Housing Wire

JANUARY 2, 2025

Government lending programs saw mixed results as applications for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans fell by 60 bps to a market share of 16.6%, while applications for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) loans rose by 50 bps to a share of 15.7%. Rates for 30-year jumbo loans jumped 14 bps to 7.13%.

FHA loan 441

FHA loan Mortgages VA loan Loans 441

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. billion through its TPO channel.

FHA loan 369

FHA loan Mortgages Marketing Loans 369

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 351

FHA loan VA loan Mortgages Loans 351

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 6, 2023

CBC Mortgage Agency – a federally chartered housing finance agency – will offer two temporary rate buydown features for its down payment assistance (DPA) program for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans. The agency is the first to provide either a 2-1 rate buydown or a 1-0 rate buydown on a DPA program.

FHA loan 416

FHA loan Loans Mortgages Finance 416

Housing Wire

MAY 1, 2025

Industry debate around off-market listings or pocket listings has become increasingly heated. For Willoughby, founder of The Jaymes Willoughby Team with Keller Williams Realty , off-market listings are a gamble that rarely pays off for sellers. Some agents use off-market listings as a way to double-dip commissions, Willoughby said.

Agents 376

Agents Marketing MLS FHA loan 376

Keeping Current Matters

JUNE 9, 2025

If you’re a first-time homebuyer, you might feel like the odds are stacked against you in today’s market. But there are resources and programs out there that can help – if you know where to look.

FHA loan 243

FHA loan Loans Marketing Mortgages 243

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 20, 2024

and Pete Sessions (R-Texas) on Thursday, the bipartisan bill allows borrowers to stop paying mortgage insurance once their loan-to-value (LTV) ratio reaches 78%, rather than paying it for the life of the loan. This is comparable to existing policies in the market for conventional loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

FHA loan 397

FHA loan Mortgages Equity Loans 397

Housing Wire

JANUARY 14, 2025

A report released Tuesday by Optimal Blue found that the conforming loan share sank to historic lows in December. Optimal Blue’s December 2024 Market Advantage report is a monthly study that analyzes key indicators to provide insights into U.S. mortgage market trends. ” The conforming loan share dropped by 1.5%

VA loan 367

VA loan FHA loan Mortgages Loans 367

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 27, 2024

With the growth in for-sale inventory and signs that the economy remains strong, buyers have remained in the market even though rates have increased recently. The increase in conventional purchase applications helped push the average purchase loan size to $439,200, its highest level in almost a month. of applications. of applications.

Mortgages 369

Mortgages VA loan FHA loan Fixed-rate mortgage 369

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. The average rate for 30-year fixed-rate loans for conforming balances (up to $766,550) rose by 8 bps to 6.75%.

VA loan 372

VA loan Mortgages FHA loan Loans 372

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. Jumbo mortgage rates were up 2 bps, VA loan rates were up 4 bps and FHA loan rates remained unchanged.

VA loan 274

VA loan FHA loan Mortgages Loans 274

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 9, 2024

After a year filled with rate swings, unpredictable markets and a bit of drama (thank you, inflation), the real estate world is ready for a fresh start. Whether youre looking to buy your first home, upgrade or simply gain clarity on the current market , this guide is your insiders playbook to tackle 2025 with confidence.

Mortgages 370

Mortgages FHA loan Closing costs Staging 370

Housing Wire

JANUARY 22, 2025

Mortgage escrow accounts are an important, yet widely misunderstood asset in the housing market. Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan borrowers must maintain escrow accounts for the entire loan cycle, regardless of equity. And those who don’t understand are paying dearly.

FHA loan 383

FHA loan Fixed-rate mortgage Equity Mortgages 383

Housing Wire

MAY 5, 2025

ICE attributes this to a higher interest rate environment that continued to dampen repeat buyer participation in the market. Younger homebuyers are picking up market share with lenders this spring, with people age 35 and under accounting for more than half of financed home purchases by first-time buyers in Q1.

