Loans to communities ranked with a high social vulnerability index made up roughly 22% of Rural Housing Service-guaranteed single-family home loans in the fourth quarter of 2023. (Includes data table.)

Reverse mortgage lenders funded $3.95 billion in new home equity conversion mortgages in the third quarter, a 17.9% increase from the previous period. Year to date, though, HECM endorsements lagged.

Endorsements of FHA and VA insured loans increased by 9.2% in the third quarter while total first-lien originations declined. (Includes three data tables.)

The broker share of the government-insured market declined to 20.4% in the third quarter, down from 21.2% in the second quarter. (Includes data table.)

Large bank correspondent aggregators of FHA mortgages looked to firm guidelines on credit scores and LTV ratios while Fed researchers found that smaller nonbank lenders were willing to go down in credit and loan performance didn’t suffer.

Speaking at a recent MISMO summit, FHA Commissioner Julia Gordon said her biggest frustrations at FHA center around technology and procurement.

Government-insured mortgage originations grew across all three lending channels in the second quarter, with brokers gaining market share from the correspondent channel. (Includes data chart.)

FHA home equity conversion mortgage endorsements declined by 16.4% from the first to second quarter of the year. (Includes three data charts.)

Government-backed originations increased in the second quarter thanks to a seasonal boost in purchase mortgages. FHA production outpaced VA lending, and the top lenders largely increased originations. (Includes three data charts.)

The False Claims Act violations related to underwriting and quality control on FHA and VA loans, the Department of Justice said.