Housing Wire

DECEMBER 20, 2024

House of Representatives proposes to relieve Federal Housing Administration (FHA) borrowers of mortgage insurance premiums (MIPs) once they reach a certain level of home equity , aligning FHA policies with those of conventional loans. Mortgage insurance exists as protection from foreclosure on low equity loans.

FHA loan

Housing Wire

MARCH 13, 2025

The share of Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan applications hit a record high for the survey, accounting for nearly one-third of all applications. The average loan size decreased, signaling that first-time homebuyers remain active in the market, Kan said. By loan type, conventional mortgages made up 56.7%

FHA loan

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 17, 2024

Conventional loans accounted for 61.6% of applications, Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans for 28% and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) loans for 9.9% The average loan size for new homes decreased to $402,873, down from $409,942 in October. from the 56,000 sales in October. in November.

FHA loan

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 27, 2025

Meanwhile, the median loan application amount grew from $319,000 in December to $324,800 in January. Higher payments across loan types Borrowers across different mortgage programs also saw their payments rise. Higher payments across loan types Borrowers across different mortgage programs also saw their payments rise.

Mortgages

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 27, 2024

22, driven by a 12% increase in demand for purchase loans, according to data released Wednesday by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). The increase in conventional purchase applications helped push the average purchase loan size to $439,200, its highest level in almost a month. But government loans saw their shares shrink.

Mortgages

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 18, 2024

Market data at HousingWire ‘s Mortgage Rates Center showed an average fixed rate of 6.87% for 30-year conforming loans on Wednesday, a slight increase from the week ending on Dec. ” Refinance application activity across all loan types decreased 3% week over week, although it was still 41% higher compared to the same week in 2023.

VA loan

Housing Wire

MARCH 24, 2025

“A loan-to-value ratio that is too high, either because of a limited down payment or an appraisal of the home that resets the value used to calculate this ratio, can also be a factor,” she said. The type of mortgage also plays a role, with jumbo and nonconventional loans facing higher rejection rates.

Debt-to-income ratio

Housing Wire

JANUARY 14, 2025

A report released Tuesday by Optimal Blue found that the conforming loan share sank to historic lows in December. More refis in December pulled market share away from other loan types, including conforming loans. ” The conforming loan share dropped by 1.5% mortgage market trends.

VA loan

Housing Wire

JUNE 30, 2025

Financing options, misplaced guidance Conventional loans remain the most common path to homeownership , but many first-time buyers also turn to government financing. Nearly 29% of first-time buyers used Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans , which require a minimum down payment of 3.5%. Another 9% used U.S.

VA loan

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 13, 2025

Loan locks for refinances rose more than 20% year over year while purchase lock counts saw a 6% decrease, according to Optimal Blue ‘s January 2025 Market Advantage mortgage data report released Thursday. of all locked loans in January. The average loan amount there was $576,385. It was followed by Dallas (3.4%

VA loan

Housing Wire

MAY 19, 2025

You’ve lowered the MIP; you’re making that mortgage insurance for that high-LTV loan cheaper. “Builders are doing a lot more of these buydown loans, so they’re able to sacrifice a little on the loan because they can make up for it on the home price,” Curro said. It was a more affordable mortgage.”

Loans

Housing Wire

JULY 11, 2025

But not all loans are built the same in these scenarios. Government-backed loans like those from the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the U.S. Cotality’s data shows that serious delinquency rates for FHA loans are five times higher than for conventional mortgages. Serious delinquencies for VA loans are 3.5

Mortgages

Housing Wire

MAY 28, 2025

FHA loan rates averaged 6.68%. ARMs typically gain market share when rates are elevated, as borrowers can access lower initial rates compared to traditional fixed-rate mortgages. As of Wednesday morning, the average 30-year conforming mortgage rate stood at 6.97%, according to HousingWire s Mortgage Rates Center.

VA loan

Housing Wire

MAY 5, 2025

Gen Z was responsible for one in four loans issued to first-time homebuyers. And despite tightened affordability , first-time buyer purchase lending has held up better than activity among repeat buyers compared to 2018 and 2019 especially for conventional loans through the government-sponsored enterprises ( GSEs ). Washington, D.C.,

Lending

Housing Wire

JANUARY 22, 2025

Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan borrowers must maintain escrow accounts for the entire loan cycle, regardless of equity. After that, 70% had higher homeowners’ insurance and 57% had higher premiums. Escrow accounts are required for conventional borrowers with 20% or less equity in their homes.

FHA loan

Housing Wire

JUNE 9, 2025

For Ginnie Mae loans, which often serve lower-income and first-time borrowers, DTIs have surged to 45.1%, the highest since 2008 1. in 2022 – while auto loans delinquencies hit 2.0%, and student loan delinquencies (90+ days past due) soared to 20%, a level unseen since 2012. Post-crisis reforms lowered the average to 35.5%

Marketing

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 4, 2024

Purchase loan activity drove total applications higher last week, which included an adjustment for the Thanksgiving holiday. Rates for 30-year jumbo loans (balances above $766,550) decreased by 12 bps and averaged 6.85%. In 2025, jumbo loans will increase to a minimum size of $806,501 — a 5.2% in the prior week.

Mortgages

Housing Wire

JUNE 10, 2025

Amid expectations that interest rate declines may reignite refinance activity , Optimal Blue on Monday launched a new tool that automatically analyzes loan officer portfolios each month to identify recapture opportunities. The tool is designed to ensure loan officers are ready when refinance volume picks up.

