Option chain shows key data for Federal National Mortgage's stock options at various strike prices and expiration dates. Traders use this information to analyze potential trades and assess market sentiment for Federal National Mortgage.

Federal National Mortgage (OTC:FNMA) Stock, Option Chain

FANNIE MAE

Fannie Mae

Federal National Mortgage Association Fannie Mae is a source of financing for mortgages in the United States. The company has two segments namely the Single-Family business that operates in the secondary mortgage market relating to single-family mortgage loans, which are secured by properties containing four or fewer residential dwelling units and the Multifamily business operates in the secondary mortgage market relating mainly to multifamily mortgage loans, which are secured by properties containing five or more residential units. The majority of the revenue is derived from the Single-Family segment.

Home,For,Sale,Real,Estate,Sign,In,Front,Of,New

REIT

Real Estate

FNMA

iShares Trust Dow Jones US Real Estate Fund Index

SCHH

XLRE

If your home is for sale, mid-April listings get 22.8% more views than usual. This ideal week also shows that houses sell at a faster pace.

Is Your Home For Sale? It&#39;s &#39;Peak Week,&#39; Researchers Say

Donald Trump

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DWAC

PHUN

PSQH

Explore the impact of Donald Trump&#39;s political momentum on the stocks of PSQ Holdings, Rumble, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac, highlighting their significant rise in response to Trump&#39;s recent advancements.

Trump-Linked Stocks Take Off As He Seeks GOP Nomination For White House

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Fannie Mae expects U.S. economy to decelerate in 2024, but housing market to undergo subtle transformation, mortgage rates predicted to avg 6.7% in 2024.

Fannie Mae&#39;s 2024 Outlook: Housing Market Navigates Challenges With Emerging Resilience

Federal National Mortgage Association Fannie Mae

Keefe, Bruyette &amp; Woods analyst Bose George downgrades Federal National Mortgage (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/FNMA#OTC">FNMA</a>) from Outperform to Market Perform and raises the price target from $2 to $3.

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Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Downgrades Federal National Mortgage to Market Perform, Raises Price Target to $3

If you&#8217;re keen on placing a &#8220;For Sale&#8221; sign in front of your home, research suggests it&#8217;s a smart move.
April 14 through April 20 is &#8220;the best time to sell your home,&#8221; according to <a href="https://www.realtor.com/research/best-time-to-sell-2024/">data</a> from Realtor.com. It&#8217;s the &#8220;peak week nationally&#8221; for sellers to maximize return on investment, or ROI. 
Here&#8217;s why:
<ul>
<li>Mid-April listings get 22.8% more views</li>
<li>Homes sell at a 17% faster rate</li>
<li>Historically, home prices are 1.1% higher this week than the average week throughout the year</li>
<li>And, prices are 10.4% higher this week versus the start of the year.</li>
<li>The national median listing price could reach $7,400 above the average week, and $34,000 more than the start of the year.</li>
</ul>
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/real-estate/24/04/38164522/biden-administration-announces-intent-to-add-500-000-starter-homes-to-americas-housing-inventory">Biden Administration To Add 500,000 Starter Homes To America&#8217;s Housing Inventory</a>
<h1 class="wp-block-heading">Not Yet Ready To Sell?</h1>
Don&#8217;t sweat if you&#8217;re not quite prepared to list your digs. Time is on your side. 
Realtor.com reports 53% of home sellers take one month or less to get their home ready to list. And, if you prep now, May and June are also opportune times.
That&#8217;s according to <a href="https://www.attomdata.com/news/market-trends/home-sales-prices/2023-best-days-of-the-year-to-sell-a-home-analysis/">ATTOM</a>, a real estate data provider. From April to June, seller premiums can be 10% or more above market value. 
And the top 16 best days to sell are actually in May, ATTOM claims.
<h1 class="wp-block-heading">When&#8217;s The Worst Time?</h1>
The three slowest months of the year are October, November and December, according to <a href="https://www.attomdata.com/news/market-trends/home-sales-prices/2023-best-days-of-the-year-to-sell-a-home-analysis/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ATTOM</a>.
And, coming out of the winter months, consumer perceptions of both homebuying and home-selling conditions are improving. Both measures have now risen multiple months in a row, the Federal National Mortgage Association (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/FNMA#OTC">FNMA</a>), also known as Fannie Mae, reported in March.
The most recent Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index (HPSI) is up 10.6 points year over year.
"The housing market will continue to be characterized by high home prices, high financing costs, and a limited number of homes for sale," Bankrate chief financial analyst Greg McBride <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/opinion/24/03/37938028/exclusive-interest-rates-rode-the-elevator-up-but-analyst-predicts-theyll-take-the-stairs-coming-dow">told Benzinga last month</a>.
Rising home prices often reflect a healthy real estate market, which can boost the value of real estate assets held within certain exchange-traded funds (ETFs), such as: Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/VNQ#NYSE">VNQ</a>); the Schwab US REIT ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SCHH#NYSE">SCHH</a>); the Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/XLRE#NYSE">XLRE</a>) and the iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/IYR#NYSE">IYR</a>). 
Now Read: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/03/37775181/is-trumps-son-in-law-the-new-real-estate-mogul-jared-kushner-commits-500m-to-serbian-project-that-ca">Is Trump&#8217;s Son-In-Law The New Real Estate Mogul? Jared Kushner Commits $500M To Serbian Project That Caught Ex-President&#8217;s Fancy</a>
Photo: Shutterstock

Is Your Home For Sale? It's 'Peak Week,' Researchers Say

As former President Donald Trump charges toward the Republican presidential nomination, a surge reminiscent of the meme-stock saga is unfolding in companies <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/donald-trump">tied to the tycoon.</a>
Stocks linked to Trump have experienced significant rallies following his victory in the Iowa primaries, with Phunware Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PHUN#NASDAQ">PHUN</a>) and Digital World Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/DWAC#NASDAQ">DWAC</a>) soaring by over 400% and 180%, respectively. 
Similarly, PSQ Holdings Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PSQH#NYSE">PSQH</a>), Rumble Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/RUM#NASDAQ">RUM</a>) and mortgage giants Fannie Mae (OTCPK: FNMA) and Freddie Mac (OTCPK: FNMA) have seen gains between 30% and 45% since the year&#8217;s start.
What do these stocks have in common with Trump?
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Trump Connection: A Closer Look At The Surging Stocks</h3>
<ul>
<li>Phunware Inc.: Phunware is a software company known for developing a mobile app for Trump&#8217;s 2020 presidential campaign. The company has seen its stock skyrocket following <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/01/36746416/why-phunware-stock-skyrocketed-today">Trump&#8217;s recent political advancements.</a></li>
<li>Digital World Acquisition Corp.: A special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), DWAC has been in the spotlight for its planned merger with Trump Media &amp; Technology Group. This union, however, has faced regulatory hurdles <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/01/36739596/trump-linked-digital-world-is-trading-lower-whats-going-on-today">for over two years.</a></li>
<li>PSQ Holdings Inc.: PSQ Holdings, an online marketplace championing &#8220;freedom-loving Americans,&#8221; boasts Donald Trump Jr. as an investor. The company, which reported $3 million in revenue in the first nine months of last year, gained attention when Trump Jr. participated in its NYSE opening bell ceremony last July. </li>
<li>Rumble Inc.: Rumble is a video-sharing platform offering unrestricted content sharing, appealing particularly to conservative voices who have been banned on other platforms. Rumble also formed a technology and cloud-services partnership with Truth Social, Trump&#8217;s social media venture.</li>
<li>Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: Both mortgage firms are anticipated to benefit under a second Trump presidency. The two have been under government conservatorship since the 2008 financial crisis, and Trump has shown interest in privatizing these firms. Their stocks, currently trading over-the-counter at around $1 each, have garnered attention with the prospect of Trump&#8217;s return to office. Keefe, Bruyette &amp; Woods analyst Bose George recently upgraded Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from Underperform to Market Perform and said he sees the possibility of a close election as a reason for the near-term climb in the value of the stocks. </li>
</ul>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Chart: Price Performance Of Trump-Tied Stocks In 2024</h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="495" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/23172427/PSQH_2024-01-23_21-03-24_50198-1024x495.png" alt="" class="wp-image-191712" srcset="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/23172427/PSQH_2024-01-23_21-03-24_50198-1024x495.png 1024w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/23172427/PSQH_2024-01-23_21-03-24_50198-300x145.png 300w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/23172427/PSQH_2024-01-23_21-03-24_50198-768x372.png 768w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/23172427/PSQH_2024-01-23_21-03-24_50198-1536x743.png 1536w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/23172427/PSQH_2024-01-23_21-03-24_50198.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
Read now: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/real-estate/24/01/36738633/2-stocks-surging-on-donald-trumps-presidential-bid">2 Stocks Surging on Donald Trump&#8217;s Presidential Bid</a>
Photo via Shutterstock.

