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Bonds Only Modestly Weaker After New Escalation Over The Weekend
4/20/2026 3:24 PM
Bonds Only Modestly Weaker After New Escalation Over The Weekend Bonds/oil/stocks saw a small corrective bounce over the weekend after headlines called the peace process into question, but markets agree we"re close enough to "on track" to avoid a major correction. Over the course of the day, bonds returned ...Read More
 
Mortgage Rates Almost Perfectly Flat to Start New Week
4/20/2026 2:21 PM
Despite some initial signs of volatility in financial markets over the weekend, the bond market managed to avoid losing much ground. Because bonds dictate mortgage rate movement, the average lender remained very close to Friday"s latest levels.  MND"s rate index (a measure of top-tier 30yr fixed rates) rose by 0.01% which is the smallest incr...Read More
 
Best-ex, AI, Servicing, Borrower Acquisition Tools; HELOC, Non-QM, Client Funnel Products; Markets on Hold?
4/20/2026 10:47 AM
War in the Middle East made oil prices go up, higher oil prices hurt world economies and stock markets because prices and inflation go up, and higher inflation leads to higher interest rates. At least, that’s the way it usually works, as does the opposite. Last week stock markets surged as pivotal geopolitical development reshaped investor sentimen...Read More
 
Bonds Only Modestly Weaker After New Escalation Over The Weekend
4/20/2026 8:34 AM
Heading into the weekend, all indications were about as promising as they have been that the war was heading toward a peaceful conclusion. This was reflected in oil prices and Treasury yields being at multi-week lows (and stocks at all-time highs). But over the weekend, the U.S. fired on and seized an Iranian ship, and Iran said it was cancelling p...Read More
 
AM Gains Mostly Stick Around
4/17/2026 3:29 PM
AM Gains Mostly Stick Around Everything interesting about today occurred before 9am ET (several war-related headlines that prompted a sharp rally in bonds). The rest of the day was spent drifting mostly sideways. Stocks continued their surge to new all-time highs. Oil prices fell in concert with the bond ra...Read More
 
Lowest Rates in Over a Month Despite Small Move Today
4/17/2026 3:06 PM
Today was a victory for mortgage rates, but not nearly as much of a victory as the underlying bond market would suggest. The good news is that the end result is the lowest average 30yr fixed rate in just over a month.  The other news isn"t bad, per se, but it is a bit confusing.  As we often discuss, mortgage rates are based on bonds be...Read More
 
Builder Sentiment Drops to Seven-Month Low in April
4/17/2026 1:17 PM
Builder confidence fell sharply in April as rising costs and economic uncertainty weighed on sentiment heading into the spring buying season. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) dropped four points to 34 , its lowest level since September 2025. The decline marks a notable setback after modest ga...Read More
 
Mortgage Application Demand Finally Bounces
4/17/2026 1:13 PM
Mortgage applications ticked higher last week, reversing recent declines as easing rates provided a modest boost to activity. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported a 1.8% increase on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending April 10. Refinance activity led the gain, with the Refinance Index rising 5% from the previous week and...Read More
 
Existing Home Sales Remain Flat in The Bigger Picture
4/17/2026 12:49 PM
Existing-home sales pulled back in March, reversing February’s modest gains as affordability pressures and rising mortgage rates continued to weigh on buyer activity. Sales fell 3.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.98 million , slipping 1.0% below year-ago levels. “March home sales remained sluggish and below last year’s pace,” sa...Read More
 
Dark Matter Changes; Mfg. DPA, QC, AI, Data Decisioning Tools; A Strained Housing Market; Insurance/Climate Interview
4/17/2026 10:10 AM
The MBA"s National Advocacy Conference in DC wrapped up this week, and any time you have a gaggle of mortgage personnel in one place, talk in the hallways inevitably turned to current market conditions. For example, servicing rights have increased in value, and MSR trading multiples are in the mid 5x range for certain cohorts (markedly higher than ...Read More




Small Business Stories from New York Times:
 
A Maker of Pet Toys in Ukraine Turns to Killer Drones
4/9/2026 3:09 PM
An entrepreneur behind drones that make the final strike themselves epitomizes the transformation of Ukraine’s civilian technology industry into a defense powerhouse...Read More
 
Linda Dresner, Old-School Guru of Avant-Garde Fashion, Dies at 88
4/8/2026 3:24 PM
Her minimalist gallery-like store on Park Avenue was a destination for generations of moneyed New Yorkers and helped change the way clothing is sold...Read More
 
Presto! In Chicago, a High-End Magic Palace Appears
4/14/2026 1:56 PM
The entrepreneur Glen Tullman is betting people want to dress up and watch magicians in a luxury setting. Either it will work or $50 million will go poof...Read More
 
All the Worst People Seem to Want to Be ‘High Agency’
4/3/2026 1:12 PM
The term “high agency” is an ethos for a gambler’s time...Read More
 
A New Jersey Teen Finds Treasure, and More, in Abandoned Storage Units
3/31/2026 3:19 PM
Michael Haskell, 17, set out to make some money from his locker dives. He ended up learning about life...Read More



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