June 2023 Originations Market Monitor

Mortgage Locks Edge Lower in June While Credit Availability Continues to Tighten

The Optimal Blue Mortgage Market Indices (OBMMI) showed 30-year conforming rates rose 6 basis points in June to 6.78%
Overall rate lock volumes were down 1% month over month in June, with conforming loans gaining share mainly at the expense of non-conforming loan products
Purchase lock counts were down 31% YoY and 29% compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, as higher interest rates and low inventories continued to have a chilling effect on demand
While purchase lending remains constrained, it continues to drive the overwhelming majority of volume, accounting for more than 88% of June rate locks – a record high
The average purchase price rose for the seventh consecutive month to $457K while the average loan amount remained flat at $360K
Credit scores rose across the board again in June – as economic uncertainty, tightening credit and affordability concerns continued to skew the market toward higher-credit borrowers
At 735, the average credit score among purchase locks hit a record high in June, with the average credit score among rate/term refinances jumping 7 points in the month
The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of June lock activity fell to 7.38%
The 10-year Treasury yield rose 17 basis points in June to 3.81%, as the spread with mortgage rates remains historically wide at 2.97%

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – July 12, 2023 – Today, Black Knight, Inc. (NYSE:BKI) announced the release of its latest Originations Market Monitor report, looking at mortgage origination data through June 2023 month-end. Leveraging daily rate lock data from the Black Knight Optimal Blue PPE, the Originations Market Monitor provides the industry’s earliest and most comprehensive view of origination activity.

“As May gave way to June, we saw banks lose some of their appetite for jumbo loans,” said Andy Walden, vice president of enterprise research and strategy at Black Knight. “While the OBMMI 30-year conforming index rose 6 basis points over the month, the jumbo rate index was up by three times that level. Purchase loans continue to claim a larger share of a shrinking origination pipeline, as refinance opportunities remain scarce. Indeed, we saw the purchase lending share of June’s locks hit another all-time high. But keep in mind: It is a dominant share of a very constrained market.”

The month’s pipeline data showed rate lock activity fell across the board, edging lower by 1% overall on a month-to-month basis, with purchase locks down a scant 0.6%, cash-out refinances falling 1.4% and rate/term refinance locks off by almost 17%. Purchase locks accounted for 88.4% of locks in June, the highest share on record. Even so, purchase lock counts were down 31% year over year and 29% compared with pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

“As we noted in our most recent Mortgage Monitor report, the housing market has been reheating as we approach the traditional tail end of the homebuying season,” Walden said. “What’s clear is that continued economic uncertainty, tightening credit and affordability concerns have all helped to skew the market toward higher-credit borrowers. In fact, the average credit score among purchase locks hit a record high in June. Likewise, the average purchase price rising for the seventh straight month, while the average loan amount remained flat, suggests lower loan-to-value ratios as well.” 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.

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 serve their customers. For more information on Black Knight, please visit www.blackknightinc.com.