Keefe, Bruyette &amp; Woods analyst Bose George upgrades Federal National Mortgage (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/FNMA#OTC">FNMA</a>) from Underperform to Market Perform and raises the price target from $1 to $1.25.

Upgrades

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Upgrades Federal National Mortgage to Market Perform, Raises Price Target to $1.25

Federal National Mortgage Association (OTCQB:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/FNMA#OTCQB">FNMA</a>), commonly known as Fannie Mae, expects the U.S. economy <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/large-cap/23/12/36366903/is-lower-inflation-a-green-light-for-2024-interest-rate-cuts-markets-are-ending-the-year-surprised">to decelerate next year.</a>
They forecast GDP to decline slightly in 2024 by 0.3%, followed by 1.7% growth in 2025. In the housing sector, challenges are anticipated to maintain existing home sales at their lowest rate since the Great Financial Crisis. It&#8217;s expected that home sales and mortgage originations will start to recover slowly in 2024.
These forecasts were recently included in the <a href="http://fanniemae.com/research-and-insights/forecast/economic-developments-december-2023">outlook</a> presented by The Economic &amp; Strategic Research (ESR) Group at Fannie Mae.
The Vanguard Real Estate ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/VNQ#NYSE">VNQ</a>), the Schwab US REIT ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SCHH#NYSE">SCHH</a>), the Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/XLRE#NYSE">XLRE</a>) and the iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF (IYR) are popular ways to get exposure to equity in the real estate sector.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Housing Market&#8217;s Pivotal Transformation</h2>
The housing market in 2024 is expected to experience a significant yet gradual transformation. As the economy slows down, a steady recovery is likely to drive resilience in home sales and mortgage originations.
The prevailing challenges of affordability, lock-in effects, and a scarcity of available housing inventory have conspired to keep existing home sales at their slowest pace. However, against the odds, new home sales have displayed an unexpected resilience in the face of soaring mortgage rates, hinting at an imminent rebound. The recent dip in mortgage rates from their peak in October serves as a promising harbinger for increased sales, although rates remain relatively high on a YoY basis.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/23/12/36395643/tesla-cybertruck-orders-roll-in-majority-buyers-flocking-to-this-option-public-tracker-reveals">Tesla Cybertruck Orders Roll In: Majority Buyers Flocking To This Option, Public Tracker Reveals</a>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Glimmer Of Optimism</h2>
Despite the headwinds, Fannie Mae does see reasons for optimism in their forecast. 
Total single-family mortgage originations are anticipated to grow from $1.5 trillion in 2023 to $1.9 trillion in 2024 and further to $2.3 trillion in 2025. This trajectory, fueled by home price appreciation and modest growth in refinance activity, underscores the market&#8217;s resilience and adaptability.
In 2024, the housing market is expected to witness a slow recovery, with total home sales marginally surpassing the figures of 2023. October&#8217;s nadir, with existing sales dropping to an annualized pace of 3.79 million, is likely to mark the trough. While the road to recovery may be gradual, the recent bounce in purchase mortgage applications, coupled with an anticipation of further moderation in mortgage rates, paints a picture of upward momentum.
Surprisingly robust, new home construction is expected to weather the economic downturn with only a slight decline. Homebuyers, acclimated to higher mortgage rates, coupled with the resilience of homebuilders offering concessions, contribute to this unexpected buoyancy. Despite a modest economic contraction, new home sales are projected to hold steady in 2024.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Silver Lining</h2>
The forecasted decline in mortgage rates provides a silver lining, with the average FRM30 rate predicted to average 6.7% in 2024. The lowered interest rate environment contributes to a modest upward revision in existing home sales and new home sales forecasts, injecting a sense of cautious optimism into the market.
While the economic landscape may pose challenges, the housing market in 2024 appears set to navigate the waves of change with resilience. Investors, homebuyers, and industry stakeholders alike are encouraged to approach the year with a measured optimism, prepared to ride the currents of change in the housing market of 2024.
Now Read: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/23/12/36394175/openai-ceo-sam-altman-wonders-about-interest-rates-when-capitalists-have-more-and-better-ideas-t">OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Wonders About Interest Rates When Capitalists Have &#8216;More And Better Ideas Than Ever Before&#8217;</a>
Photo: Shutterstock

Fannie Mae's 2024 Outlook: Housing Market Navigates Challenges With Emerging Resilience

In a recent move, a proposal under the Biden administration aimed at reducing closing costs for certain homeowners has been halted. The proposed plan could have resulted in savings of thousands of dollars for homeowners, but opposition from the industry and lawmakers has led to its discontinuation.
What Happened: According to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/finance/regulation/washington-quietly-scrapped-a-plan-to-save-home-buyers-thousands-of-dollars-03dae13e?mod=hp_lead_pos11">The Wall Street Journal</a>, Fannie Mae (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/FNMA#OTC">FNMA</a>), a government-run mortgage giant, was set to finalize a program this summer that would have nullified the need for title insurance, a major fixed cost in mortgage closing.
The proposed scheme had plans for Fannie Mae to bear the costs of title insurance for a handful of mortgage refinancings provided by seven or eight lenders. The program had the potential for future expansion to incorporate more lenders and various mortgage types.
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/what-is-title-insurance" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">What Is Title Insurance? How Does It Work?</a>
However, the proposal faced significant criticism, mainly from the title and settlement industry, arguing that Fannie Mae did not possess title insurance experience and did not need to take on this new risk, especially considering its financial bailout during the 2007-08 crisis.
Lawmakers from both sides also expressed their disapproval of the project in a House hearing in May. Following instructions from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) officials in August, Fannie Mae stopped work on the program without submitting a formal request for its approval.
Why It Matters: The scraping of this proposal comes at a time when the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/23/11/35898749/us-housing-market-braces-for-affordability-as-mortgage-rates-ease-what-analysts-exp">US housing market braces for affordability</a> as mortgage rates ease and property prices continue to rise, making mortgages increasingly unaffordable for many potential homeowners. The scrapped plan may have provided some relief for homeowners by reducing closing costs.
Fannie Mae is now exploring alternative methods to reduce closing costs. Title insurance, which acts as a guarantee of clear ownership, is required by Fannie and Freddie for the loans they buy from lenders. This requirement makes it a significant part of the closing costs for homeowners.
Read Next: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/23/11/35897532/whats-going-on-with-palantir-stock-tuesday?itm_source=parsely-api" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/23/11/35863341/a-retiree-was-planning-to-pay-1-million-to-live-on-a-luxury-cruise-ship-until-he-changed-his-mind-is?itm_source=parsely-api" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">A Retiree Was Planning To Pay $1 Million To Live On A Luxury Cruise Ship — Until He Changed His Mind: &#8216;Is</a></a>
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Plan To Save Homeowners Thousands On Closing Costs Quietly Derailed By Obscure Industry, Legislative Opposition

