Latest news
14th April, 26
MERS Review, TPO, Virtual LO, Digital Ass't, HELOC, Warehouse Products; Policy Moves for LOs to Watch
Products, Services, and Software for Brokers and Lenders Meet the Axos Warehouse Lending and WCPL teams at MBA’s Secondary & Capital Markets Conference, May 17–20, 2026, at the Marriott Marquis New York. Axos Warehouse Lending helps mortgage lenders fund efficiently with a streamlined process and reliable execution, built for clarity, consistency, and confidence across market cycles. Axos WCPL (Wholesale, Correspondent, and Portfolio Lending) helps lenders broaden solutions for complex borrower profiles with experienced underwriting, broad asset acceptance, and support across occupancy
MERS Review, TPO, Virtual LO, Digital Ass't, HELOC, Warehouse Products; Policy Moves for LOs to Watch
Products, Services, and Software for Brokers and Lenders Meet the Axos Warehouse Lending and WCPL teams at MBA’s Secondary & Capital Markets Conference, May 17–20, 2026, at the Marriott Marquis New York. Axos Warehouse Lending helps mortgage lenders fund efficiently with a streamlined process and reliable execution, built for clarity, consistency, and confidence across market cycles. Axos WCPL (Wholesale, Correspondent, and Portfolio Lending) helps lenders broaden solutions for complex borrower profiles with experienced underwriting, broad asset acceptance, and support across occupancy
14th April, 26
Why Aren't Bonds Responding to a Big Beat in Inflation Data?
Bonds were fairly flat overnight and haven't moved much so far in the domestic session. More importantly, until 7am, bonds were slightly weaker even as oil prices have fallen and stocks have rallied. What gives?! If PPI had come in much higher than expected, it would be easier to explain. But despite the 0.1 vs 0.5 reading for core monthly numbers, the PPI components that track with the more important PCE inflation metrics were actually a bit higher. In addition, the ill effects of fuel prices have already wreaked havoc on March inflation data. If we assume (and we should) that
Why Aren't Bonds Responding to a Big Beat in Inflation Data?
Bonds were fairly flat overnight and haven't moved much so far in the domestic session. More importantly, until 7am, bonds were slightly weaker even as oil prices have fallen and stocks have rallied. What gives?! If PPI had come in much higher than expected, it would be easier to explain. But despite the 0.1 vs 0.5 reading for core monthly numbers, the PPI components that track with the more important PCE inflation metrics were actually a bit higher. In addition, the ill effects of fuel prices have already wreaked havoc on March inflation data. If we assume (and we should) that
13th April, 26
Weekend Selling Reverses After Another Round of De-Escalation Headlines
Weekend Selling Reverses After Another Round of De-Escalation Headlines Another day, another chance to sort through a barrage of war-related headlines to see which ones mattered to the bond market. In today's case, there were two distinct contenders. The first was apparently bogus. It referred to Iran considering abandoning its enrichment program and it actually caused a visible surge in volume and volatility. The second contender was a batch of headlines around 12:30ET that generally spoke to de-escalation potential and negotiation possibilities. All told, it was enough to reverse the
Weekend Selling Reverses After Another Round of De-Escalation Headlines
Weekend Selling Reverses After Another Round of De-Escalation Headlines Another day, another chance to sort through a barrage of war-related headlines to see which ones mattered to the bond market. In today's case, there were two distinct contenders. The first was apparently bogus. It referred to Iran considering abandoning its enrichment program and it actually caused a visible surge in volume and volatility. The second contender was a batch of headlines around 12:30ET that generally spoke to de-escalation potential and negotiation possibilities. All told, it was enough to reverse the
13th April, 26
Mortgage Rates Hold Steady Over The Weekend
Mortgage rates are based on movement in the bond market and although bonds experienced some volatility in response to Iran war news over the weekend, they ended up in similar territory to Friday morning. As such, it's no surprise to see mortgage rates in similar territory as well. The average lender began the day 0.02% higher than Friday, but bonds improved during the day and some mortgage lenders were able to make small downward adjustments mid-day. This keep the average top-tier 30yr fixed rate just below 6.40% for the third straight day. From 5.99% in late February, rates spiked as
