Black Knight Originations Market Monitor: Rate Locks Rise in January on Rate Relief and Seasonal Tailwinds, Breaking 9-Month Decline
In January, Black Knight (NYSE: BKI) reported a significant rebound in rate lock volumes, increasing by 32% month-over-month, driven by declining mortgage rates, which dropped 36 basis points to 6.16%. Both purchase and refinance volumes saw proportional increases, with cash-out refinances up 25%. However, despite this rise, purchase lending remains challenged with dollar volumes down 44% year-over-year. The report indicates that overall rate lock activity is still more than 60% lower than the same period last year, highlighting ongoing market pressures. The update reflects a cautious optimism amid persistent affordability challenges.
- Rate lock volumes rose 32% month-over-month in January.
- 30-year mortgage rates decreased to 6.16%, a drop of 36 basis points.
- Purchase (+32%) and refinance volumes increased, indicating a market rebound.
- Dollar volume of purchase locks down 44% year-over-year.
- Purchase lock counts decreased 41% year-over-year.
- Overall rate lock activity is more than 60% lower than a year ago.
-- Rate lock volumes rose
-- Purchase (+
-- Optimal Blue Mortgage Market Indices from Black Knight showed 30-year rates dropping 36 basis points to
-- Despite the improvement, rate and affordability pressures continue to challenge purchase lending, with the dollar volume of such locks down
-- Purchase lock counts – which exclude the impact of home price changes – were down
-- Nonconforming loans – including jumbos and expanded guidelines – fell as a percentage of total volumes to just under
-- The average loan amount rose from
-- Credit scores fell 4 points among cash-out refis – now down 36 points over the past 12 months – and 9 points for rate/terms, but remained relatively unchanged (+1 point) for purchase transactions
-- The ARM share of lending dropped further in January to just above
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Feb. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Black Knight, Inc. (NYSE: BKI) announced the release of its latest Originations Market Monitor report, looking at mortgage origination data through January 2023 month-end. Leveraging daily rate lock data from the Black Knight Optimal Blue PPE – mortgage lending's most widely used product, pricing and eligibility engine – the Originations Market Monitor provides the industry's earliest and most comprehensive view of origination activity.
"Mortgage rates declined in January, continuing a trend that began in early November 2022," said Kevin McMahon, president of Optimal Blue, a division of Black Knight. "Conforming rates dropped 36 basis points from where they were at the start of the year, and we saw that rates associated with those FHA/VA/jumbo locks all came down in kind. Triggered by this pullback, rate lock volumes rose for the first time since March 2022, driven by declining interest rates and seasonal tailwinds, snapping a nine-month streak of declines."
The month's pipeline data showed overall rate lock dollar volume up
"While this month's Originations Market Monitor certainly brings welcome news, it's important to remember that we would have expected to see a seasonal rebound in January, regardless," McMahon continued. "Mortgage originations continue to face significant rate, affordability and inventory headwinds, and lock volumes are still down more than
Each month's Originations Market Monitor provides high-level origination metrics for the U.S. and the top 20 metropolitan statistical areas by share of total origination volume. Much more detail on January's origination activity can be found in the full Black Knight Originations Market Monitor report.
About Black Knight
Black Knight, Inc. (NYSE: BKI) is an award-winning software, data and analytics company that drives innovation in the mortgage lending and servicing and real estate industries, as well as the capital and secondary markets. Businesses leverage our robust, integrated solutions across the entire homeownership life cycle to help retain existing customers, gain new customers, mitigate risk and operate more effectively.
Our clients rely on our proven, comprehensive, scalable products and our unwavering commitment to delivering superior client support to achieve their strategic goals and better serving their customers. For more information on Black Knight, please visit www.blackknightinc.com/.
For more information: | |
Michelle Kersch | Mitch Cohen |
904.854.5043 | 704.890.8158 |
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/black-knight-originations-market-monitor-rate-locks-rise-in-january-on-rate-relief-and-seasonal-tailwinds-breaking-9-month-decline-301744584.html
SOURCE Black Knight, Inc.
FAQ
What are the recent trends in mortgage rates reported by Black Knight?
How did rate lock volumes perform in January 2023 for Black Knight?
What challenges is Black Knight facing in the mortgage market?
What percentage of locks were refinance in January 2023 for Black Knight?