Back in 2008, there was no topic more polarizing&nbsp;than the Treasury Department&#39;s financial bailouts of then-failing <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/us-bank-bailouts">American companies.</a>
Supporters of the bailouts argued they were necessary to prevent economic collapse, while opponents argued it was not taxpayers&#39; responsibility to provide aid.
Fifteen years later, it&#39;s worth running through where the bailout money went and how much of it has been returned.
<h3>Fannie And Freddie</h3>
Together, these two government-sponsored mortgage aggregators received more than $187 billion in taxpayer money to stay afloat. In exchange, Federal National Mortgage Association (OTCBB: <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/stock/fnma">FNMA</a>) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp (OTCBB: <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/stock/fmcc">FMCC</a>) were placed under government conservatorship, and are in the process of being &quot;<a href="https://www.cbo.gov/publication/56496">recapitalized</a>.&quot;
Related Link:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/government/23/03/31438062/hefty-credit-suisse-bailout-costs-13-500-per-person-in-switzerland">Hefty Credit Suisse Bailout Costs $13,500 Per Person In Switzerland</a>
Fortunately for taxpayers, Fannie and Freddie&#39;s businesses have been steadily improving since the worst of the crisis, and a large portion of both entities&#39; profits has come back to the Treasury.
Result: $109&nbsp;billion profit
<h3>AIG</h3>
During the financial crisis, American International Group Inc (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/aig#NYSE">AIG</a>) provided insurance to owners of sub-prime mortgage-backed securities. When it became clear that the company would have no means of paying the claims on these insurance policies on its own, the Treasury provided AIG with about $68 billion in taxpayer dollars in exchange for a near-<a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/SB122156561931242905">80 percent equity stake</a> in the company via warrants.
Since AIG&#39;s core insurance business was never the cause of its problems, the company began to recover as soon as the economy stabilized.
By the end of 2012, the Treasury had sold all of its shares of AIG stock.
Result: $5 billion profit
<h3>General Motors And Chrysler</h3>
When the U.S. auto industry was in danger of disappearing into oblivion in 2008, the Treasury stepped in with bailouts for General Motors Company (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/gm#NYSE">GM</a>) and Chrysler to the tune of $50.7 billion and $10.7 billion respectively.
In the case of GM, the government received a near-60 percent stake in the restructured company. The Treasury sold the last of its GM shares in late 2013.
Most of Chrysler&#39;s bailout money, meanwhile, was paid back by the end of 2011, when the government sold its final 6 percent stake in the company<a href="http://money.cnn.com/2011/07/21/autos/chrysler_government_exit/"> to Italian automaker Fiat</a>.
Result: $12.7 billion loss
<h3>Big Banks</h3>
The majority of the remaining 900-plus recipients of bailout funds were banks.
The largest bailout recipients were Bank of America Corp (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/bac#NYSE">BAC</a>) and Citigroup Inc (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="/stock/c#NYSE">C</a>), which each received $45 billion in disbursements from the Treasury. The Treasury eventually netted $4.5 billion in profit from Bank of America and $13.4 billion in profit from Citigroup in dividends and proceeds.
These types of profits were typical for the Treasury when it came to the bank bailouts, despite the fact that several smaller banks, such as CIT Group ($2.3 billion bailout), declared bankruptcy and <a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703455804575057803874107176">never repaid</a> their debts.
From the bailouts of Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and GMAC (now Ally Financial) alone, taxpayers netted a profit.
Result: $23 billion in profit
<h3>The Grand Total</h3>
When all was said and done, the U.S. Treasury coughed up <a href="http://projects.propublica.org/bailout/list/index">$635&nbsp;billion in bailout funds</a>.
Result: $109&nbsp;billion profit
Now Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/23/03/31483237/billions-at-risk-as-catastrophic-flaws-found-in-dogecoin-and-280-crypto-networks">Billions At Risk As Catastrophic Flaws Found In Dogecoin, 280+ Crypto Networks</a>
Some elements of this story were previously reported by Benzinga and it has been updated.

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15 Years Later, How Much Did The 2008 Financial Crisis Bailouts Actually Cost American Taxpayers?

Investors who bought stocks during the COVID-19 market crash in 2020 have generally experienced some big gains in the past two and a half years. But there was no question some big-name stocks performed better than others since the pandemic bottom.
New Residential&#39;s Bumpy Ride: One company that has been an impressive investment in the past two and a half years has been <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/mortgage-lenders-no-tax-returns/">mortgage</a> REIT New Residential Investment, now known as Rithm Capital Corp (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ritm#NYSE">RITM</a>).
Related Link: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/education/22/12/30190463/if-you-invested-1-000-in-costco-cost-stock-at-its-covid-19-pandemic-low-heres-how-much-youd-hav">If You Invested $1,000 In Costco (COST) Stock At Its COVID-19 Pandemic Low, Here&#39;s How Much You&#39;d Have Now</a> 
New Residential and other mortgage REITs were crushed in March 2020 as the pandemic created incredibly difficult financial conditions for the companies.
Recession fears tanked the value of New Residential&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/mortgage-lenders-no-tax-returns/">mortgage</a>-backed securities (MBS). The company was ultimately forced to sell assets in unfavorable market conditions to shore up its balance sheet. It was also forced into a dividend cut.
Before the crisis, New Residential focused on originating <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/mortgage-lenders-no-tax-returns/">mortgage</a>s that didn&rsquo;t qualify to be purchased by Federal National Mortgage Association (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fnma#OTC">FNMA</a>) or Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fmcc#OTC">FMCC</a>). The lack of liquidity in the mortgage market during the COVID-19 crisis prompted New Residential to completely shift its business model to focus on mortgages that met Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac&rsquo;s purchase qualifications.
At the beginning of 2020, New Residential shares were trading at $16.16. By the beginning of March, the stock was down to $15.68 as news of the coronavirus spreading in China prompted concerns about a U.S. pandemic.
When the market crashed during the U.S. COVID-19 outbreak, New Residential shares dropped as low as $2.91 on April 3, 2020, during the height of the pandemic fears.
When the market bounced off pandemic lows, New Residential began to rebound as well. The stock reached $9.42 per share in June before the recovery rally fizzled out.
New Residential Mortgage regained the momentum of the broader market in the second half of 2020. The stock was back up above $10 by the end of the year.
New Residential In 2023, Beyond: As mortgage market conditions improved in 2021, New Residential started acquiring smaller lenders and expanding its market share.
New Residential stock hit its 2021 highs of $11.81 in November before pulling to finish off the year. The stock dipped back to as low as $6.86 in September 2022 after New Residential internalized its management and rebranded as Rithm Capital in June 2022. Today, shares are hovering around $8.44.
Related Link: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/real-estate/reit/22/12/30134261/if-you-invested-1-000-in-invesco-mortgage-capital-ivr-stock-at-its-covid-19-pandemic-low-heres-h">If You Invested $1,000 In Invesco Mortgage Capital (IVR) Stock At Its COVID-19 Pandemic Low, Here&#39;s How Much You&#39;d Have Now</a>
Still, investors who bought New Residential on the day it hit its 2020 pandemic low and held on have generated a positive return on their investment. In fact, $1,000 in New Residential stock bought on Apr. 3, 2020, would be worth about $3,394 today, assuming reinvested dividends.
Looking ahead, analysts are expecting Rithm&#39;s stock to continue to recover in the next 12 months. The average price target among the 11 analysts covering the stock is $12, suggesting 41.8% upside from current levels.
Photo: Shutterstock

Penny Stocks

RITM

If You Invested $1,000 In Rithm Capital (RITM) Stock At Its COVID-19 Pandemic Low, Here's How Much You'd Have Now

