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Bonds Scratch Out a Win Amid Dueling Headlines

5/22/2026 2:05 PM

Bonds Scratch Out a Win Amid Dueling Headlines Bonds remain surprisingly willing to react to the most seemingly insignificant war-related headlines. Today it was the much-debated geographical location of Pakistan"s lead negotiator, Asim Munir, that set the tone. Bonds rallied on early accounts that he was e...Read More

Mortgage Rates End Week Roughly Unchanged

5/22/2026 12:19 PM

Mortgage lenders rely on the bond market to generate mortgage rates. In addition to being fully closed on Monday for Memorial Day, bonds also close 3 hours earlier than normal on the preceding Friday (i.e. today). The abbreviated trading session was fairly uneventful for rates despite some back-and-forth volatility in response to diplomacy headlin...Read More

Builders Breaking Ground at Fastest Pace in 2 Years

5/22/2026 11:36 AM

Residential construction activity was mixed again in April, as building permits rebounded while housing starts pulled back modestly from March’s stronger pace. The latest Census Bureau data continues to reflect a construction sector navigating uneven demand and affordability pressures. Privately owned housing starts fell 2.8% to a seasonally adj...Read More

Borrowers Shift Toward ARMs as Fixed Rates Climb

5/22/2026 11:31 AM

Mortgage applications pulled back last week as rising rates weighed on homebuyer demand, while refinance activity remained largely flat. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported a 2.3% decrease in total application volume on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending May 15. The decline was driven primarily by softer purchase activit...Read More

Builder Sentiment Improves Slightly as Mortgage Rates Continue to Weigh on Demand

5/22/2026 11:04 AM

Builder confidence improved modestly in May, though sentiment remained subdued as elevated mortgage rates, affordability pressures, and broader economic uncertainty continued to weigh on the housing market. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) increased three points to 37 . While the gain marks a...Read More

Credit and Verification, Warehouse, AI Processing Tools; Basel III Update; Rates Higher for Longer?

5/22/2026 10:49 AM

Wanna know the new buzz acronym? Residential Transition Loans (RTL): financing for properties in transition, including fix-and-flip, bridge, and rehab deals. Catch the wave… people always need to borrow money! Now, if only income guidelines by the Agencies matched how incomes have changed. Change is constant: “Rob, if you think inflation is bad, ho...Read More

Abbreviated Friday Opening at Week"s Best Levels

5/22/2026 7:59 AM

Bonds are starting the session at the best levels of the week with modest overnight gains getting a small boost from news that Pakistan"s army chief (a central figure in mediating US/Iran peace talks) is en route to Tehran. Trading ends at 2pm today instead of 5pm, as is usually the case for a Friday before a Monday federal holiday. Econ data ...Read More

Peace Deal Rumors Make For Mid-Day Reversal

5/21/2026 3:05 PM

Peace Deal Rumors Make For Mid-Day Reversal Bonds started the day in fairly forgettable and slightly weaker fashion after overnight headlines suggested that the disposition of Iran"s nuclear material remains a sticking point. Bonds were flat at weaker levels all morning. Then, just after 1pm, a differe...Read More

Mortgage Rates Recover After Starting Higher

5/21/2026 1:40 PM

After posting a decent recovery from 9-month highs yesterday, it looked like mortgage rates were destined to bounce back toward slightly higher levels today. In fact, when lenders released their initial rates this morning, the average 30yr fixed rate was indeed moderately higher. But shortly after 1pm ET, news broke regarding additional progress i...Read More

Hedging, Verification, Servicing, QC, Reverse Products; Road to Housing Bill Status

5/21/2026 10:15 AM

Lots of folks were leaving the MBA’s National Secondary yesterday, and many comments and questions were heard. “Did you hear that Jerry Seinfeld is doing a show at the MBA National in October?” (True) “Ginnie Mae began ratcheting up its cybersecurity efforts in 2024. Why aren’t others?” (Good question; I’m sure they are at some level.) “Most lender...Read More

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