Origination

Freddie Mac released Thursday its Primary Mortgage Market Survey, which shows the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) falling to an average rate of 4.13 percent (0.8 point) for the week ending October 24, down from 4.28 percent and the lowest level in about four months. "Mortgage rates slid this week as the partial government shutdown led to market speculation that the Federal Reserve will not alter its bond purchases this year," explained Frank Nothaft, VP and chief economist for Freddie Mac.

Platinum Data Solutions, a technology provider specializing in collateral evaluation and quality, has launched all-new upgraded scoring functionality for RealView, its configurable engine that processes and analyzes appraisals for compliance and completeness.

Marking 19 consecutive months of appreciation, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index rose 0.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted monthly basis in August. On a yearly basis, the index is up 8.5 percent. Of the nine census divisions, FHFA detected the greatest monthly price increase in the Mountain division, where prices increased 1.3 percent in August. The greatest monthly decrease took place in the South Atlantic division, where prices declined 0.5 percent.

Depressed construction activity is expected to continue weighing down both housing and the larger economy, Freddie Mac predicts in its latest Economic and Housing Outlook.

Mortgage Contracting Services (MCS) announced that Paul Lee has been named CFO.

The Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey shows loan application volume fell a seasonally adjusted 0.6 percent for the week ending October 18.

Five federal agencies issued Tuesday a statement assuring creditors that they do not run the risk of being found in violation of fair lending laws should they choose to only originate qualified mortgages (QM) as defined earlier in the year. With creditors having to consider a balance of secondary market opportunities, capital requirements, and credit and liability risk, regulators say they expect there will be a need for most businesses to fine-tune their products in response--something they should be used to.

The Census Bureau put construction spending at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $915.1 billion in August, a slight increase over July's spending. On the private side, the Census estimated construction spending was at an adjusted rate of $640.5 billion, 0.7 percent above the revised July estimate of $636.1 billion. Private residential construction spending was $340.2 billion, a 1.2 percent increase from July and an 18.7 percent increase from August 2012.

Capital Economics is ready to acknowledge that rising mortgage rates may provide more drag than the firm's analysts first thought.

ValuTrac Software, a software solutions provider to the appraisal management and mortgage lending industry, announced the hiring of David Yavorsky as the company's new CIO.