Each day, Benzinga takes a look back at a notable market-related moment that occurred on this date.
<h3>What Happened</h3>
On this day in 2008, U.S. President George W. Bush signed the $700-billion Troubled Asset Relief Program bailout into law.
<h3>Where The Market Was</h3>
The Dow closed at 10,325.38 and the S&amp;P 500 traded at 1,099.23.
What Else Was Going On In The World
In 2008, the largest U.S. bank, Citigroup Inc (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/c#NYSE">C</a>), reported fourth-quarter losses of $9.83 billion due to the collapse of the subprime mortgage market. Illinois Gov.&nbsp;Rod Blagojevich was arrested on charges of corruption, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery. A gallon of gasoline cost $3.39.
<h3>Big Bank Bailout</h3>
At the time, the fear in Washington was that the bursting of the subprime mortgage bubble would result in the collapse of the U.S. banking system. The TARP program set aside $700 billion in capital that banks could use to keep the financial system liquid.
At the time, TARP did nothing to ease <a href="https://www.begintoinvest.com/october-3/">market fears</a>. From Oct. 2 to Oct. 10, 2008, the S&amp;P 500 crashed 19.3%.
Only about $441 billion of the $700 billion was&nbsp;deployed.
Despite harsh criticism from fiscal conservatives at the time, the TARP bailouts were ultimately a <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/bailout/">huge success</a>. In addition to preventing the collapse of the U.S. economy, the TARP bailouts and separate crisis bailouts of Federal National Mortgage Association (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fnma#OTC">FNMA</a>) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fmcc#OTC">FMCC</a>) have generated a net profit of $110&nbsp;billion for U.S. taxpayers.
Related Links:
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/education/18/10/12432402/this-day-in-market-history-buffetts-3b-ge-bet">This Day In Market History: Buffett&#39;s $3B GE Bet</a>
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/politics/18/07/12066743/trumps-bailout-for-farmers-caught-in-the-trade-war-what-you-need-to-">Trump&#39;s Bailout For Farmers Caught In The Trade War: What You Need To Know</a>

Bush Signs $700B TARP Bailout 14 Years Ago Today

While July gave markets around the world a breather, August reestablished 2022&rsquo;s choppy financial conditions.
The SPDR S&amp;P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA: SPY) declined by 4.08% in August, its fifth month of decline in 2022. The Fidelity NASDAQ Composite Index ETF (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/oneq#NASDAQ">ONEQ</a>) and the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (NYSEARCA: DIA) mirrored this downward trend, showing monthly decreases of 4.59% and 3.96%, respectively, in August.
Given the possibility &mdash; some think <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/interest-rate">probability</a> &mdash; that the Federal Reserve will hike rates yet again in September, and the fact that global economies are <a href="https://blogs.imf.org/2022/07/26/global-economic-growth-slows-amid-gloomy-and-more-uncertain-outlook/#:~:text=Inflation%20this%20year%20is%20anticipated,projected%20to%20remain%20elevated%20longer.">experiencing</a> growing inflationary pressures, investor sentiment appears to have altered course in August when compared to July. While some warn that the U.S. may be heading into a <a href="https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/long-moderate-and-painful-what-next-us-recession-may-look-like-1.1787303">prolonged</a> recession, others report that recent macroeconomic data &mdash; like a 3.7% <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/economy-politics/calendar">unemployment</a> rate &mdash; do not support this argument.
Even as ambiguity surrounds the market&rsquo;s future movements, OTC Markets Group Inc.&rsquo;s (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/otcm#OTCQX">OTCM</a>) regulated markets experienced a slight increase in total monthly volume in August, recording $39.3 billion in trades for the month compared to $37.3 billion in July. Additionally, two Ethereum-based securities found themselves in improved positions on the OTCQX Best Market&rsquo;s Most Active list.&nbsp;
Finally, a number of new securities have emerged on the OTCQX Best Market and OTCQB Venture Market, which could potentially be of interest to investors despite the relatively bearish sentiment experienced throughout the month and year so far. Both the OTCQX Best Market and the OTCQB Venture Market maintained a significant international presence in August, with over half of the top most-traded securities across both markets being composed of international operators.
<h3>A Dive Into The OTCQX Best Market&rsquo;s Most-Active List</h3>
The OTCQX Best Market recorded $7 billion in trades in August, a figure that has been relatively unchanged since July.&nbsp;
Grayscale Ethereum Trust (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ethe#OTCQX">ETHE</a>) rose to the top of OTCQX Best Market&rsquo;s most-active list, while steadfast performers Roche Holding AG (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/rhhby#OTCQX">RHHBY</a>) and Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/gbtc#OTCQX">GBTC</a>) slotted in as the second and third most-traded securities.&nbsp;
Additionally, OTCQX&rsquo;s top 10 most-active securities experienced a slight reshuffle in August, welcoming Imperial Brands PLC (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/imbby#OTCQX">IMBBY</a>), a multinational tobacco company, and Computer Services Inc. (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/csvi#OTCQX">CSVI</a>). The two displace Danone S.A. (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/danoy#OTCQX">DANOY</a>) and Zurich Insurance Group Ltd. (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/zurvy#OTCQX">ZURVY</a>), two usuals in the OTCQX&rsquo;s Top 10 Most Active list.
Despite poor market conditions around the globe, the OTCQX Best Market has managed to maintain its hold on a number of industries, as demonstrated by the constituents of its Most Active list. Below are some of the companies on the list along with their relevant specialties:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Infineon Technologies AG (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ifnny#OTCQX">IFNNY</a>): Semiconductor solutions.</li>
<li>BASF SE (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/basfy#OTCQX">BASFY</a>) (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/bffaf#OTCQX">BFFAF</a>): Chemical manufacturing.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/gbtc#OTCQX">GBTC</a>): Digital currency investment product</li>
<li>Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/tcnnf#OTCQX">TCNNF</a>): Cannabis sales and cultivation.</li>
<li>Heineken N.V. (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/heiny#OTCQX">HEINY</a>): Alcohol manufacturing and distribution.</li>
</ul>
Of the 30 securities on the Most Active list, 22 were international operators. Some of these were new faces like the United Kingdom&rsquo;s Imperial Brands and Canada&rsquo;s Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/recaf#OTCQX">RECAF</a>), while some regulars like Germany&rsquo;s Adidas AG (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/addyy#OTCQX">ADDYY</a>) and the United Kingdom&rsquo;s Anglo American PLC (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ngloy#OTCQX">NGLOY</a>) were also present.
Other notable volume movers:
<ul>
<li>Grayscale Ethereum Classic Trust (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/etcg#OTCQX">ETCG</a>) claimed the 23rd spot on the OTCQX&rsquo;s Most Active list, experiencing a 112% increase in trading volume.</li>
</ul>
<h3>The OTCQB Venture Market Experiences A Reshuffle In August</h3>
The OTCQB Venture Market recorded $601 million in trades in August, an increase from July&rsquo;s $463 million figure.
Like the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market&rsquo;s Top 10 Most Active list saw two new entries. Specifically, American Lithium Corp. (OTCQB: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/liacf#OTCQB">LIACF</a>) and Todos Medical Ltd. (OTCQB: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/tomdf#OTCQB">TOMDF</a>) made their way into the top 10.
Similar to July, the OTCQB Venture Market witnessed a number of novelties in August. In addition to two new companies on the Top 10 Most Active list, the second, third and fourth most-active securities also changed. Computer memory subsystems specialist Netlist Inc. (OTCQB: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/nlst#OTCQB">NLST</a>), mortgage financiers Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. (Freddie Mac) (OTCQB: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fmcc#OTCQB">FMCC</a>), and Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) (OTCQB: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fnma#OTCQB">FNMA</a>) made way for Stemtech Corp. (OTCQB: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/stek#OTCQB">STEK</a>), Northwest Biotherapeutics Inc. (OTCQB: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/nwbo#OTCQB">NWBO</a>) and American Battery Technology Co. (OTCQB: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/abml#OTCQB">ABML</a>).&nbsp;
Thirteen international securities landed a spot on the OTCQB Venture Market&rsquo;s Most Active list. Of these, four are Australian, six are Canadian, one is Israeli, one is South African and one is from Hong Kong.&nbsp;
Other notable movers:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Snowline Gold Corp. (OTCQB: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/snwgf#OTCQB">SNWGF</a>) climbed to 12th place on the Most Active list and recorded an $8.6 million rise in trading volume compared to last month.</li>
<li>Hugoton Royalty Trust (OTCQB: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/hgtxu#OTCQB">HGTXU</a>) climbed to 13th place in the Most Active list and recorded an $8.5 million rise in trading volume compared to last month.</li>
<li>DSG Global Inc. (OTCQB: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/dsgt#OTCQB">DSGT</a>) climbed to 17th place on the Most Active list and recorded a $5.5 million rise in trading volume compared to last month.</li>
</ul>
The OTCQX And OTCQB Top 10
Below are the top 10 most actively traded securities on the OTCQX Best Market and OTCQB Venture Market in August.&nbsp;
OTCQX Top 10:&nbsp;
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
Company Name
</td>
<td>
Symbol
</td>
<td>
August Dollar Volume
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETH)
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/ETHE/quote">ETHE</a>
</td>
<td>
$1,114,134,926
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Roche Holding Ltd.
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/RHHBY/quote">RHHBY</a>
</td>
<td>
$935,026,316
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (BTC)
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/GBTC/quote">GBTC</a>
</td>
<td>
$921,411,988
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
adidas AG
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/ADDYY/quote">ADDYY</a>
</td>
<td>
$302,833,956
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Computer Services Inc.
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/CSVI/quote">CSVI</a>
</td>
<td>
$292,875,479
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
BNP Paribas
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/BNPQY/quote">BNPQY</a>
</td>
<td>
$291,431,930
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Anglo American plc
</td>
<td>
<a href="https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/NGLOY/quote">NGLOY</a>
</td>
<td>
$195,164,216
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Infineon Technologies AG&nbsp;
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/IFNNY/quote">IFNNY</a>
</td>
<td>
$168,045,608
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Imperial Brands PLC
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/IMBBY/quote">IMBBY</a>
</td>
<td>
$167,522,020
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
BASF SE
</td>
<td>
<a href="https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/BASFY/quote">BASFY</a>
</td>
<td>
$153,897,600
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
OTCQB Top 10:&nbsp;
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
Company Name
</td>
<td>
Symbol
</td>
<td>
August Dollar Volume
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
CytoDyn Inc.
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/CYDY/quote">CYDY</a>
</td>
<td>
$64,363,191
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Stemtech Corp.
</td>
<td>
<a href="https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/STEK/quote">STEK</a>
</td>
<td>
$49,237,636
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Northwest Biotherapeutics Inc.
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/NWBO/quote">NWBO</a>
</td>
<td>
$25,610,301
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
American Battery Technology Co.
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/ABML/quote">ABML</a>
</td>
<td>
$21,298,838
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Netlist Inc.
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/NLST/quote">NLST</a>
</td>
<td>
$17,770,131
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Fannie Mae&nbsp;
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/FNMA/quote">FNMA</a>
</td>
<td>
$17,430,475
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Lake Resources N.L.&nbsp;
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/LLKKF/quote">LLKKF</a>
</td>
<td>
$14,688,357
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
American Lithium Corp.
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/LIACF/quote">LIACF</a>
</td>
<td>
$14,031,588
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Freddie Mac&nbsp;
</td>
<td>
<a href="https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/FMCC/quote">FMCC</a>
</td>
<td>
$13,769,993
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Todos Medical Ltd.
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/TOMDF/quote">TOMDF</a>
</td>
<td>
$13,610,935
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice.
Featured photo by Annie Spratt on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/hWJsOnaWTqs">Unsplash</a>

