The wholesale-broker channel gained ground in the government-insured sector and in conventional-conforming lending, according to a recent Inside Mortgage Trends analysis of proprietary survey data.

The average homebuyer would save $150 per month by taking out an adjustable-rate mortgage instead of a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, according to a Redfin report.

New partnerships are slated to yield an AI-powered originations platform in one case and preferred mortgage rates and homebuying advice as an employee benefit in another.

“We welcome regulators’ efforts to enable banks of all sizes to make more loans to American businesses and households, fueling economic growth while maintaining resilience in the banking system,” said trade groups representing banks.

“The risk,” said Mario Ichaso, a trading desk strategist at Wells Fargo, “is that stagflation becomes the common, more dominating view, and mortgage spreads could widen in that situation.”

The seasonally-adjusted annual rate of sales of new homes dropped 17.6% on a monthly basis in January.

One of the goals of the proposals is to help banks better compete with nonbanks.

"We may still see the 30-year dip back below 6%, but a refinance rally feels farther away than it did a month ago," said Eric Orenstein, a senior director at Fitch Ratings.

“The condo insurance requirements will reduce costs for existing homeowners and will make tens of thousands of additional units eligible for lower cost GSE financing,” said Bob Broeksmit, president and CEO of the MBA.

The $87.67 billion of removals were largely tied to borrower payoffs.