Mortgage rates see sizable increase

The average 30-year fixed rate mortgage increased to 3.45% during the week ending Jan. 13, up from 3.22% the week prior, according to the latest Freddie Mac PMMS Mortgage Survey. A year ago, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 2.79%. The 15-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 2.62% last week, up from 2.43% the

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Housing inventory crisis continues in 2022

Early in 2021, when I was talking about how people should worry about home prices overheating, I had a glimmer of hope that maybe toward the end of 2021 we would be spared another seasonal collapse of inventory. Inventory always falls in the fall and winter, but I hoped it

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CoreLogic leadership change: CEO Frank Martell resigns

It’s a new year, but CoreLogic is still undergoing big changes, the latest a resignation of its CEO, Frank Martell. The Irvine, California-based housing data company announced Wednesday that Pat Dodd — a onetime executive at television ratings giant Nielson — will ascend from his position as chief operating officer

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Guaranteed Rate closes Stearns wholesale channel

Chicago-based Guaranteed Rate will discontinue its third-party wholesale channel, Stearns Wholesale Lending, just one year after it acquired the multichannel lender. “Guaranteed Rate will continue to thrive and win market share by having a laser focus on leveraging our industry-leading purchase platform augmented by the best loan officers in the

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FHFA’s loan-fee bump buoys PLS market

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s announcement last week that it will hike upfront fees for high-balance and second-home loans effective April 1 will provide a boost for the private-label securities market, according to executives at one of the leading sponsors of private-label securities. In fact, FHFA’s new fee structure for government-sponsored

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First American to acquire Mother Lode Holding Company

First American Financial Corporation, the second largest of the “Big Four” title insurers, announced plans to acquire Mother Lode Holding Company and its subsidiaries on Wednesday. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, and the closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval. Mother Lode Holding is

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Purchase loans drive mortgage applications higher

Mortgage applications climbed 1.4% for the week ending Jan. 7, 2022, according to a survey published by the Mortgage Bankers Association this week. The growth was buoyed by a 2% increase in the trade group’s seasonally adjusted purchase index, the MBA said. Per the report, the unadjusted purchase index increased

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Redfin acquires Bay Equity, pink slips 121 staff

Redfin announced Tuesday layoffs of 121 employees as it shakes up its mortgage department, including purchasing a lending company. The real estate company entered into an agreement to acquire mortgage lender Bay Equity Home Loans for $135 million, two-thirds in cash and one-third in stocks, Redfin said in a press

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Fannie plans $15B in CRT deals in 2022

Fannie Mae opened 2022 with its 45th credit-risk transfer (CRT) deal through its Connecticut Avenue Securities (CAS) real estate mortgage investment conduit, or REMIC, bringing the collective value of notes issued through the conduit to nearly $52 billion since the first offering in 2013. The 45 CAS deals involved credit-risk transfer

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Appraisers slam FHFA appraisal blog post

Research detailing overt demographic references in appraisal reports has sparked anger from appraisers, even as they express dismay at the findings. “I was sickened when I read it,” said St. Petersburg, Florida-based appraiser Francois “Frank” Gregoire. “I was extremely upset that any of that stuff would be in an appraisal

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