Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson told Congress it would cost approximately $500 million upfront to convert FHA’s archaic information technology systems to a modern technology platform.

Overall production of government-insured loans fell in all three origination channels in the fourth quarter as refinancing continued to decline in 2017. A survey of FHA, VA and rural housing lenders showed originations in retail, correspondent and broker conduits totaled $248.9 billion, down 11.8 percent from 2016. Correspondent production suffered the biggest quarterly decline, 14.9 percent from the third to the fourth quarter. Production in this channel also declined 4.8 percent for the full year. Approximately $139.3 billion of FHA and VA loans came through this channel last year. Notwithstanding the decline, the correspondent share of government-insured lending grew to 56.0 percent in 2017, up from 51.9 percent in 2016. Brokers saw their share of the government-insured market rise to 10.0 percent, even as quarterly and year-over-year originations declined by 2.0 percent and 10.7 percent ,,, [ Charts ]

Home Equity Conversion Mortgage lenders ended 2017 on a positive note, thanks to a relatively strong fourth quarter, according to an analysis of FHA data. Total reverse mortgage originations rose 3.0 percent from the third quarter to end the year with $18.4 billion in overall HECM production. This was up 23.2 percent year-over-year. Purchase HECMs accounted for 76.2 percent of reverse mortgage originations in 2017. Adjustable-rate HECMs comprised 89.3 percent of loans made. Meanwhile, HECM mortgage-backed securities issuance totaled $2.25 billion in the fourth quarter, buoyed by $1.35 billion of HMBS issued in December, Ginnie Mae data show. The top five HMBS issuers accounted for $5.72 billion or 31.1 percent of all HMBS issued in 2017. American Advisors Group remained the dominant HECM lender in 2017, producing $2.8 billion over the 12-month period, which represented a ... [ Chart ]

Consumers who take part in homebuyer education and counseling classes are more satisfied with the mortgage process.

The potential end of publication of the London Inter-Bank Offered Rate hasn’t yet prompted a significant shift by lenders. Many new originations of adjustable-rate mortgages continue to be linked to LIBOR as industry participants determine how to respond to the potential demise of the index.

"If mortgage rates doubled overnight, our model indicates a decline of just 300,000 sales, a mere 5 percent decrease,” said Mark Fleming, chief economist at First American.

The decline in mortgage applications was driven by applications for refinances, as requests for purchase mortgages increased slightly.

The 4,710 small mortgage lenders wouldn’t have to report new data points sought by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for originations in 2018 and beyond, according to an analysis by Inside the CFPB.

“Borrowers continue to move away from applying for loans fully in-person, as they look for a process combining both high-tech and high-touch,” according to Ellie Mae.

An increasing number of areas moved from “sustainable” home price appreciation to “overheated” in 2017, according to Fitch.