A new analysis shows that housing markets where FHA loan limits were reduced this year have seen a bigger drop in FHA business than elsewhere in the country.

Jeff Mezger, president and CEO of KB Home, said the first-timer share of home purchases is rising due to increased employment, noting cities in Texas as an example.

Nationstar Mortgage and Walter Investment are the only seller/servicers (counterparties) mentioned by name in the FHFA IG report on nonbank risk.

NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun: “The way they have raised premiums and fees – the way I view it and what I hear from Realtors – is essentially they are ripping off consumers. It’s almost as if HUD needs to be turned over to the CFPB to be investigated"...

Not only are residential originations on the rise once again, but so are “signing bonuses” for top-flight loan officers who can bring in the volume. According to research from Garrett, McAuley & Co., signing bonuses being paid today range from $20,000 to $30,000, but “with some going much higher.” With production shifting toward purchase-money lending, LOs with deep ties to Realtors and homebuilders can fetch the most. But according to interviews ...

Concerns that rising interest rates will prompt current homeowners to stay in place are overblown, according to a number of industry analysts. A panel at Zillow’s latest housing forum this week focused on the issue of borrower lock-in, with most speakers downplaying the issue. Joseph Tracy, an executive vice president and senior advisor to the president at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, said his research has found that rising interest rates ...

Lenders facing rising interest rates might be overlooking valuable hedging options, according to officials at Mortgage Capital Management. The firm offers pipeline risk-management services and is touting float-down locks, or put options on interest rates, which MCM claims will increase earnings stability and grow production. A float-down lock allows a borrower to receive a lower interest rate on their mortgage if rates decline between when ...

Trying to find out how much money an individual mortgage company spends each year in marketing its products to consumers is no easy task. A quick survey of some of the nation’s largest lenders on advertising dollars conducted by Inside Mortgage Trends yielded the same exact response: “We don’t disclose that information.” Many large lenders don’t even engage in specific mortgage-related advertising, at least not on a national level. The one exception is ...

The top 25 originators accounted for an estimated 62.6 percent of new production. That was the lowest top-25 market share since 2000.

Are officials at HUD worried that JPM's Jamie Dimon may follow through on his threat to leave the FHA program? Not in the least.