REALTORMag
Mortgage lenders’ optimism reached a high in a first-quarter survey, even as lenders expressed pressing challenges to their profit margins, according to Fannie Mae’s 2017 Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey.
Lenders say they’re most upbeat about the direction of the economy and home prices. They also continue to report modest easing of credit standards across all loan types, with plans to continue to do so over the next three months.
“This quarter, lenders’ optimism toward the overall economy and home price appreciation hit survey highs, mirroring the consumer confidence seen in our February Home Price Sentiment Index,” says Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae’s chief economist. “However, lenders’ profit margin outlook remains significantly less positive than this time last year and two years ago.”
