MBA Economists Break Down What Servicers Should Know  

GRAPEVINE, Texas–MBA’s Deputy Chief Economist Joel Kan and Marina Walsh, CMB, MBA vice president of industry analysis, took to the main stage at MBA’s Servicing Solutions Conference and Expo Feb. 18. to address their economic outlook and how that impacts mortgage servicing–including that product mix, staffing and performance by loan type are all factors for servicers to watch right now.  

MBA Chart of the Week: Monthly Payroll Growth and Unemployment Rate

The job market definitively slowed in July. Nonfarm payroll growth at 114,000 was well below the 12-month average of 215,000, while the unemployment rate moved up to its highest level since October 2021 at 4.3%, as shown in this week’s chart.

MBA Chart of the Week: Monthly Payroll Growth, Average Hourly Earnings

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) left the federal funds target unchanged at its May meeting, as incoming data regarding the strength of the economy and stubbornly high inflation have resulted in a shift in the expected timing of a first rate cut.

MBA Chart of the Week: Goods and Services Inflation

The week’s news has been around the Consumer Price Index (CPI) release showing that inflation was hotter than expected in March, which is likely to delay the Federal Reserve’s first rate cut in 2024 and contributed to a significant spike in the 10-year Treasury yield to over 4.5%.