Verification, Title/DSCR, Escrow Reporting, BI Asset Products; Disasters Shif...
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
While Lake Powell and the Colorado River are at their lowest levels ever, and states like Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington are in a drought, would you like a short clip of what they’re experiencing in Hawai’i? So far, the North Atlantic hurricane season (June 1 to November 30) has been light, wh... .. read more..
Weaker Start, But Traders Buying The Dip
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Big picture momentum has been calmly but clearly skewed toward higher yields for almost 10 months. There have been a few attempts to bounce at technical ceilings along the way up from 4.0% 10yr yields (4.3%, 4.42%, and 4.75%). August has been mostly sideways near the longer-term highs, but the fi... .. read more..
War Headlines Pushing Oil and Yields Higher
Monday, August 17, 2026
War Headlines Pushing Oil and Yields Higher Some summertime Mondays are slow and uneventful. Some see brisk movement. Today's was somewhere in between. There was modest pressure at the outset following headlines about Iran planning to escalate hostilities. The sharpest increase in oil prices coin... .. read more..
Mortgage Rates Start Week Higher
Monday, August 17, 2026
After ending last week near the lowest level since July 17th, mortgage rates are moving up to start the new week. Motivations are familiar. Escalation in U.S./Iran tensions is pushing fuel prices higher and bond yields continue to correlate. Bond yields correlate with consumer interest rates with... .. read more..
Market Study, DSCR, POS, API Tools; Mortgage Rates and Capital Markets
Monday, August 17, 2026
Some aren’t a fan of new federal escrow laws. Ten states have sued the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency over new federal rules that would prevent them from enforcing laws requiring national banks to pay homeowners interest on money held in mortgage escrow accounts. Some weren’t fans of 1... .. read more..
Under Some Pressure For Usual Reasons
Monday, August 17, 2026
It's just another day in post-Iran-war 2026. As such, bonds are taking cues from fuel price volatility which is in turn taking cues from the latest war-related headlines. In this morning's installment, there were several headlines around 8:30am that didn't help. The most relevant update invo... .. read more..
Existing-Home Sales Ease Slightly, Remain Above Year-Ago Levels
Friday, August 14, 2026
Existing-home sales remained relatively stable in July despite elevated mortgage rates, with activity declining modestly from June while remaining above year-ago levels. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, sales fell 1.7% from June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.06 mill... .. read more..
As Expected, Mortgage Apps Bounce in Response to Rate Reversal
Friday, August 14, 2026
Mortgage application activity rebounded last week as a moderate decline in mortgage rates provided some relief for both homebuyers and homeowners considering a refinance. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported a 3.6% increase in total application volume on a seasonally adjusted basis for... .. read more..
Mortgage Rates Slightly Higher to End The Week
Friday, August 14, 2026
First, the bad news: mortgage rates ended the day just a hair higher compared to Thursday, but the change was so small that many borrowers will see little--if any--difference in pricing. Now the good news: apart from yesterday afternoon, today's rates would still be the lowest in 4 weeks (i.e. yo... .. read more..
Wholesale Lender, POS, Mortgage Intelligence Tools; Non-Agency Trends: Who's ...
Friday, August 14, 2026
If you think that profit per loan, or gain per unit, is based purely on size, think about this short video. “Profit” can also be a personal measure in terms of income versus expenses. Owning a home is all about having a job and spending less than you earn. Bankrate’s 2025 Wage to Inflation Index ... .. read more..
Good Luck Making Sense of Retail Sales Reaction
Friday, August 14, 2026
Based on a few research papers that have attempted to quantify the impact of various economic reports as well as the general consensus among economic calendar purveyors, Retail Sales is allegedly a top tier market mover. In fact, a somewhat recent attempt by CME to rank econ data has in 5th place... .. read more..
Solid Data-Driven Gains
Thursday, August 13, 2026
Solid Data-Driven Gains Thursday was a fairly straightforward session for bonds. Yields fell modestly overnight in response to slightly lower oil prices and then more forcefully after the cooler-than-expected PPI data. Mid-day fuel price volatility caused a slight pull-back, but not enough to und... .. read more..
Lowest Mortgage Rates in Nearly 4 Weeks
Thursday, August 13, 2026
Mortgage rates dropped noticeably on Thursday on a combination of lower oil prices and a lower inflation reading via the Producer Price Index (PPI). Rates are driven by bonds and bonds are highly responsive to the outlook for inflation and the economy. The Iran war caused inflation implications t... .. read more..
Home Buyer Aid, eClosing, Marketing tools; Texas Insurance Study; Spec Pool P...
Thursday, August 13, 2026
Innovation, compliance, and affordability were key themes at this week’s Western Secondary. At the state level, for example, Kinder Institute report shows homeowners insurance has become a growing barrier to housing affordability across Texas. As Texas leaders search for ways to rein in soaring h... .. read more..
Thank You PPI
Thursday, August 13, 2026
If nothing else, this morning offers confirmation of just how nervous the market is about inflation. The producer price index barely beat its forecast (in fact y/y CORE PPI was on the screws), but this was enough for bonds to add on to modest overnight gains in a modestly enthusiastic way. ... .. read more..