Survey (NHS). Five out of six components declined in October. The Good Time to Buy question elicited net positive responses of 21 percent. Its companion question, whether or not it is a good time to sell, fell 3 percentage points to 41 percent. Another large decline was in the net share...(read more)Forward this article via email:  Send a copy of this story to someone you know that may want to read it. […]