This quarter marks the 14th Survey of Mortgage Originators and the first full quarter under the new administration. This survey covered lenders' experiences in the 1st quarter of 2017 and questions on potential changes to the CFPB, the Qualified Mortgage rule, and the Small Creditor Portfolio Rule.
Key Findings
- Non-QM lending moderated, while rebuttable presumption gained, but a willingness to originate both gave back gains made in the 4th quarter. Investor interest is expected to moderate over the next six months, though lenders remain keen on the product.
- Investor demand for and lender willingness to expand access to prime borrowers over the next six months remained strong, but more robust at the lower credit band.
- A 64.7% majority of respondents indicated that they would prefer a panel structure of governance at the CFPB, while in a nod to the benefit of consumer protections only 11.8% would like to eliminate the entity.
- Raising the pricing limit on rebuttable presumption loans to 250 bp over APOR along with a consistent back-end DTI limit across the lending landscape were the top two refinements to QM sought by respondents.
- Portfolio lenders liked the small creditor rule, but felt that the volume limit could be raised, while most non-banks saw it as competition. Allowing non-banks to originate with a QM exemption to SCP holders would be a remedy. Nearly a third of respondents indicated that no change should be made to the rule.
