Daily Dose

The S&P Corelogic Case-Shiller HPI covers 20 metropolitan areas across the U.S., and is released on the last Tuesday of every month. The previous HPI, covering January 2017, showed home prices at a 31-month high. During January, home prices were up 5.9 percent year-over-year and 5.7 percent month-over-month.

Though mortgage rates and applications are falling, home prices are rising. Freddie Mac’s House Price Index has shown a steady increase in prices over the last several months. The S&P CoreLogic Case Shiller Home Price Index has shown a similar trend. January’s Index reflected a 31-month high in home prices. During January, home prices were up 5.9 percent year-over-year and 5.7 percent month-over-month.

In its Q1 results, SunTrust Bank noted that higher mortgage-related income and investment-related income pushed the noninterest income up by $32 million. Mortgage servicing income posted a strong quarter, with a net income of $53 million over the previous quarter’s $25 million. Still, this was a decrease from the previous year’s Q1 income of $62 million.

Critics have begun to speak out after President Trump signed two executive orders calling for the review into “too big to fail” and a number of financial oversight entities. Some even fear it could signal another financial crisis is on the horizon. Trump’s orders specifically require a review of the Financial Stability Oversight Council and the Orderly Liquidation Authority.

Existing home sales in March took off at a pace not seen in a decade. But while that sounds like good news, not everyone thinks March’s uptick is a sign of great growth. The rub: Inventory is still low.

A key industry organization has released a white paper outlining a GSE reform plan. The paper details how the reform should occur, how to handle the transition, and the secondary market’s role in it all. The organization hopes to work with legislators on creating a bipartisan reform plan.

According to new data, the mortgage industry costs the world 264,000 trees every year, thanks to its largely paper-driven processes. When the number of applications that don’t result in closings is considered, that number could even be conservative. The industry also consumes significant amounts of water, energy, and wood and results in greenhouse gas emissions.

Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan came out against the Dodd-Frank Act today on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” business show. The post-crisis regulations, he said, have caused a “surge in stock prices,” and getting rid of them would “have a very significant positive impact on the economy.” President Trump called for a review of Dodd-Frank back in February.

BNY Mellon and S&T Bancorp both released their Q1 earnings reports on Thursday. Together, they represent a mixed bag of insights—particularly for the mortgage industry. While BNY Mellon’s residential mortgage earnings were down, S&T’s were up—both over the quarter and the year.

A new report shows refinancing is continuing its downward trend, declining for the third month in a row this year. Just 37 percent of all closed loans in March were refinance loans. The report also shows closing times down and FICO scores up, particularly on conventional loans.