MBA Newslinks Archive

“A modest downturn in commercial real estate should be manageable for the larger banks, however, some smaller concentrated banks may not fare as well.”–Fitch Ratings Associate Director Johannes Moller.

“What you should be doing is looking at the world around you and take disconnected things and connect them. Think about all the technology you can harness that customers will never see, but will enhance their experience.”–Tech innovator George Blankenship, who spoke at the recent MBA Technology Solutions Conference & Expo.

“The 2008 financial crisis exposed fundamental problems in the GSEs’ business models, as well as weaknesses in the regulatory framework. Ten years later, we have still not determined how or if the GSEs will be permanently reformed. Only by enacting comprehensive legislative reform can we provide the confidence necessary for a stable, sustainable and inclusive mortgage market.”–MBA President and CEO Robert Broeksmit, CMB, in testimony yesterday before the Senate Banking Committee.

“The mortgage industry remains a very challenging environment. The real challenge for lenders moving forward is whether they can bring the cost of originating loans down.”–MBA Chief Economist Mike Fratantoni.

“MBA members are looking to technology as one stone that can kill two birds. First, they want to increase profitability while containing costs. And second, they want to improve the customer experience.”–MBA President & CEO Robert Broeksmit, CMB.

“Existing home sales bounced back in February after a sluggish start to the year. The 5.5 million sales pace last month was the strongest since March of last year, and is a sign that some buyers were able to shrug off some of the market uncertainty in late 2018 and early 2019.”–Joel Kan, MBA Associate Vice President of Economic and Industry Forecasting.

“The shortage of starter homes across the country is finally starting to ease, and that’s good news for would-be first-time buyers who have been saving up to make the leap into homeownership. Unfortunately, prices of homes in the lower third of the market have risen so much in recent years that for many households’ budgets they no longer qualify as affordable.” –Skylar Olsen, Zillow director of economic research.

“The job market is quite strong, and even though wage growth has accelerated, inflation has not picked up and shows no signs of doing so. With that combination, Fed officials are comfortable leaving rates at their current level. If inflation were to increase, they might be forced to hike again, but it appears that we are at the end of the rate hiking cycle.”–MBA Chief Economist Mike Fratantoni.

“Entry level housing supply remains weak and is likely hindering some would-be first-time buyers from finding a home. This–along with faster growth in the higher price tiers–is why the average loan application size has risen to a new high for three straight weeks.”–Joel Kan, MBA Associate Vice President of Economic and Industry Forecasting.

“Home builders are generally upbeat headed into the spring selling season. Builder sentiment has rebounded from the lows hit late last year, as builders are balancing optimism with pragmatism.”–Mark Vitner, senior economist with Wells Fargo Securities, Charlotte, N.C.