Loan Officer

Housing Wire

MARCH 27, 2025

Mortgage affordability remained flat in February as the national median monthly payment for purchase loan applicants remained unchanged at $2,205. By product type, the median mortgage payment for conventional loan applicants was $2,226, up from $2,225 in January and up from $2,194 in February 2024.

Mortgages

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 27, 2024

wholesale lender United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) has taken another aggressive move related to its product set, underscoring its strong commitment to government-backed loans. On Wednesday, the company announced the removal of all loan-level pricing adjustments (LLPAs) on government loans, albeit with some limitations.

Loans

Housing Wire

JULY 23, 2025

Borrowers had an average FICO score of 737 and an average loan-to-value ratio of 51% in Q2 2025. Chief financial officer Kurt Johnson noted the company is closely monitoring the Ginnie Mae segment, particularly Federal Housing Administration ( FHA ) loans, which comprise 15% of the portfolio. in June — down from 8.7%

FHA loan

Housing Wire

MAY 13, 2025

This was partially driven by an uptick in conventional loan delinquencies and rising foreclosure inventory , particularly among loans backed by the U.S. The percentage of loans entering foreclosure also edged higher rising by 5 bps to represent 0.2% of outstanding loans during the first quarter.

VA loan

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 4, 2024

The third party origination (TPO) division of Rocket Mortgage on Monday announced the rollout of its latest product, 24 Takeoff, which allows mortgage broker partners to receive a 24 basis point credit on all eligible loans until Nov. 29, which gave borrowers a 75-basis-point rate cut on various refinancing options.

Mortgages

Housing Wire

MARCH 20, 2025

Additionally, the share of flipped homes sold to buyers using Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans remained steady at 10.7%. The top market for FHA buyer activity was Merced, California, where 38.3% of the flipped homes were resold to buyers using FHA financing.

FHA loan

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 13, 2025

The overall defect rate for mortgages declined across all loan types between the second and third quarters of 2024. Critical defects were found on 1.51% of all loans in the third quarter, a 17% decline from the defect rate of 1.81% in the second quarter. Income and employment was still the leading category for defects at 25%.

Debt-to-income ratio

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 9, 2024

Heres your game plan: Check your credit: A score of 640 opens the door to FHA loans and down payment assistance programs. First-time buyers: Its your moment Lets talk about first-time homebuyers. If youre in this group, 2025 could be your year. Boost it to 680 for access to better DPA rates and terms.

Mortgages

Housing Wire

APRIL 18, 2025

By product type, conventional loans composed 49.0% of loan applications, FHA loans composed 37.0%, RHS/ USDA loans composed 0.9% and VA loans composed 13%. The average loan size for new homes decreased from $397,516 in February to $381,921 in March. compared to a year ago.

VA loan

Housing Wire

JULY 7, 2025

The resumption of student loan payments and collection efforts on defaulted federal student loans in May, following a five-year pause, could increase financial pressure on some homeowners, according to ICE. Nationally, 25% of seriously delinquent loans would be underwater if sold at distressed ( REO ) prices.

Equity

Real Estate News

JUNE 16, 2025

Dave Gallagher June 16, 2025 3 mins Homebuyer down payments have started to dip, a sign that those who are using loans to help finance their purchases are shifting their focus to less expensive homes. There has also been an uptick in buyers using FHA and VA loans, which require lower down payments. Redfin found that 15.3%

VA loan

Housing Wire

JULY 31, 2025

An increase in the index equates to declining borrower affordability conditions, and the mortgage payment-to-income ratio is higher due to increasing application loan amounts, rising mortgage rates or a decrease in earnings. It occurs when loan application amounts decrease, mortgage rates decrease or earnings increase.

Mortgages

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 5, 2025

“The average loan size for a purchase loan has increased since the start of the year and continued that trend last week with weaker government purchase activity, which reached $447,300, the highest level since October 2024,” he said. Kan added that purchase activity had a rougher week. from the week prior.

Fixed-rate mortgage

Housing Wire

MARCH 5, 2025

The move in government refinances was driven by a 75% increase in VA loans, which have been prone to large changes in recent months, he shared. Conventional refinance applications rose 34% and government refinance applications increased by 42% over the week. ” The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 43.8%

Fixed-rate mortgage

Housing Wire

APRIL 7, 2025

VA foreclosure starts pick up ICE noted that loans in active foreclosure rose by 2% in February, driven solely by a rise in VA foreclosures, as the market continues to normalize following the expiration of the VA foreclosure moratorium. In last month’s ICE first look, FHA loans dominated delinquencies.

FHA loan

Housing Wire

JANUARY 15, 2025

Department of Agriculture (USDA) loans decreased. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with jumbo loan balances and 30-year fixed-rate mortgages backed by the FHA both saw increases for jumbo loans it was an increase to 7.05% from 6.99%, and for FHA loans the interest rate reached 6.76% from 6.65%.

Fixed-rate mortgage

Housing Wire

MARCH 21, 2025

Today’s first look at the data revealed that FHA mortgages accounted for 90% of the 131,000 year-over-year rise in the number of delinquencies , despite making up less than 15% of all active mortgages.

FHA loan

Housing Wire

JULY 24, 2025

Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans accounted for 8.3% Institutional investors accounted for 5.7% of sales, down from 6.5% a year ago. Memphis, Tennessee (14.5%), had the highest investor share. of all sales nationwide, with the largest shares in California and Maryland metros.

FHA loan

Real Estate News

JULY 7, 2025

Most first-time buyers (69%) rely on savings to fund their down payments, and 1 in 4 use gifts or loans from family members or friends. Majorities of both groups use conventional loans, and many (29% of first-time buyers and 10% of repeat buyers) use FHA loans, which offer down payments as low as 3.5%.

VA loan