Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Mortgage rates at 6.71% as purchase demand holds up

Rates for 30-year conforming mortgages stayed above 6.7% this week, but housing market activity has been resilient as weekly pending sales and purchase loan demand are up slightly compared to this time last year. At HousingWire’s Mortgage Rates Center on Tuesday, 30-year conforming loan rates averaged 6.71%, while rates for 30-year jumbo loans averaged 6.73% […]

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KBW says UWM is well positioned despite market pressures

Analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW) said UWM Holdings Corp., the publicly traded parent company of United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM), is positioned for continued growth despite elevated interest rates. It points to expanded broker market share, in-house technology investments and a push to bring mortgage servicing operations fully in-house. In a research note published

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Mortgage rates rise amid U.S.-Iran uncertainty

Mortgage rates saw moderate increases in the past week as global economic uncertainty around the U.S.-Iran conflict continues, putting a damper on what was previously expected to be a brisk spring homebuying season. Mortgage News Daily reported Friday that 30-year fixed rates spiked to a seven-month high point of 6.41% before retreating to 6.36% on

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New Fed proposals could reshape mortgage capital requirements

Regulatory changes to how banks treat mortgage assets — anticipated this week by Federal Reserve Vice Chair Michelle Bowman — may have an impact on the mortgage market over time, analysts said. “The near-term impact on the mortgage market is likely to be somewhat limited,” Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW) analysts wrote in a report

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Potential cuts to FHA premiums weigh on mortgage insurers

Shares in publicly traded mortgage insurance companies dropped between 5% to 8% in a single day and are down by 5% to 12% so far this year, according to an investor note published Tuesday by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW). KBW analysts Bose George and Frankie Labetti explained that the main concern appears to be tied

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Google enters portal wars with MLS listings in select cities

The portal wars may have a new entrant — and it isn’t one to shake a stick at. Google has begun testing a new advertising format in select markets that embeds for-sale home listings directly into search results.  Listings are embedded only in mobile searches for listings in select markets, including Chicago, Denver and Austin. 

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With a Fed rate cut likely, how big could the refinance wave be?

Mortgage rates at their lowest levels in nearly a year are driving a wave of refinance opportunities for lenders ahead of the Federal Reserve’s expected rate cut next week. The shift is encouraging more borrowers to leave the sidelines, with small rate moves already triggering meaningful activity. “Refinance businesses increased significantly from the first quarter,

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Trump’s GSE exit pursuit is complicated (and could be costly)

President Donald Trump’s bombshell Truth Social post on Wednesday night sent the stock prices of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac soaring. But removing the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) from conservatorship after 16-plus years would be a complicated endeavor. And if they’re not removed carefully, costs for borrowers could spike. Trump’s announcement that he’s considering a public

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