Author: badmortgage
The lender says the market regained momentum in March, but rising mortgage and energy costs could hit consumer confidence.
Key Takeaways Home equity loans deliver a lump sum with a fixed rate. HELOCs provide a revolving credit line with a variable rate. Choose a home equity loan for a single large expense with a known cost. Choose a HELOC for ongoing or unpredictable expenses. Both cap borrowing at 80% to 85% of your home’s value minus your existing mortgage balance. Use the decision guide at the end of this article to match your situation to the better product. See your HELOC and home equity loan options. Start here HELOCs and home equity loans both let you borrow against the…
Mortgage rates moved lower for the second straight day as markets responded to potential de-escalation in the Iran war. Rates are based on bonds and bonds improved overnight as The President said the war could end even if the Strait of Hormuz was not yet reopened. Additional improvement followed during domestic hours based on headlines that suggested Iranian officials were “ready to end the war.” The market reaction might have been bigger had those claims not been contingent on Iran wanting “certain guarantees.” They also came from Iran’s President and not the Supreme Leader. Still, stocks, bonds, and oil prices…
Ryan O’Malley, the head of portfolio management for Los Angeles-based Ducenta Squared Asset Management, said in commentary last week that mortgage rates have been closely tracking increases in the 10-year Treasury yield, which have been influenced by rising oil prices prompted by the ongoing military conflict in Iran. “The best case scenario for mortgage rates would be a swift resolution to the Iran conflict, which would likely result in Brent Oil prices dropping back to the $80/barrel range, causing interest rates and mortgage spreads to drop in tandem,” O’Malley said. “Such a resolution could happen in the next 30 days,…
Home-price growth continued to slow to start 2026, two new industry reports found, diminishing the real value of homes as inflation rises.Processing ContentHome prices rose 0.9% year-over-year and 0.1% month-over-month in January, according to the S&P Cotality Case-Shiller national home price index. Both points were down from December, when prices increased 1.1% annually and 0.4% on a monthly basis.”Splitting the year into two halves sharpens the picture,” said Nicholas Godec, head of fixed income tradables & commodities at S&P Dow Jones Indices, in a press release Tuesday. “The national index rose 2.2% over the first six months of the period,…
Home equity lines of credit and home equity loans are seeing the highest consumer demand since 2023. Data company Cotality reports lenders issued over 653,000 new home equity loans totaling $40 billion and authorized 1.5 million HELOCs worth $271 billion in 2025. Yet 97% of tappable equity remained unused last year. According to real estate analytics firm Curinos, the average monthly adjustable HELOC rate is 7.20%. The national average on a home equity loan is a fixed-rate 7.47%. Rates are based on applicants with a minimum credit score of 780 and a maximum combined loan-to-value ratio (CLTV) of less than…
United Wholesale Mortgage boss Mat Ishbia may soon testify in federal court for the first time about his company’s All-In initiative. Processing ContentA Michigan court last week ordered the lender to make the UWM chairman, CEO and president available for a deposition within 30 days, in the company’s All-In lawsuit against Atlantic Trust Mortgage. The case has been pending since 2024, when the wholesale giant accused the Florida shop of violating the All-In agreement by selling dozens of loans to wholesale rivals.The brokerage wants to depose Ishbia because it believes he was personally involved in structuring All-In’s liquidated damages provision, according…
These are today’s mortgage and refinance rates. Mortgage rates eased lower today. According to Zillow, the average 30-year fixed rate is now 6.36%, down 11 basis points.
The focal point of the overnight news cycle was a report that administration officials said Trump is willing to end the war even if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Markets rallied nearly as much just before the open when Trump said the hard part is essentially done on the Iran war (and that other countries should just go take their own oil now, or buy it from the U.S.). The initial move took yields from 4.36 to 4.33 and the pre-open rally was 4.34 to 4.30–“moderate,” but notable as it is happening on the day after an already big…
BBYS, Cybersecurity, AI Assistant Tools; Non-Agency News; STRATMOR on Owning Servicing Appraisal methodology and analysis have changed over the years, and we’re about to undergo another major alteration with UAD 3.6. Some investors are ahead of the 11/2/26 curve. For example, Newrez is now accepting loans from clients who have adopted the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) 3.6 Appraisal and Forms Redesign and submitted via the Uniform Collateral Data Portal (UCDP) “for all conforming loans and non-QM loans (Smart Series). Government (FHA, VA, and USDA), JUMBO AUS and Closed-end seconds loans must continue using the UAD 2.6 appraisals.” This write…