This Chart of the Week focuses on trends in mortgage industry employment and appropriately coincides with Labor Day and MBA’s upcoming Human Resources Symposium. In this chart, we focus on three different measurements of mortgage employment from three different sources.
Category: News and Trends
MBA Responds to FHA Regarding ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ Debt
MBA responded to the Federal Housing Administration’s Request for Information concerning Buy Now Pay Later debt.
ATTOM: Zombie Foreclosures See Slight Increase in Q3, Vacancy Rate Near Flat
ATTOM, Irvine, Calif., released its third-quarter Vacant Property and Zombie Foreclosure Report, finding that 1.4 million residential properties are vacant. That’s about 1.3% of all homes in the U.S.
Trepp: CMBS Delinquency Rate Increases for Sixth Straight Month
Trepp, New York, released its CMBS Delinquency report for August, highlighting that the rate increased for the sixth consecutive month.
MISMO Calls for Industry Input on New Version 3.6.2 Reference Model
MISMO, the real estate finance industry’s standards organization, is seeking public comment on the new Version 3.6.2 MISMO Reference Model, which includes new data points, containers, and enumerations to support MISMO work products and broader mortgage industry needs. The public comment period will remain open through Sept. 27, 2025.
Redfin: Homebuyers, Sellers Both Retreat
Redfin, Seattle, reported that the U.S. housing market has seen both buyers and sellers retreating recently.
Servicing Quote of the Week
“Servicing net financial income improved slightly, as impairments on mortgage servicing rights were minimal. Combining production and servicing operations, 80% of mortgage companies in the sample posted overall profits – the highest percentage since the third quarter of 2021.”
–Marina Walsh, CMB, MBA’s Vice President of Industry Analysis
MBA: IMBs Report Production Profits in Second Quarter
Independent mortgage banks and mortgage subsidiaries of chartered banks reported a pre-tax net production profit of $950 on each loan they originated in the second quarter of 2025, compared to a net loss of $28 per loan in the first quarter, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s newly released Quarterly Mortgage Bankers Performance Report.
Optimal Blue: Refinances Up, Purchase Activity Down, Non-QM Hits Record High
Refinances ticked up and non-QM lending hit a record high as purchase activity fell nearly 5% in July, according to Optimal Blue, Plano, Texas.
Nationwide: First-Time Buyers Experiencing High Levels of Stress
Nationwide, Columbus, Ohio, reported that recent first-time buyers found buying a home more stressful than some other major life milestones.