Leading the improvement pack: the Ginnie Mae category, where the reading dropped a whopping 45 basis points to 6.33% of outstandings for the week ending April 4.

Rates are rising and that means fewer applications. Yet, mortgage bankers and brokers are still hiring.

With refi business expected to decline later this year, a number of shops are rethinking their hiring plans. Lenders are set to face margin compression, excess capacity and consolidation.

Subservicing has been a growth business the past several years but now some mortgage bankers, flush with cash from the refi boom, are bringing the task inhouse.

Venture capital investors remain optimistic about the prospects for mortgage digitization, funneling $31 million to two technology vendors.

Some industry watchers believe the tax credit is on hold because it could drive up prices in an already tight housing market.

The about-face paves the way for CoreLogic’s acquisition by Stone Point Capital and Insight Partners.

Federal regulators may secretly worry about nonbanks’ viability, but institutional investors continue to buy the debt of top-tier NBs.

Nonbanks’ performance amid disruptions caused by the pandemic supports growth. Moody’s increased its operating environment score for nonbank mortgage companies.

In a split ruling, the Fourth Circuit upheld a trial court’s decision to impose a $9.7 million fine against the nonbank lender for allegedly influencing appraisers to raise their valuation if it didn’t match a refi borrower’s estimate.