Interest rates on mortgages reached their highest level of the year (thus far).

Fitch Ratings warned that nonbank mortgage companies could face issues if weaknesses involving MSRs emerge.

Average loan sizes on mortgage applications are shrinking.

The non-agency secondary market has been slow recently. But three new securities show there’s still some action.

The volume of new home equity line of credit commitments and closed-end second liens originated in the first quarter of 2023 declined by 19.0% compared with the previous quarter.

Acra Lending has turned a profit in six of the past seven years.

The CFPB has been increasing its expertise in data science and analytics so that it can spot fair lending violations throughout the lending process.

A suggestion for limiting interest rate risk at banks; tighter spreads for Fannie’s new CRT; Victory Park Capital launches structured finance unit; and more.

Home equity originations peaked in the third quarter of 2022 and continued to trend down in the first quarter of 2023. Still, the total amount of funded home equity debt outstanding increased slightly. (Includes three data charts.)

More than 90% of homeowners with mortgages have loans with interest rates well below prevailing rates. That provides a strong incentive to stay put.