Mortgage Rates Hold Steady Over The Weekend
Mortgage rates are based on movement in the bond market and although bonds experienced some volatility in response to Iran war news over the weekend, they ended up in similar territory to Friday morning. As such, it's no surprise to see mortgage rates in similar territory as well. The average lender began the day 0.02% higher than Friday, but bonds improved during the day and some mortgage lenders were able to make small downward adjustments mid-day. This keep the average top-tier 30yr fixed rate just below 6.40% for the third straight day. From 5.99% in late February, rates spiked as
13th April, 26
AI, LOS, Subservicing, MERS Review, Fraud Prevention Tools; Webinars; Wholesale and Correspondent News
Products, Services, and Software for Brokers and Lenders FundingShield, the leader in wire & title fraud prevention, released its Q1‑2026 Wire Fraud Analytics & Risk Report showing 43.72 percent of transactions across a $106.7B+ portfolio carried material wire and title‑related defects. CPL discrepancies impacted 43.49 percent of transactions, wire instruction issues appeared at 6.92 percent, and licensing irregularities persisted at 2.37 percent, underscoring continued vulnerabilities across closing workflows. “Seeing a 14 percent lift in remediation efficiency shows the impact
AI, LOS, Subservicing, MERS Review, Fraud Prevention Tools; Webinars; Wholesale and Correspondent News
Products, Services, and Software for Brokers and Lenders FundingShield, the leader in wire & title fraud prevention, released its Q1‑2026 Wire Fraud Analytics & Risk Report showing 43.72 percent of transactions across a $106.7B+ portfolio carried material wire and title‑related defects. CPL discrepancies impacted 43.49 percent of transactions, wire instruction issues appeared at 6.92 percent, and licensing irregularities persisted at 2.37 percent, underscoring continued vulnerabilities across closing workflows. “Seeing a 14 percent lift in remediation efficiency shows the impact
13th April, 26
Overnight Weakness (But Bouncing Back) After Peace Talks Fail
Heading into the weekend, the big news was that the U.S. and Iran would meet in Pakistan to negotiate a peace deal. But by Sunday morning, the talks had failed over an impasse on Iran's nuclear enrichment program. The market-mover, however, was the U.S. response: a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. This sent oil prices sharply higher with 10yr yields following (albeit not in as threatening a way as we've seen on many recent occasions). Bonds were already back near unchanged levels in early trading and just now moved into positive territory on headlines that Iran is "studying abandoning its
Overnight Weakness (But Bouncing Back) After Peace Talks Fail
Heading into the weekend, the big news was that the U.S. and Iran would meet in Pakistan to negotiate a peace deal. But by Sunday morning, the talks had failed over an impasse on Iran's nuclear enrichment program. The market-mover, however, was the U.S. response: a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. This sent oil prices sharply higher with 10yr yields following (albeit not in as threatening a way as we've seen on many recent occasions). Bonds were already back near unchanged levels in early trading and just now moved into positive territory on headlines that Iran is "studying abandoning its
10th April, 26
Bonds Drift Weaker Despite Lower Oil Prices
Bonds Drift Weaker Despite Lower Oil Prices Although they still technically made positive progress versus the end of last week, bonds ended the day moderately weaker. Lower oil prices offered no support, but that's a tricky correlation these days. Longer-term oil contracts continue lining up with bond yield movement more reliably. To be sure, we can at least consider the impact of this morning's CPI data based on decent trading volume at the time and a reversal of the sideways to slightly stronger momentum in the preceding few hours, but it's impossible to say that it continued weighing on
Bonds Drift Weaker Despite Lower Oil Prices