ABML

ADDYY

BASFY

BFFAF

CSVI

DANOY

DSGT

ETCG

ETHE

GBTC

HEINY

HGTXU

IFNNY

IMBBY

AMERICAN LITHIUM CORP ORD by American Lithium Corp.

LIACF

NGLOY

NLST

NWBO

Fidelity NASDAQmposite Index Fund ETF-Tracking NASDAQmposite Index

ONEQ

OTCM

RECONNAISSANCE EGY AFRICA by Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd.

RECAF

RHHBY

SNWGF

STEK

TCNNF

TOMDF

ZURVY

A Quick Look At The OTC Markets' Most-Active Securities In August - Here's What You Need to Know

The month of July saw $37.3 billion in trading volume for stocks that trade on the OTCQK and OTCQB. While some of the stocks that trade over-the-counter are considered&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/best-penny-stocks">penny stocks</a> based on their share price, they are also some of the largest companies in the world and represent a diverse list of sectors.
The total in July was down from $45.2 million in June, as <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/22/07/27971151/these-were-the-most-traded-otc-stocks-in-june-where-do-danone-adidas-and-grayscale-bitcoin">reported </a>by Benzinga.
Here were the top 10 traded stocks in July on the OTC by trading volume:
1. Roche Holdings&nbsp;(OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/rhhby#OTC">RHHBY</a>)
Volume: $1.17 billion
June Rank: #2
52-Week Price Range: $37.88 to $53.86
Current Price: $41.23
What the Company Does: One of the largest biotechnology companies in the world, Roche operates across several lines of the healthcare industry including pharmaceutical products, oncology therapies, diagnostics and oncology products. The Swiss company has a market capitalization of more than&nbsp;$250 billion.
2. Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/gbtc#OTC">GBTC</a>)
Volume: $1.17 billion
June Rank: #1
52-Week Price Range: $11.92 to $55.05
Current Price: $14.21
What the Company Does: Launched in 2013, the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust offers investors a way to gain exposure to Bitcoin (CRYPTO: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/btc/usd">BTC</a>) without the challenges of buying and storing the cryptocurrency.
3. Grayscale Ethereum Trust (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ethe#OTC">ETHE</a>)
Volume: $824.7 million
June Rank: #3
52-Week Price Range: $6.85 to $47.40
Current Price: $12.14
What the Company Does: Launched in 2017, the Grayscale Ethereum Trust was one of the first securities that were solely invested in the price of Ethereum (CRYPTO: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/eth/usd">ETH</a>). Investors get exposure to Ethereum as a security and pay a premium to not have to worry about buying and keeping the cryptocurrency safe on their own.
4. Adidas AG (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/addyy#OTC">ADDYY</a>)
Volume: $242.5 million
June Rank: #6
52-Week Price Range: $76.70 to $199.44
Current Price: $87.61
What the Company Does: Competing with Nike Inc (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/nke#NYSE">NKE</a>) and Under Armour (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ua#NYSE">UA</a>)(NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/uaa#NYSE">UAA</a>), Adidas is one of the largest apparel and footwear companies in the world. The company has grown its exposure to new audiences recently with its Kanye West partnership for the Yeezy brand and a partnership with NFT collections Bored Ape Yacht Club and PUNKS Comics. Adidas moved up two places in the top 10&nbsp;in July and saw its share price rise.
5. Danone (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/danoy#OTC">DANOY</a>)
Volume: $236.8 million
June Rank: #4
52-Week Price Range: $10.21 to $15.38
Current Price: $10.99
What the Company Does: Danone is well known as one of the largest dairy and infant nutrition companies in the world. The company&rsquo;s three operating segments are dairy and plant-based products, specialized nutrition and bottled water.
Related Link: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/how-to-buy-otc-stocks">How To Buy OTC Stocks</a>
6. BNP Paribas (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/bnpqy#OTC">BNPQY</a>)
Volume: $221.8 million
June Rank: #5
52-Week Price Range: $20.36 to $38.48
Current Price: $25.08
What the Company Does: BNP Paribas is one of the largest banks in France and has operations in around 80 countries around the world.
7. Infineon Technologies (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ifnny#OTC">IFNNY</a>)
Volume: $155.3 million
June Rank: #7
52-Week Price Range: $21.49 to $49.99
Current Price: $28.42
What the Company Does: European chipmaker Infineon Technologies was spun off of Siemens AG (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/siegy#OTC">SIEGY</a>) in 2000. The company produces automotive semiconductors used for safety and powertrain segments of the auto industry. The stock held steady in seventh place and saw its share price rise in July.
8. BASF SE (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/basfy#OTC">BASFY</a>)
Volume: $133.6 million
June Rank: Not in top 10
52-Week Price Range: $9.99 to $20.50
Current Price: $11.30
What the Company Does: One of two newcomers to the top 10&nbsp;volume leaders in July, BASF is the world&rsquo;s largest chemical company. The company is a large player in specialty chemicals and agricultural crop protection.
9. Anglo American PLC (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ngloy#OTC">NGLOY</a>)
Volume: $129.3 million
June Rank: #9
52-Week Price Range: $14.76 to $27.80
Current Price: $17.54
What the Company Does: Anglo American is one of the largest mining companies operating commodities such as copper, coal, iron ore and platinum. The company is one of the largest platinum miners in the world and also among the largest palladium miners. Anglo also owns 85% of De Beers, one of the largest diamond suppliers in the world.
10. Zurich Insurance Group (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/zurvy#OTC">ZURVY</a>)
Volume: $125.1 million
June Rank: Not in top 10
52-Week Price Range: $41.20 to $49.95
Current Price: $43.84
What the Company Does: Insurance company Zurich operates with three main segments of general insurance, life insurance and Farmers Management Services.
For the OTCQB, these were the five stocks with the most volume in July:
CytoDyn Inc (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/cydy#OTC">CYDY</a>): $37.1 million
Netlist, Inc. (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/nlst#OTC">NLST</a>): $34.1 million
Freddie Mac (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fmcc#OTC">FMCC</a>): $30.2 million
Fannie Mae (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fnma#OTC">FNMA</a>) $27.4 million
Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/nwbo#OTC">NWBO</a>): $22.7 billion
Photo:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/g/aleksandrsmuiznieks">Aleksandrs Muiznieks</a>&nbsp;via Shutterstock
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These 2 Under-The-Radar Stocks Traded More Than $1B Each Last Month

