The GSEs and FHA should publish daily rate sheets with disclosures on interest rates for mortgages locked the previous day, according to analysts at the Urban Institute. The analysts likened their proposal to the manufacturer’s suggested retail price seen for cars and books.
Consumers are feeling little optimism for the 2024 housing market as affordability concerns continue to push would-be buyers away from purchasing a home next year.
Lower interest rates have been particularly impactful in the market for new homes; MBA projects a mild recession in the first half of 2024; new MISMO working group initiated by the GSEs; technology for closing disclosure forms.
Fed researchers show that, when interest rates increase, refinances decline, but alternative forms of household borrowing increase proportionally. This borrowing substitution diminishes the value of refinances as a path for monetary policy.