With originations increasing, should mortgage lenders add workers or get by with what they have and pay overtime? Mortgage-banking employment is actually down compared to January.

Interest rates on mortgages increased in the past week even though the Fed is on a path to cut rates further. The movements are a reminder that mortgage interest rates don’t necessarily move in tandem with the Fed.

Institutional investors are buying stock and debt instruments of selected companies. Some debt issuances are north of par. Now, if only mortgage rates would cooperate.

Loan officers are increasingly offering clients buy-before-you-sell products to help them beat contingencies issues, according to HomeLight, a provider of buy-before-you-sell products.

Although the origination tally for the third quarter won’t be ready for a few weeks, it feels like it was the best of the year. And some CEOs think the fourth quarter could be even better.

It’s possible that some large lenders are offering 2025 conforming loan limits that are higher than where FHFA will set the limits. If that’s the case, there could be complications but no major concerns.

Insurance companies were some of the largest originators of mortgages when the FHLBanks were created, but that’s no longer the case.

The biggest increases in home equity lending this year have been seen at nonbanks. Rocket Mortgage more than doubled its originations of closed-end second liens in the first half of 2024 from a year ago. (Includes three data charts.)

Depository institutions pulled back, to some extent, from mortgage lending in the first half of 2024 and nonbanks stepped in to fill the void. Nonbanks accounted for nearly 65% of originations in the first six months. (Includes two data charts.)

If you’re in the market for a new CEO, chances are you might find some bargains out there. But only for CEOs of privately held nonbanks.