Reflecting the expected conditions of a bear market, many of the world&rsquo;s indices saw a decrease in price throughout June.
The SPDR S&amp;P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA: SPY), for example, declined 8.26% in June, a very similar decline to the one seen in April. The SPY&rsquo;s maximum decline since its peak in January is 24%, falling within the standard definition of a bear market.&nbsp;
The Fidelity NASDAQ Composite Index ETF (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/oneq#NASDAQ">ONEQ</a>) and the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (NYSEARCA: DIA) displayed similar weakness, showing declines of 8.7% and 6.78%, respectively, in June.
Despite the decline in market indices and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), OTC Markets Group Inc.&rsquo;s (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/otcm#OTCQX">OTCM</a>) regulated markets experienced a slight increase in total monthly dollar volume, recording $45.2 billion in June compared to $44.5 billion in May. Additionally, the operator saw former cryptocurrency and mortgage financiers return to the helm of the Most Actively Traded Securities list on two of its regulated markets.&nbsp;
Both the OTCQX Best Market and the OTCQB Venture Market maintained a significant international presence, with over half of the top most-traded securities across both markets composed of international operators.
<h3>Crypto Reclaims The Helm Of The OTCQX Best Market Most-Active Securities&nbsp;</h3>
The OTCQX Best Market recorded $9 billion in trading volume in June, a decrease from May&rsquo;s $11 billion.&nbsp;
Despite the decrease in volume, former leaders have begun to reclaim their place among the Most Active Securities list. Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/gbtc#OTCQX">GBTC</a>), for example, has reclaimed its spot as the most-traded security on the OTCQX Best Market, followed by May&rsquo;s leader Roche Holding AG (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/rhhby#OTCQX">RHHBY</a>) and Grayscale Ethereum Trust (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ethe#OTCQX">ETHE</a>).&nbsp;
Additionally, the OTCQX&rsquo;s top 10 most-active securities experienced a slight reshuffle in June, welcoming&nbsp;
Experian PLC (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/expgy#OTCQX">EXPGY</a>) and Tesco PLC (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/tscdy#OTCQX">TSCDY</a>) in place of AXA SA (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/axahy#OTCQX">AXAHY</a>) and Sprott Physical Uranium Trust Fund (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/sruuf#OTCQX">SRUUF</a>).
International operators, once again, maintained a strong presence on OTCQX, comprising 23 of the top 30 securities, down from 24 in May. France&rsquo;s BNP Paribas SA (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/bnpqy#OTCQX">BNPQY</a>) and Germany&rsquo;s Infineon Technologies AG (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ifnny#OTCQX">IFNNY</a>) and adidas AG (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/addyy#OTCQX">ADDYY</a>) were again on the OTCQX top 10 most-active securities, while Mexico&rsquo;s Wal-Mart De Mexico S.A.B. de C.V. (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/wmmvy#OTCQX">WMMVY</a>) and Australia&rsquo;s Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fsugy#OTCQX">FSUGY</a>) made it among June&rsquo;s top 30 most-active securities.
Other notable movers:
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Danone (OTCQX: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/danoy#OTCQX">DANOY</a>) claimed fourth place on the OTCQX&rsquo;s list of most-traded securities, experiencing a 160% change in trading volume from last month.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<h3>The OTCQB Venture Market Welcomes Back Mortgage Financiers</h3>
The OTCQB Venture Market recorded $603 million in trading volume in June, a decline from May&rsquo;s $896 million figure.
June introduced two new entities to the OTCQB&rsquo;s Top 10 Most-Traded Securities list. Biotech operator CytoDyn Inc. (OTCQB: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/cydy#OTCQB">CYDY</a>) and aerospace and defense company Applied Energetics Inc. (OTCQB: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/aerg#OTCQB">AERG</a>) represent the new faces on the list.
Similar to May, the OTCQB Venture Market witnessed a number of novelties in June. In addition to two new companies, all three of the top most-traded securities in the market changed. Mortgage financiers Fannie Mae (OTCQB: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fnma#OTCQB">FNMA</a>) and Freddie Mac (OTCQB: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fmcc#OTCQB">FMCC</a>) reclaimed their positions as the first- and third-most traded securities and Lake Resources (OTCQB: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/llkkf#OTCQB">LLKKF</a>) claimed its spot as the second most-traded security.
All three former &ldquo;Most Active Top 3s&rdquo; &ndash; Northwest Biotherapeutics Inc. (OTCQB: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/nwbo#OTCQB">NWBO</a>), Sysorex Inc. (OTCQB: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/sysx#OTCQB">SYSX</a>) and Netlist Inc. (OTCQB: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/nlst#OTCQB">NLST</a>) &ndash; remain on the OTCQB&rsquo;s Venture Market Top 10 Most Active Securities list, potentially hinting at sustained investor interest.
Twelve international securities landed a spot among the top 30 most-traded securities. Of these 12 securities, eight are Canadian, two are Australian, one is English, and one is from Hong Kong.&nbsp;
Other notable movers:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Wiki Soft Corp. (OTCQB: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/wsft#OTCQB">WSFT</a>) climbed to 12th place in the most-active group and recorded a $6.6 million rise in trading volume compared to last month.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Sharing Economy International Inc. (OTCQB: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/seii#OTCQB">SEII</a>) experienced a $3.7 million increase in trading volume compared to May, climbing to 19th place on the OTCQB&rsquo;s Top 30.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
The OTCQX And OTCQB Top 10
Below are the top 10 most actively traded securities on the OTCQX Best Market and OTCQB Venture Market in June.&nbsp;
OTCQX Top 10:&nbsp;
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
Company Name
</td>
<td>
Symbol
</td>
<td>
June Dollar Volume
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (BTC)
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/GBTC/quote">GBTC</a>
</td>
<td>
$2,598,254,251
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Roche Holding Ltd.
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/RHHBY/quote">RHHBY</a>
</td>
<td>
$1,382,600,575
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETH)
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/ETHE/quote">ETHE</a>
</td>
<td>
$976,746,377
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Danone
</td>
<td>
<a href="https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/DANOY/quote">DANOY</a>
</td>
<td>
$313,801,324
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
BNP Paribas
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/BNPQY/quote">BNPQY</a>
</td>
<td>
$298,306,543
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
adidas AG
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/ADDYY/quote">ADDYY</a>
</td>
<td>
$287,277,517
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Infineon Technologies AG&nbsp;
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/IFNNY/quote">IFNNY</a>
</td>
<td>
$165,504,013
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Experian plc
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/EXPGY/quote">EXPGY</a>
</td>
<td>
$164,324,697
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Anglo American plc
</td>
<td>
<a href="https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/NGLOY/quote">NGLOY</a>
</td>
<td>
$141,723,690
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Tesco PLC
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/TSCDY/quote">TSCDY</a>
</td>
<td>
$135,566,090
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
OTCQB Top 10:&nbsp;
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
Company Name
</td>
<td>
Symbol
</td>
<td>
June Dollar Volume
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Fannie Mae&nbsp;
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/FNMA/quote">FNMA</a>
</td>
<td>
$45,002,762
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Lake Resources N.L.&nbsp;
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/LLKKF/quote">LLKKF</a>
</td>
<td>
$40,313,559
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Freddie Mac&nbsp;
</td>
<td>
<a href="https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/FMCC/quote">FMCC</a>
</td>
<td>
$27,312,021
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Netlist Inc.
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/NLST/quote">NLST</a>
</td>
<td>
$26,970,708
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
American Battery Technology Co.
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/ABML/quote">ABML</a>
</td>
<td>
$25,756,627
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Northwest Biotherapeutics Inc.
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/NWBO/quote">NWBO</a>
</td>
<td>
$24,033,013
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Sysorex Inc.
</td>
<td>
<a href="https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/SYSX/quote">SYSX</a>
</td>
<td>
$18,453,146
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
CytoDyn Inc.
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/CYDY/quote">CYDY</a>
</td>
<td>
$12,583,808
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
American Lithium Corp.
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/LIACF/quote">LIACF</a>
</td>
<td>
$10,964,858
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Applied Energetics Inc.
</td>
<td>
<a href="http://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/AERG/quote">AERG</a>
</td>
<td>
$8,948,024
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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Mortgage Financiers & Crypto Securities Reclaim Their Spots As Most Actively Traded Securities On OTC Markets In June

