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Inside Mortgage Trends

May 25, 2018

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Consolidation Wave Expected as Mortgage Industry Faces Tight Margins, Overcapacity

Independent mortgage bankers lost money on loan production during the first quarter of 2018, according to preliminary figures reported by the Mortgage Bankers Association at the group’s annual secondary market conference in New York this week. Respondents to the quarterly mortgage banking performance survey reported, in aggregate, a negative margin in the “mid to high single digits” for the first quarter, said MBA Chief Economist Mike Fratantoni. Researchers are still putting together the ... Read More

Wide Gap in Credit Quality Among Agencies

Credit characteristics continue to vary greatly between the two government-sponsored enterprises in the conventional market and Ginnie Mae. During the first quarter, the average credit score at Fannie Mae was 741.15, slightly below the average 744.73 at Freddie Mac. But the average score for Ginnie business was just 686.91. Purchase mortgages typically have higher credit scores – along with higher debt-to-income ratios – than refinance loans ... [Includes two data charts] Read More

Mortgage Industry Beginning to Incorporate AI

Servicers, lenders and other industry participants are starting to introduce artificial intelligence services to borrowers and use the technology internally. Late last week, Bank of America launched what it claims is “the first widely available AI-driven virtual financial assistant.” The assistant can help the bank’s customers complete tasks, including checking loan balances and scheduling mortgage payments. The assistant is being rolled out to the 25 million customers who use BofA’s mobile application ... Read More

Few Banks Selling MSRs Due to Regulations

While numerous concerns have been raised about how capital requirements impact bank holdings of mortgage servicing rights, few banks are selling MSRs because of capital requirements or regulatory issues, according to an American Bankers Association survey. In 2017, 5.0 percent of banks sold MSRs due to regulatory requirements or capital treatment, up from a 2.0 percent share in 2016. And 12.0 percent of banks said they’re contemplating selling MSRs due to new regulatory ... Read More

Mortgage Shopping Still Best for Homebuyers

Homebuyers in Tampa, Kansas City (MO), Portland and New York saw the biggest mortgage rate savings by shopping around for home loans compared to buyers in other US cities, according to a new study by LendingTree. The rate spreads in the four cities are the largest for purchase-mortgage loans overall, while New Orleans, Salt Lake City and Indianapolis have the largest differences in refinance mortgage rates, the study found. Also, due to the large loan sizes, California borrowers ... Read More

Wild Gyrations in Reported 1Q18 Mortgage Income

Some big swings in mortgage banking profitability yielded an unexpected $4.31 billion bonanza for commercial banks and thrifts in the first quarter of 2018. According to call-report data analyzed by Inside Mortgage Trends, the industry’s mortgage banking was up 38.0 percent from the prior period. Several key banks reported gigantic increases, including Wells Fargo’s 170.0 percent jump to $1.22 billion and Bank of America’s 214.1 percent surge to ... [Includes one data chart] Read More

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