The assessment comes amid a shortage of appraisers along with concerns that the existing pool of appraisers isn’t sufficiently diverse.

Applications in late May hit the lowest level seen since March.

Prices increased by only 0.1% on a monthly basis in March, according to seasonally adjusted numbers from the FHFA.

A working paper from the FHFA used data from appraisals to estimate energy usage across time.

Government-insured production increased by 11.0% compared with the fourth quarter while total first-lien originations were up 3.2% during that time.

Lenders took an average pre-tax loss of $645 per loan originated in the first quarter compared with an average loss of $2,109 per loan in the previous quarter.

The 30+ day delinquency rate stood at 3.09% at the end of April.

SIFMA warned that Freddie’s proposal to acquire second liens could pose risks to the to-be-announced, credit-risk transfer and consumer-loan markets. SFA said the proposal, if approved, should be limited.

Banks are looking for capital relief, regulators are making issuance of credit-risk transfers easier for banks to complete and investor demand for the deals is strong.

Originations of government-insured mortgages increased by 11.0% in the first quarter of 2024 compared with the previous quarter. Conventional-conforming and nonconforming products lost share during the quarter. (Includes two data tables.)