The renewed rise in mortgage rates, a major mortgage-backed securities deal featuring non-qualified mortgages and a cooling in rental housing prices dominated this week&#39;s housing and mortgage market news.
On The Mortgage Front: Freddie Mac (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fmcc#OTC">FMCC</a>) reported the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.51% as of July 14, up from last week when it averaged 5.30%. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.67%, up from last week when it averaged 4.45%. And the 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage averaged 4.35%, up from last week when it averaged 4.19%.
&ldquo;Mortgage rates are volatile as economic growth slows due to fiscal and monetary drags,&rdquo; said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac&rsquo;s chief economist. &ldquo;With rates the highest in over a decade, home prices at escalated levels, and inflation continuing to impact consumers, affordability remains the main obstacle to homeownership for many Americans.&rdquo;
While mortgage rates were rising, home loan applications dropped. The Mortgage Bankers Association&rsquo;s (MBA) Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, was down by 1.7% for the week ending July 8 compared to the previous week. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index was down by 4% and the Refinance Index was up by 2%,&nbsp;although the latter was also 80% lower than the same week one year ago.
&ldquo;Purchase applications for both conventional and government loans continue to be weaker due to the combination of much higher mortgage rates and the worsening economic outlook,&rdquo; said Joel Kan, MBA&rsquo;s associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting. &ldquo;After reaching a record $460,000 in March 2022, the average purchase loan size was $415,000 last week, pulled lower by the potential moderation of home-price growth and weaker purchase activity at the upper end of the market.
&ldquo;Refinance applications increased slightly last week,&rdquo; Kan added, &ldquo;driven by an uptick in conventional and FHA refinances &mdash;&nbsp;the overall refinance index remained 5% below the average level reported in June.&rdquo;
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/22/07/27987012/cmbs-delinquency-rate-up-for-first-time-in-six-months">CMBS Delinquency Rate Rises For First Time In 6 Months: What You Need To Know</a>
On The Homebuying Front: Fannie Mae (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fnma#OTC">FNMA</a>) reported single-family home prices during the second quarter shot up 19.4% year-over-year, although they were also down slightly from the previous quarter&#39;s upwardly revised 20.5%. On a quarterly basis, home prices rose a seasonally adjusted 4.3% during the second quarter.
&quot;Home prices maintained a near-historic pace of appreciation in the second quarter, as low levels of housing inventory continued to support price growth,&quot; said Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae senior vice president and chief economist. &quot;At the end of 2021 and extending into 2022, we believe many homebuyers pulled forward their purchase plans to avoid expected increases in mortgage rates, contributing to demand for homes and strong price appreciation.
&ldquo;Given the sharp rise in mortgage rates since that time and the resulting negative impact on affordability to potential homebuyers,&rdquo; Duncan added, &ldquo;we expect purchase demand to cool in the quarters ahead, and for home price appreciation to moderate as a result.&rdquo;
On The Non-QM Front: The market for non-qualified mortgages (Non-QM) has been shaken recently with problems impacting two of its major players: the bankruptcy filing by First Guaranty Mortgage Corporation last month and the shuttering of Sprout Mortgage last week.
But, to further torture that too often quoted quip from Mark Twain, &quot;reports of Non-QM&rsquo;s death have been greatly exaggerated.&quot;
According to a report from <a href="https://asreport.americanbanker.com/news/ellington-financial-mortgage-will-tap-the-mbs-market-for-345-6-million">Asset Securitization Report</a>, Non-QM loans accounted for the majority &mdash;&nbsp;58.1%, to be exact &mdash;&nbsp;of the 765 mortgages that will secure a $345.6 million mortgage-backed securities deal from the Ellington Financial Mortgage Trust, a division of Ellington Financial Inc&nbsp;(NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/efc#NYSE">EFC</a>). On average, the loans have a balance of $451,833, with some loans carrying a maximum balance of $2.5 million.
On The Rental Housing Front: The upward movement in the cost of rental housing decelerated in June, according to new data from Redfin Corp (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/rdfn#NASDAQ">RDFN</a>), which found asking rents were up 0.7% in May, the smallest month-over-month uptick of 2022, and were up 14% from one year ago, the smallest annual increase since October 2021.
The metro areas with the greatest year-over-year increase were Cincinnati (39%), Seattle (33%), Austin (32%), Nashville (31%) and New York City (27%). Only three of the nation&rsquo;s five largest metro areas saw year-over-year rent decreases: Milwaukee (-12%), Minneapolis (-7%) and Kansas City (0.5%).
&ldquo;Rent growth is likely slowing because landlords are seeing demand start to ease as renters get pinched by inflation,&rdquo; said Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather. &ldquo;With the cost of gas, food and other products soaring, renters have less money to spend on housing. This slowdown in rent increases is likely to continue &mdash;&nbsp;however rents are still climbing at unprecedented rates in strong job markets like New York and Seattle and in areas like San Antonio and Austin that soared in popularity during the pandemic.&rdquo;
Separately, WalletHub released its <a href="https://wallethub.com/edu/best-cities-for-renters/23010">report</a> &ldquo;Best &amp; Worst Places to Rent in America,&rdquo; which analyzed more than 180 major metro rental markets through a spectrum of 22 considerations including the difference between rental rates and mortgage payments, the cost of living, quality of life and job availability.
The top five rental markets, according to WalletHub, were: Columbia, Maryland, as the top-ranked rental market, followed by Overland Park, Kansas; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Bismarck, North Dakota; and Lincoln, Nebraska. At the other end of the spectrum, the bottom five rental markets were Detroit; Memphis; San Bernadino, California; Cleveland; and New Orleans.
&ldquo;As vaccination against COVID-19 has allowed states to reopen, rental prices have risen significantly,&rdquo; said Adam McCann, financial writer at WalletHub and author of the new report. &ldquo;During 2021, they grew at almost double the rate of any previous year. Meanwhile, mortgage rates are also rising at the fastest rate in over a decade. Like home prices, however, rental rates can vary significantly by region, state or city. And in some places, renting will prove to be more cost-effective and a better overall value than owning.&rdquo;
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/22/07/28054443/analysis-why-is-new-york-city-preparing-residents-for-a-nuclear-attack">Analysis: Why Is New York City Preparing Residents For A Nuclear Attack?</a>
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RDFN

Housing Beat: Mortgage Rates Soar Again, Non-QM Rides On, The Best And Worst Rental Markets

