Builder sentiment has declined for eight consecutive months, and it’s all related to housing affordability, said Robert Dietz, chief economist at the National Association of Home Builders.

Reali to close and hopes to sell its mortgage origination business; Sun West Mortgage launches cash-offer product with NFT component; delinquencies increase in July; Blend offers home-equity lending product; Fitch confident home prices won’t crash like in 2008; Staircase offers new origination tech.

The overall delinquency rate in agency MBS inched up to 1.97% at the end of June. All of the increase in late payments was seen in the Ginnie Mae program. (Includes data chart.)

It’s been a bit quiet on the mortgage company M&A front the past few months, but a few deals are getting done, including Two Harbors agreeing to buy RoundPoint Mortgage.

A bill brought by Democrats that would allow consumers to require the consideration of alternative data such as rent and utility payments in underwriting their mortgage recently cleared the House Financial Services Committee.

Alternate finance options make homeownership possible for first-time buyers unable to access traditional home loans, but more protections are needed to foster sustainable homeownership, according to industry experts.

Low-balance borrowers seeking to refinance pay proportionally higher closing costs and receive a smaller reduction in interest rates, according to findings published by the Federal Reserve.

Political power distorts how private capital is allocated, even among mortgage lending activities, according to a new study.

loanDepot cites faults in wholesale channel; rate locks decline in July; foreclosure activity also down; MISMO seeking comments on various initiatives.

Mortgage earnings declined across a group of 24 banks in the second quarter of 2022 as rising interest rates continued to eat into originations and margins. The outlook for the third quarter isn’t great either. (Includes data chart.)