Bonds Drift Weaker Despite Lower Oil Prices Although they still technically made positive progress versus the end of last week, bonds ended the day moderately weaker. Lower oil prices offered no support, but that's a tricky correlation these days. Longer-term oil contracts continue lining up with bond yield movement more reliably. To be sure, we can at least consider the impact of this morning's CPI data based on decent trading volume at the time and a reversal of the sideways to slightly stronger momentum in the preceding few hours, but it's impossible to say that it continued weighing on
10th April, 26
Mortgage Rates Remain Surprisingly Calm
If we're splitting hairs, today's average mortgage rates are technically higher than yesterday's, but the change is so small that it's just as fair to say that rates are flat. This closes out a week with surprisingly low volatility compared to that seen in March. In part, this can be attributed to longer-term oil prices being less volatile after moving down from their highs in late March. It's also a reflection of uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the Iran war. The war (specifically, the economic/inflation implications) continue to be primary source of motivation for rates even in the
Mortgage Rates Remain Surprisingly Calm
If we're splitting hairs, today's average mortgage rates are technically higher than yesterday's, but the change is so small that it's just as fair to say that rates are flat. This closes out a week with surprisingly low volatility compared to that seen in March. In part, this can be attributed to longer-term oil prices being less volatile after moving down from their highs in late March. It's also a reflection of uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the Iran war. The war (specifically, the economic/inflation implications) continue to be primary source of motivation for rates even in the
10th April, 26
Mortgage Demand Contracted at a Slower Pace Last Week
Mortgage applications dipped again last week, though the pace of decline slowed considerably. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported a 0.8% decrease on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending April 3. Refinance activity continued to weaken, with the Refinance Index falling 3% from the previous week and now sitting 4% below year-ago levels. The slowdown reflects a sharp drop in borrower incentive following the recent run-up in rates. Purchase activity showed modest resilience, with the seasonally adjusted Purchase Index rising 1% from the prior week. However, demand remains
Mortgage Demand Contracted at a Slower Pace Last Week
Mortgage applications dipped again last week, though the pace of decline slowed considerably. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported a 0.8% decrease on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending April 3. Refinance activity continued to weaken, with the Refinance Index falling 3% from the previous week and now sitting 4% below year-ago levels. The slowdown reflects a sharp drop in borrower incentive following the recent run-up in rates. Purchase activity showed modest resilience, with the seasonally adjusted Purchase Index rising 1% from the prior week. However, demand remains
10th April, 26
UAD 3.6, Spec Pool Tools; Credit Report FICO Program; Client and Market Trends For LOs to Monitor
Products, Services, and Software for Brokers and Lenders Yesterday this Commentary mentioned a guide titled, “AI in the Workplace: Acceptable Use Policies, Data Risk, and the Discovery Trap.” Many wrote for the piece, which is now posted on the internet! Spring EQ (NMLS# 1464945) is hosting a webinar next week (Tuesday, April 14 at 2:00 p.m. ET) to help brokers capitalize on today’s home equity opportunity. With homeowners sitting on near-record levels of equity, including $34 trillion in total U.S. home equity, an average of $295,000 per homeowner, and 50% holding first mortgage rates
UAD 3.6, Spec Pool Tools; Credit Report FICO Program; Client and Market Trends For LOs to Monitor
Products, Services, and Software for Brokers and Lenders Yesterday this Commentary mentioned a guide titled, “AI in the Workplace: Acceptable Use Policies, Data Risk, and the Discovery Trap.” Many wrote for the piece, which is now posted on the internet! Spring EQ (NMLS# 1464945) is hosting a webinar next week (Tuesday, April 14 at 2:00 p.m. ET) to help brokers capitalize on today’s home equity opportunity. With homeowners sitting on near-record levels of equity, including $34 trillion in total U.S. home equity, an average of $295,000 per homeowner, and 50% holding first mortgage rates