Does mortgage fintech Better.com have a future not tied to a SPAC? A sale perhaps? Meanwhile, more lenders are pulling the reduction-in-force lever.

The non-agency jumbo market held up better than high-balance agency production in the first quarter. New GSE pricing is depressing conforming-jumbo sales in the second quarter. (Includes three data charts.)

Wells Fargo is in the process of changing where residential loans fit into the bank’s overall business. The company’s CEO cited GSE mortgages as a product that presents risk to the bank.

As loan volumes head south, more potential buyers are slated to come out of the woodwork, but don’t expect any premiums to be paid. We found at least two mid-sized shops that are in the hunt for deals.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are leaning on special purpose credit programs to offer better access to housing finance for Black and Latino borrowers.

Freddie researchers find extensive overlap between manufactured home-friendly localities and mortgage-ready residents.

After a respite of sorts, the insatiable appetite for mortgage servicing rights revives. Meanwhile, Better.com and its founder find themselves on the wrong end of a civil damages claim.

Refinance lending plummeted in the first quarter of 2022 but still clung to a narrow lead over purchase-mortgage originations. Refis may account for only 30% of the market for the rest of the year. (Includes four data charts.)

Data from multiple listing services show that the housing inventory shortage is acute, with closed and pending home sales outpacing new listings.

According to new research paper, nonbanks use their MSRs to help fund operations in a rising rate environment, resulting in stronger originations in comparison to banks.