The stars appear to be aligning for a wave of refinance activity in the first quarter, which is expected to boost the revenues and results for U.S. mortgage companies during the period, according to an analyst at Keefe Bruyette & Woods. Can it last? “With the 10-year [Treasury] now below 2 percent, the average effective conforming rate is below 4 percent,” analyst Bose George said during a recent KBW podcast. “That rate should continue to trend down as long as ...
With interest rates at exceptionally low levels in recent years, borrowers have been reluctant to choose adjustable-rate mortgages. For those opting for ARMs, hybrids remain the most popular, according to results from the annual ARM survey recently released by Freddie Mac. ARMs accounted for 4.6 percent of the $921.72 billion in mortgage-backed securities issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae in 2014 ... [Includes one data chart]
Is the mortgage industry nearing a tipping point in terms of homebuyers using online capabilities predominantly to secure financing for the biggest purchase of their lives? That increasingly appears to be the case, a recent survey suggests. Nine out of 10 respondents to a survey commissioned by Discover Home Loans said they used online technology of one form or another in the home financing process. One of the benefits of technology is that it ...
The majority of mortgage lenders are forging ahead in 2015 to grow their origination and servicing businesses notwithstanding concerns about compliance and weak consumer demand, according to Fannie Mae’s fourth quarter 2014 survey of senior mortgage executives. The survey found that 88 percent of executives aim to grow their loan origination business by increasing the number of retail branches and loan officers and expanding their ...
Electronic signatures and records have become such crucial components of mortgage lending that lenders need to understand the process and the risks to avoid potential liability, according to panelists at a recent webinar. Several significant regulatory actions in 2014 opened the door to the increased adoption and use of electronic records and signatures. However, lenders face growing pressure from regulators to maintain appropriate measures when ...
Not only have nonbank lenders steadily increased their production market share the past two years, but their loan officers, in general, earn more money on a per unit basis than their depository counterparts. At least that was the finding of several interviews conducted by Inside Mortgage Finance during January. “Banks are tiered 50 to 100 basis points [per loan] with qualifiers,” said Paul Hindman, managing director of business development for Grid Financial. “Nonbanks are tiered 75 to 175 basis points with qualifiers.” And LOs who work for net branch operators can earn...
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