The report discovered that mortgage charges rose in July throughout all mortgage varieties, with the Optimum Blue Mortgage Market Indices (OBMMI) 30-year conforming fastened fee up 5 bps to six.72%.
FHA, VA and jumbo charges elevated to six.50%, 6.33%, and 6.89%, respectively. Buy quantity was flat YoY, whereas cash-out and rate-and-term refinance locks climbed 5% and seven%, serving to offset weak point in purchases.
Though solely 20% of the market, refinances are gaining traction as debtors with post-2022 loans discover alternatives to decrease their month-to-month funds. Money-out and rate-and-term refis rose 5% and seven%, respectively.
Non-QM lending accounted for 8% of July’s complete fee lock quantity, the very best on report. GSE-eligible originations fell to 52.2% and non-conforming rose to 16.8%.
The shift towards nontraditional financing displays excessive charges, rising debt, expanded revenue verification choices and mortgage limits pushing debtors towards extra versatile qualification paths.
Deliberate unit improvement (PUD) exercise grew 0.85% to twenty-eight.5% of all manufacturing, whereas single-family houses declined by 0.87% to 63.5%. Regardless of the month-to-month improve, new building market share is down 4% yearly.
“As we close to the tip of peak shopping for season, 2025 buy exercise has largely tracked with 2024,” mentioned Mike Vough, head of company technique at Optimum Blue. “With affordability nonetheless a significant constraint, buy quantity in step with 2024 is mostly a disappointment to the business based mostly on 2025 projections We’re seeing extra cash-out (+27% yearly) and rate-and-term (+13% yearly) alternatives as debtors with post-2022 loans reply to even modest fee enhancements, and debtors could also be present process some monetary stress based mostly on cash-out will increase.”
Continued Vough, “There’s rising separation within the methods bigger and smaller lenders are managing profitability. We noticed an uptick in company MBS executions, insinuating extra market share goes to depositories and enormous IMBs, alongside stronger bid-to-cover ratios, indicating lenders are chasing the very best worth over different execution concerns. Mixed with deeper engagement in OBMMI-tied CME futures and plenty of conversations about capital markets methods for non-agency loans, it’s clear lenders are being proactive of their pricing, margin and pipeline threat methods.”
Mortgage servicing rights (MSRs) for conforming 30-year loans fell 3 bps to 1.19, shifting in opposition to the pattern of the OBMMI benchmark fee. The decline was partly pushed by larger intramonth volatility.
Gross sales to the company money window dropped 200 bps to 26%. In the meantime, gross sales into company mortgage-backed securities (MBS) climbed to 37%, signaling stronger securitization exercise amongst massive lenders and potential market share beneficial properties for that group.
Mortgage pricing developments additionally shifted. The share of loans bought on the highest out there worth rose to 70% (+100 bps), whereas these bought within the lowest pricing tier or worse fell to 11% (-100 bps). This means that particular eligibility exceptions and consultant supply profiles had been much less influential in pricing than in prior months.
Adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) accounted for 9.52% of complete quantity in July, up from 8.81% in June, even because the Secured In a single day Financing Charge (SOFR) curve flattened — the 2-year/10-year unfold narrowed by roughly 7 bps however remained positively sloped.
Credit score high quality dipped barely. Common FICO scores for conforming loans fell 1 level to 756, FHA loans dropped to 675, and VA loans held regular at 713.
The common mortgage quantity was $382,476, down from $386,084 in June. Of the highest 30 MSAs, common mortgage quantities ranged from a excessive of $609,008 within the New York area to a low of $476,637 in Sacramento, Calif.