Lending 306

Lending FHA loan VA loan Loans 306

Housing Wire

JUNE 10, 2025

“Rising mortgage rates are squeezing borrower affordability, while tighter spreads are putting pressure on lenders in the secondary market,” said Brennan O’Connell , director of data solutions at Optimal Blue.

Loan Officer 321

Loan Officer FHA loan Loans Closing costs 321

Housing Wire

MAY 28, 2025

The 5/1 option provides a fixed interest rate for the first five years, after which the rate adjusts annually based on market conditions. ARMs typically gain market share when rates are elevated, as borrowers can access lower initial rates compared to traditional fixed-rate mortgages. FHA loan rates averaged 6.68%.

VA loan 281

VA loan Loans FHA loan Fixed-rate mortgage 281

Housing Wire

MARCH 24, 2025

Jumbo loans exceed the Federal Housing Finance Agency ‘s conforming loan limit, which currently stands at $806,500 for a single-family home for most of the country. “A mix of borrower, loan, and market characteristics likely explains the state-level variation we see in mortgage denial rates,” Hale said.

Debt-to-income ratio 270

Debt-to-income ratio FHA loan Mortgages Loans 270

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 27, 2025

Higher payments across loan types Borrowers across different mortgage programs also saw their payments rise. FHA loan applicants faced a median monthly payment of $1,934, up from $1,866 in December. Conventional loan applicants saw their median payment increase to $2,225, up from $2,128. Nevada (254.3) Arizona (218.7)

Mortgages 332

Mortgages FHA loan Loans As-is 332

Housing Wire

MARCH 27, 2025

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. For FHA loan applicants, the median payment was $1,907 in February, down from $1,934 in January and up from $1,872 in February 2024. The national PAPI increased 0.1%

Mortgages 312

Mortgages FHA loan Loans As-is 312

Housing Wire

MARCH 20, 2025

Conversely, a handful of smaller markets saw an uptick in flipping activity. 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%

FHA loan 297

FHA loan Investor Finance Renovation 297

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 6, 2023

Total home loan applications increased 2.8% Slower inflation and the confidence financial markets have that we are nearing the end of the Fed ’s hiking cycle has brought mortgage rates to the lowest level since August. The share of Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan activity increased to 15%, down from 13.5%

VA loan 515

VA loan Mortgages FHA loan Fixed-rate mortgage 515

Housing Wire

JANUARY 15, 2025

While the market composite index increased over 33% on a seasonally adjusted basis, the index increased 52% on an unadjusted basis during the same time period. This week’s reading, for the week ending Jan. 10, 2025, is a stark difference from last week’s applications , which reflected a seasonal lull following Christmas.

Fixed-rate mortgage 369

Fixed-rate mortgage Mortgages FHA loan Loans 369

Housing Wire

APRIL 8, 2025

A strong wave of refinance activity and renewed buyer interest lifted mortgage rate lock volumes in March, according to Optimal Blues latest Market Advantage report. FHA loans saw an 8-basis point drop to 6.27%, while VA and jumbo loan rates nudged up slightly to 6.13% and 6.73%, respectively. after a February rally.

Loans 288

Loans Debt-to-income ratio VA loan FHA loan 288

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) is calling for policy changes that would help alleviate the difficulties for homebuyers using Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans when competing in tight markets. mortgage market in 2023, up from 14.3% of the U.S. in 2022, according to HUD.

FHA loan 450

FHA loan Debt-to-income ratio Inspection Finance 450

Housing Wire

JULY 21, 2023

Since lender grants have limited funding, the programs could be restricted to specific income levels and priority markets, the paper noted. “The FHA could work with Congress to amend the FHA Modernization Act so only entities that can affect the home’s sales price are banned from providing DPA,” Tozer said.

