The labor report gives the Fed a clear pathway to land the plane

The labor report gives the Fed a clear pathway to land the plane

The 10-year yield has had a wild ride today, but now is an excellent time to look at my macro take on the labor market and explain what the Fed is looking... Read more »
Mortgage rates stabilize prior to Friday’s jobs report

Mortgage rates stabilize prior to Friday’s jobs report

Mortgage rates remained stable this week as the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) inflation report matched economists’ expectations.  As a result, HousingWire’s Mortgage Rates Center showed the average 30-year fixed rate for conventional... Read more »
Global equity release market poised for significant growth, report suggests

Global equity release market poised for significant growth, report suggests

The current global market cap for “equity release” products, including reverse mortgages, could hit $50 billion by 2033, more than doubling its current size. This is according to a report compiled by... Read more »
Strong jobs report suggests rate cuts won’t come ‘til summer

Strong jobs report suggests rate cuts won’t come ‘til summer

Though all signs point to a cooling labor market overall, the economy picked up another 275,000 jobs in February. The jobs report on Friday is unlikely to convince the Fed that rate... Read more »
Mortgage rates stabilize prior to Friday’s jobs report

Fannie Mae adds single asset verification report to desktop underwriting system

Fannie Mae announced on Wednesday an enhancement to its desktop underwriting system, which will facilitate the asset, income, and employment verification process through a single data source.  Lenders can use a single 12-month asset... Read more »
Fairway is the latest mortgage company to report cyber incident

Fairway is the latest mortgage company to report cyber incident

Top 10 U.S. mortgage lender Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. sustained a cyber attack in early December due to vulnerabilities in a vendor system, the company told the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business... Read more »
Mortgage rates stabilize prior to Friday’s jobs report

Freddie Mac reports ‘solid financial results’ in 2023 earnings report

Government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) Freddie Mac reported a 65% annualized increase in income stemming from its single-family mortgage programs in fourth-quarter 2023, along with a 13% increase in net income for the full... Read more »
Mortgage rates stabilize prior to Friday’s jobs report

Reverse mortgage originators report good starts to 2024 business

Last year was a challenging one for reverse mortgage business activity, and it likely hit no one harder than the industry’s front-line loan originators. After enduring challenges stemming from higher interest rates,... Read more »
Banks report tightened lending standards for nearly all residential mortgages: Fed survey

Banks report tightened lending standards for nearly all residential mortgages: Fed survey

Banks reported having tightened lending standards across almost all categories of residential real estate loans over the fourth quarter of 2023 amid an elevated interest rate environment. There’s some optimism, however. With... Read more »
Mortgage rates stabilize prior to Friday’s jobs report

Opteon’s Short-Term Rental Analysis provides a more accurate report for short-term rentals

There has been much back and forth in the industry about reporting for short-term rentals — who should complete the report and what form should be used? Previously, the only way to... Read more »