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“The housing market remains sluggish heading into the spring homebuying season. While mortgage rates have retreated from recent peaks, they remain elevated compared with one year ago,” Chief Economist Mark Fleming said.

The MBA reports that overall app volume dropped nearly 6% week-over-week, with the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage jumping nine basis points to its highest level in nearly two months.

“The relatively higher interest rate environment has depressed mortgage refinancing in particular. Interestingly, cash-out refinance hasn’t been as impacted as rate and term refinance,” according to Joe Mellman, SVP and Mortgage Business Leader at TransUnion.

The GSE names both national and local lending companies, as well as their loan originators, who have made a commitment to making responsible and sustainable homeownership a reality nationwide.

The FHFA will host a hybrid hearing of the Appraisal Subcommittee exploring the appraisal regulatory system focusing on appraisal standards, appraiser qualification criteria, and barriers to entry into the profession, appraisal practice and State regulation.

Prospective spring home buyers have responded to a second straight week of falling rates according to Freddie Mac, as they pounce on the nation’s limited housing supply, and have driven app volume upward.

“Higher mortgage rates, record levels of home price appreciation, constrained housing inventories, and economic inflation are challenging for both lenders and borrowers,” said Paul Doman, President and CEO of Accurate Group.

An upcoming Five Star Institute Webinar will delve into the landscape of the mortgage industry over the next 12 months, including a possible rise in home equity loans, a decrease in savings, increased credit card usage, and overall consumer weariness, among other topics.

Although a national debt default is unlikely, new scenario projections from Zillow reveal home sales would decrease sharply. While home values would not lose much ground, a surge in mortgage rates would do further damage to nationwide housing affordability.

Chris Bixby of Rice Park Capital Management offers some keys to accelerating proptech and real estate technology through venture capital.