Home sales and properties on the market increased as buyers and sellers prep for the seasonal slowdown in purchases.

Economist and former PIMCO CEO Mohamed El-Erian says the U.S. economy is the cream of the crop in the developed world. And the prospects for housing finance are also looking up.

As the timeline shrinks for the implementation of the new credit scores for GSE borrowers, anxiety grows among lenders and even FICO and VantageScore.

Mortgage originations typically decline from the second quarter to the third. This year, however, declining interest rates helped increase refinance production and prop up purchase-mortgage lending.

The new offering allows for a cash-out refi with an LTV ratio near 90% without borrower-paid mortgage insurance.

CHLA lauds Democrats in Congress for urging the Biden administration to investigate Fair Isaac for anticompetitive activities.

HPS Investments, which owns nonprime originator/servicer Acra Lending and more, is toying with an IPO. Acra is a small part of what HPS owns, but it would open up the lender to public disclosures.

Purchase mortgages and refis increased across the board in the agency MBS market in the third quarter, with the strongest growth seen in refis that carried primary mortgage insurance. (Includes three data tables.)

Many large banks increased mortgage production in the third quarter. Though at some banks, revenue and margins came down.

The refi boom fizzled in recent weeks as mortgage rates increased. Now it’s a waiting game for lenders and borrowers, with rates expected to go down, eventually.