FHA loan 368

FHA loan Loans Mortgages Sales 368

Housing Wire

JULY 20, 2021

year over year, suggesting a slowdown in the housing market, according to a recent report from the Mortgage Bankers Association. “Last year was the strongest year in the housing market for new home sales in over a decade,” he said. In 2018-2019, total housing market inventory was in the range between 1.52

Marketing 500

Marketing VA loan FHA loan Loans 500

Housing Wire

MARCH 5, 2025

According to the MBA, rates for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans dipped to 6.42%, while refinance activity posted its fastest pace since October 2024. “But you still have a buyer’s market. So now that rates are dropping, a renovation loan will be in the 7% range.

Loan Officer 257

Loan Officer Loans VA loan FHA loan 257

Housing Wire

JANUARY 10, 2022

2021 was an extraordinary year for the housing market: mortgage rates at an all-time low, record high annual growth in single-family prices and rents, lowest foreclosure rates in a generation and the largest number of home sales in 15 years. In addition, more for-sale inventory will likely be available on the market.

Marketing 545

Marketing FHA loan Fixed-rate mortgage Loans 545

Housing Wire

JUNE 3, 2022

Since then, Lakeview has unveiled two additional PLS offerings involving pools of delinquent FHA loans also securitized via Ginnie Mae. In those offering, 100% of the FHA loans involved are delinquent — with about a quarter of the mortgages in each deal in active foreclosure. In total, 99.3% are in active foreclosure.

Loans 397

Loans FHA loan Principal Marketing 397

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 22, 2023

The Federal Reserve ‘s effort to temper inflation has cooled the housing market that remains subdued with mortgage rates north of 7%. However, a silver lining in the subdued housing market is the strength in new-home sales. They were withdrawing volatility from the market, and they were lowering rates to benefit consumers.

FHA loan 450

FHA loan Bankruptcy Marketing Loans 450

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 4, 2023

But LOs who cater to first-time homebuyers’ needs – offering FHA loans and down payment assistance loans — are faring better, Michael Ullmann, producing branch leader at Movement Mortgage , explained. “So They are staying busy relative to the market,” Ullmann said.

Loans 441

Loans FHA loan Loan Officer Mortgages 441

Housing Wire

APRIL 10, 2023

Rate lock volume jumped 43% in March on the back of seasonal tailwinds, falling interest rates and stronger purchase market performance. by the end of the month, Black Knight’s Optimal Blue mortgage market indices showed. Compared to the same period last year, cash-out refis were down 80% and rate/term refis declined 71%.

FHA loan 384

FHA loan Marketing Lending Mortgages 384

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 2, 2020

“FHA has seen consistent increases in loan limits during the past few years, putting it in a position to serve a segment of borrowers that may be better-served by the conventional market. FHA’s mission is to support low-to-moderate income borrowers, so why does the law permit FHA to insure mortgages up to $822,375?

Loans 533

Loans FHA loan Mortgages Construction 533

Housing Wire

APRIL 7, 2025

ICE expects mortgage rates to continue to drop, as it noted that 30-year futures pricing currently implies that the market anticipates 30-year rates to dip below 6.4% ICE says that with the current rate of improvement, the market would be on pace to return to pre-pandemic for-sale inventory levels in the back half of 2026.

FHA loan 245

FHA loan Mortgages New Construction Loans 245

Housing Wire

JUNE 20, 2024

As of June 14, the state had a 90-day average of 10,393 single-family active listings on the market. Despite the state’s tight inventory, the housing market is not as hot as one might expect. Despite the state’s tight inventory, the housing market is not as hot as one might expect. You are seeing a more conservative aggression.

Agents 421

Agents Marketing VA loan FHA loan 421

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

FHA loan usage increases in September As sellers field fewer offers, buyers with FHA loans may have greater luck to close on a home. In September, government-insured FHA loans represented a little over 15% of U.S. Conventional loans remain the most common type of mortgage, making up over 75% of all loans.

FHA loan 441

FHA loan VA loan Mortgages Loans 441

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 199

VA loan FHA loan Mortgages Loans 199