Mortgage applications rose 2.2% from the prior week, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending July 3, 2020.

As the COVID-19 pandemic sent waves across the nation, lenders and servicers have worked to adapt quickly to market changes, new mandates, and policy updates.

Despite sending unemployment skyrocketing, the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have little impact on home prices this year, according to a Reuters poll conducted in June. Home prices are expected to outperform consumer prices with a 3.0% increase this year, according to the poll.  

As the economic impact of the pandemic continues, one of the biggest issues to emerge in housing finance is the availability of mortgages. In a new paper by former Freddie Mac CEO Don Layton, he discusses the implication that somehow much or even all of the tightening is illegitimate, a failure of government policy; that it should be largely if not completely avoidable with the right government actions; and that those actions should not require the kind of subsidies we are seeing for small business or specific industries, like the airlines.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) revealed mortgage applications rose 9.3% weekly for the week ending June 5. 

Purchase applications continued its run of success, rising week-over-week by 15% and annually by 13%. 

With mortgage rates nearing record lows, NerdWallet’s Mortgage Interest Rate Forecast concluded June is a good time to refinance, as rates are expected to remain low for months. 

According to the latest weekly survey conducting by Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) for the week ending on May 22, spring has brought a surge in mortgage applications to the housing industry. 

A report by Bloomberg said while the government took control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac during the last downturn, the GSEs are “now at the heart” of the government’s effort to assist homeowners, lenders, and servicers during COVID-19. 

AEI latest housing indicators show the market may be stabilizing but at a lower level. 

Six of the 10 metros that experienced the largest drops in new-home listings were located in the northeast, according to a new report by realtor.com.