Analysis and Data

July sales declined 4.1% as affordability squeezed buyers nationally, builder competition slowed Texas markets, and job insecurity weakened demand in Seattle

Purchase locks fell 12% from June as the conforming share dropped to 47.3%, extending the mortgage market’s shift toward more specialized products

Only 19% would stretch their housing budget, signaling that the next generation of buyers may expect originators to search across markets — not merely across loan products

Some 320,000 homeowners are both underwater and behind on their payments — nearly twice as many as a year ago — even as mortgage-holder equity approaches $18 trillion

Fitch downgraded the wholesale giant after leverage reached 6.1x, saying the preferred investment changes UWM’s funding structure but does not immediately reduce its debt burden

Payrolls declined in July and previous gains were revised sharply lower, giving the Fed breathing room while raising new concerns about borrower confidence and mortgage-industry employment

Platform volume overtook DTC, but costly enterprise integrations have yet to deliver, and new partnership growth is not expected until Q4

Home equity and purchase lending lifted production economics, while management characterized its relaunched wholesale channel as a supporting business rather than a major growth engine

Principal-and-interest payments reached $1,522 for lower-payment purchase applicants in June, just $9 below the national median asking rent

One in five listings had a price reduction in July, while pending sales increased for the eighth consecutive month