Author: Michael Gersitz

Mortgage credit availability dipped 8.5% in June to 118.8 — indicating that lending standards are tightening, per the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Mortgage Credit Availability Index. It’s the lowest MCAI level — which uses 100 as a benchmark — since September

Hampered by labor shortages, rising material costs and government regulation, homebuilders are looking to Congress for ways to decrease the estimated “under-building gap” of 5.5 million homes and help with housing affordability. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is joining the National

The low mortgage rates that propelled the housing market throughout the COVID-19 pandemic will rise later in the year, but they’ll do so gradually, Freddie Mac said Thursday in its quarterly outlook. That will give more homeowners a final opportunity

The journey to homeownership can be rewarding, but also challenging. For some aspiring homeowners in underserved communities, the process may be even harder to navigate. Residents in these communities may be less likely to possess generational wealth to put toward

After several consecutive weeks of drops, mortgage applications jumped 16% for the week ending July 9, 2021, according to the latest report from the Mortgage Bankers Association. The prior week‘s report showed a 1.8% drop in applications to the lowest level

For the first time in a year, the number of buyers who locked in mortgage rates to purchase a second home fell in June. Per a recent Redfin study, second home mortgages saw a year-over-year decrease of 11.1%. Home prices

A shareholder sued Rocket Mortgage, the Detroit-based mortgage behemoth, for allegedly making misleading disclosures to conceal adverse market conditions. The class action-seeking lawsuit, which was filed in the Eastern District Of Michigan’s Southern Division, alleges that Rocket was aware of

The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell two basis points from the week prior to 2.88%, according to mortgage rates data released Thursday by Freddie Mac‘s PMMS. According to Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, the decline provides modest relief to

This is the first time I am writing about mortgage backed securities (MBS) because I hardly ever consider this aspect of the housing market in my work. But since now even Federal Reserve members are discussing the pros and cons

Lisa Dunn was on her way to the American Automobile Association headquarters in Mission Viejo, California when her phone started blowing up. It was July 1, and the U.S. Department of Justice had just fired off a press release saying

Over the course of the last year, the mortgage industry has seen increases in origination volumes and decreases in released servicing bids. This has caused servicing portfolios to grow to represent the largest single asset on many lenders’ balance sheets,

Competition between would-be homebuyers is still high, but an increase in homes hitting the market in June brought some relief from bidding wars. Per a recent Redfin study, 65% of home offers written by company agents in June faced competition,

Guaranteed Rate has found another dance partner. And Compass is borrowing from the playbook of its most visible direct competitor. Guaranteed Rate, the Chicago-based mortgage lender, and Compass, the New York City-headquartered residential real estate brokerage, “entered into a definitive

Venture capital-backed mortgage lender Better.com is going international. The company, which is expected to go public later this year, has agreed to acquire United Kingdom-based digital mortgage brokerage Trussle. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Financial Times

Hispanic homeowners are more likely to have adult relatives currently living with them — and are more likely to have lived with relatives themselves, prior to buying their home. Per a recent Redfin study of 1,500 homeowners, 52% of current

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced it has filled another round of positions, as it confronts decades of staffing shortages. “These talented and diverse individuals join HUD ready to deliver results for the American people by tackling

Servicers’ forbearance portfolio volume dropped yet again, this time falling 11 basis points to 3.76% in the period ending July 4, according to a survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association.  It’s the 19th straight week of forbearance decreases. The MBA estimates that 1.9 million homeowners