Higher upfront fees and new seasoning rules on cash-out refinances make it harder for homeowners to use the equity in their homes.

Retail lending took another precipitous drop in the third quarter. But the fall is more of a return to the norm after heady days fueled by refinances. (Includes data chart.)

Sellers and homebuilders are increasingly reaching for an old mortgage tool to make their homes more attractive to potential buyers.

Sales of refinance loans plummeted to the lowest level in at least eight years. But purchase-mortgage sales had a bad month too. (Includes two data charts.)

A perfect storm in the mortgage market could spur industry consolidation in the next year, according to a recent Keefe, Bruyette & Woods report.

Issuance of new Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities fell 10% in the third quarter. Purchase-money activity climbed at both FHA and VA, but not enough to offset declines in loan mods and cash-out refinances.

Amid declining volumes, the largest and smallest lenders who sell to the GSEs lost market share while large and mid-sized lenders got a bigger piece of the pie. (Includes two data charts.)

Stakeholders talk about the challenges in sharing MISMO datasets between different parts of the industry.

In a month of flip-flops, the largest lenders recorded increases in production and Freddie’s volume topped Fannie’s. (Includes two data charts.)

Purchase-mortgage business held steady in Fannie/Freddie MBS issuance in July while refinance volume continued to drop. (Includes two data charts.)