Day: May 31, 2022

Set to Surge

Expect a home equity lending boom as interest rates rise while home prices grow

Refi decline sets the tone for origination business

In fourth-quarter 2021, 3.27 million mortgages secured by residential property (one- to four-unit homes) were originated in the U.S., an 11% decline from the previous quarter and a 13% decrease compared to fourth-quarter 2020. This marked the third straight quarter of declining originations, while the year-over-year decrease was the largest since late 2018, according to […]

New rental-payment history initiatives show promising results

If someone can pay their rent month after month, why can’t they make a mortgage payment? For years, most renters didn’t get credit for timely rental payments. Last year, however, two of the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) did something about it. Fannie Mae launched a program in September 2021 to identify recurring rent payments in a […]

Buyers of distressed homes are bullish despite troubling signs

As dark clouds gather on the horizon of the housing market, foreclosure-auction buyers remain bullish. Sixty-one percent of foreclosed properties on the Auction.com platform in first-quarter 2022 were sold to third-party buyers, up from 56% in the previous quarter and up from 59% in first-quarter 2021. The 61% sales rate was the second-highest quarterly sales […]