With competition for mortgages heating up, United Wholesale and Rocket are increasing their emphasis on purchase mortgages. Margins, meanwhile, don’t look to budge much.

Jumbo mortgages and non-qualified mortgages can generate better margins than agency products. Still, the loans don’t necessarily offer a guaranteed path to profits.

Previously, Annaly was predominantly sourcing non-QMs from aggregators rather than directly from lenders.

Refi inquires declined by 5% on a weekly basis while purchase-mortgage applications were off by 1%...

Some lenders have allowed borrowers to use cryptocurrency to make downpayments or as part of the calculation of a borrower’s assets, but none appear to allow monthly mortgage payments with bitcoin yet.

The top contributor to both MBS is CrossCountry Mortgage.

The abandonment rate on calls to servicers jumped to 5.0% from 3.6% the week prior...

The wholesale lender's originations increased by 20% compared with the first quarter while income fell 84%.

Market turns to non-QM for better margins

Thanks to restrictions implemented earlier this year, GSE MBS issuance involving mortgages for investment properties dropped in the second quarter. Conforming jumbo business also declined. (Includes data chart.)