Real Estate

One popular refrain in the mortgage industry is that rates take the escalator on the way up and the stairs on the way down. Yesterday was definitely an “escalator” sort of day with the average lender moving up 0.12% for a top-tier 30yr fixed rate. Based on improvement in the bond market, rates are lower […]

Data Didn’t Hurt, But Bonds Underperformed The Oil Price Recovery Today’s headline is somewhat misleading. It points out the fact that oil prices made it back to yesterday’s lows whereas bond yields didn’t even come close. This is all true, assuming we’re looking at front month oil prices. But if we use a longer-term futures

After hitting the highest yields in more than a month yesterday, bonds have managed to pick up a few bps. The bulk of the recovery was already in place by yesterday’s close, but yields dropped another 2bps after war-related headlines just after 8am (US general said Iran’s attacks yesterday were below the threshold for war).

Broker and Correspondent Products NFTYDoor, an end-to-end digital HELOC platform, is now operating as a fully independent company, enabling direct partnerships with wholesale brokers and private label correspondents. Brokers are already active on the new structure, submitting applications and closing loans today with no waiting period supported by NFTYDoor’s combination of AI-powered origination and real

Markets Hit by Glut of Escalation Headlines Monday’s trading session ended up being as simple as it was unpleasant. Bonds lost ground somewhat sharply as war-related headlines kept adding up to additional escalation. Highlights include overnight reports of Iran hitting a U.S. warship with missiles, multiple reports of UAE air defenses being activated, and damage/fire

The industry is talking about their earnings: Fannie Mae had $3.7 billion of net income, Freddie Mac had net income of $3.6 billion. Regular and frequent information like this is critical to make informed decisions, whether you’re thinking about buying stock or buying a home. I recently received this note. “Rob, occasionally I am asked

The overnight and early domestic trading hours have brought a mix of familiar and unfamiliar patterns. Up until roughly 8:30am, we saw a very familiar correlation between oil prices and bond yields. Both spiked at 6am following reports that 2 Iranian missiles hit a U.S. warship. Those reports were subsequently denied and oil prices made

Low volatility was the most obvious theme for mortgage rates last week. From April 14th through last Friday, the range for a top-tier 30yr fixed rate remained in an ultra-narrow range of 6.29-6.33%. That trend persisted on Monday of this week, but things changed abruptly after that. Tuesday and Wednesday saw moderately big increases that

Some Volatility Surrounding Headlines, But Not Much Change Bonds began the day roughly flat before losing ground modestly into the 9am hour as markets mis-read headlines regarding new peace proposals submitted by Iran. But just before 10am, similar headlines resurfaced including the claim that Iran’s new proposal made concessions regarding Iran’s nuclear aspirations. This accounted for

The use of down payment assistance has risen sharply over the past year and a half, especially among FHA borrowers. Participation has jumped from 7.5 percent at the start of 2025 to over 21 percent recently, near the highest levels in years, as high home prices and borrowing costs push more buyers to seek help.