Each day, Benzinga takes a look back at a notable market-related moment that happened on this date.
<h3>What Happened</h3>
On <a href="http://jasonzweig.com/this-day-in-financial-history/">July 11, 1986</a>, the Federal National Mortgage Association (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fnma#OTC">FNMA</a>) issued the first stripped mortgage-backed securities to enable purchase of interest-only or principal-only bonds.
<h3>Where Was The Market?</h3>
The Dow and S&amp;P 500 closed down at respective rates of 1,821.43 and 242.22.
<h3>What Else Was Going On In The World</h3>
The inaugural Goodwill Games were taking place in Moscow in response to national Olympic boycotts. The U.S. Supreme Court had recently ruled to uphold affirmative action and eliminate the Gramm-Rudman deficit-reduction law.
<h3>Fannie Mae Convolutes The Trading Game</h3>
Fannie Mae&rsquo;s financial engineering provided investors a pure bet on the direction of interest rates. When rates rise, interest-only strips follow suit as principal-only strips fall.
The concept, built on mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration and the Veterans Administration, is akin to Treasury STRIPS <a href="http://www.benzinga.com/markets/bonds/18/02/11209202/this-day-in-market-history-us-treasury-begins-issuing-strips">introduced a year prior</a>.
In the first two months of marketing, the Association <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/12/business/finance-new-issues-fannie-mae-issues.html">sold $1 billion </a>of stripped mortgage-backed securities to Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/gs#NYSE">GS</a>).
Related Links:
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/education/18/07/11999527/this-day-in-market-history-jackson-vetoes-charter-renewal-for-bank-">This Day In Market History: Jackson Vetoes Charter Renewal For Bank Of The United States</a>
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/education/18/07/11993375/this-day-in-market-history-bell-telephone-company-is-founded">This Day In Market History: Bell Telephone Company Is Founded</a>

This Day In Market History: Fannie Mae Rolls Out First Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities

This week in the housing world, mortgage rates declined for the second consecutive week as home price growth slowed, the level of mortgage delinquencies remained low and the Roe v. Wade controversy permeated the homebuying process.
On The Mortgage Front: Freddie Mac (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fmcc#OTC">FMCC</a>) reported the 30-year fixed-rate <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/mortgage-lenders-no-tax-returns/">mortgage</a> averaged 5.30% as of July 7, down from last week when it averaged 5.70%. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.45%, down from last week when it averaged 4.83%. And the 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 4.19% with an average 0.4 point, down from last week when it averaged 4.50%. A year ago at this time, the 5-year ARM averaged 2.52%.
&ldquo;Over the last two weeks, the 30-year fixed-rate <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/mortgage-lenders-no-tax-returns/">mortgage</a> dropped by half a percent, as concerns about a potential recession continue to rise,&rdquo; said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac&rsquo;s chief economist. &ldquo;While the drop provides minor relief to buyers, the housing market will continue to normalize if home price growth materially slows due to the combination of low housing affordability and an expected economic slowdown.&rdquo;
But declining <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/mortgage-lenders-no-tax-returns/">mortgage</a> rates did not spark a rise in home loan activity. The Mortgage Bankers Association&rsquo;s (MBA) Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, dropped by 5.4% for the week ending July 1 compared to one week earlier. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index was down 4% over the same period while the Refinance Index took an 8% tumble from the previous week and was also 78% below the same week one year ago.
Joel Kan, MBA&rsquo;s associate vice president of economic and industry, observed that <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/mortgage-lenders-no-tax-returns/">mortgage</a> rates &ldquo;are still significantly higher than they were a year ago, which is why applications for home purchases and refinances remain depressed. Purchase activity is hamstrung by ongoing affordability challenges and low inventory, and homeowners still have reduced incentive to apply for a refinance.&rdquo;
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/real-estate/22/06/27844953/jeff-bezos-backed-real-estate-investment-platform-acquires-another-23-million-worth-of-single-family">Jeff Bezos-Backed Arrived Homes Acquires Another $23 Million Worth Of Single-Family Rental Homes As Number Of Active Investors Doubles</a>
On The Homebuying Front: Prospective homebuyers are still facing a market carrying more than its fair share of challenges.
The Data &amp; Analytics division of Black Knight, Inc. (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/bki#NYSE">BKI</a>) reported that home price growth slowed in 97 of the 100 largest U.S. housing markets in May, with the national annual appreciation rate slowing to 19.3% from a revised 20.4% in April.
This marked the largest single-month deceleration since 2006, although prices were still up 1.5% month over month and were nearly twice the historical average for May.
Black Knight added that housing is now the least affordable it has been since the mid-1980s, when sharp Federal Reserve hikes resulted in double-digit mortgage rates and a payment-to-income ratio that was greater than 50%.
&ldquo;The record-low listing inventory that had been driving these price gains nationwide has also begun to improve, albeit slightly,&rdquo; said Black Knight Data &amp; Analytics President Ben Graboske. &ldquo;Indeed, even with an increase in active listings of 107,000 in May &mdash;&nbsp;nearly double the traditional seasonal rise for the month &mdash;&nbsp;we are still 60% below the number of active listings we would normally see at this time of year.&rdquo;
Graboske added that while all of the major U.S. housing markets are still dealing with inventory deficits, &ldquo;some have seen their shortages shrink much faster than others. Among these are some of the hottest housing markets in recent years: San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle. Unsurprisingly, these are also among the markets seeing the strongest levels of cooling so far this year, with annual home price growth rates in each down more than three percentage points in recent months.&rdquo;
However, the concept of &ldquo;cooling&rdquo; might be subjective. New data from the Seattle-headquartered brokerage Redfin Corp (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/rdfn#NASDAQ">RDFN</a>) determined that the median asking price of newly listed homes increased in June by 15% year-over-year to $405,547, although it was also 1.5% lower from the all-time high of $418,000 recorded during the four-week period ending May 22.
Redfin also noted the monthly mortgage payment on the median asking price home increased to $2,459 at the current 5.7% mortgage rate, but is down slightly from the peak of $2,494 during the four-week period ending June 12. Still, that figure is up 45% from $1,694 one year earlier, when mortgage rates were 2.98%.
Nonetheless, Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather stated that home sellers are ceding to pressure on affordability created by the rapid rise in mortgage rates.
&ldquo;Data on home-tours, offers and mortgage purchase applications suggest that homebuyers have noticed the shift in power and are no longer leaving the market in droves,&rdquo; said Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather. &ldquo;Buyers coming back will provide support to the housing market, but between now and the end of the year I think the power will continue to shift towards buyers, resulting in mild price declines from month to month.&rdquo;
On The Politics Front: In a separate data report, Redfin found the recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling is influencing homebuying choices. A poll of potential buyers found 15% of respondents who recently moved insisted they would not live in a place where abortion is fully legal while 12% said they would only live in a place where abortion is fully legal. Other respondents were not as intense in their partisan vehemence: 17% said they &ldquo;prefer not to&rdquo; live somewhere abortion is fully legal and 28% said they &ldquo;prefer to&rdquo; live in such a place.
&ldquo;Before the pandemic, abortion was legal in every state &mdash; although, not necessarily accessible,&rdquo; said Fairweather. &ldquo;Homebuyers were migrating across state lines before those state lines had such drastic repercussions. I believe that now movers are going to take the state laws in place more seriously. Affordability is always going to be the top concern for homebuyers, but I think moving from a place like Los Angeles to Austin will be a more difficult decision for some women.&rdquo;
On The Delinquency Front: A degree of good news came from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), which reported 96.9% of first-lien mortgages were current and performing by the end of the first quarter &mdash;&nbsp;one year earlier, that share was 94.2%.
The percentage of seriously delinquent mortgages &mdash;&nbsp;mortgages&nbsp;60 or more days past due and all mortgages held by bankrupt borrowers whose payments are 30 or more days past due &mdash;&nbsp;was 1.8% in the first quarter of 2022, down from 2.3% in the prior quarter and 4.6% one year ago.
The OCC also reported that mortgage servicers initiated 19,524 new foreclosures in the first quarter. However, this was attributed to the expiration of federal COVID-19-related foreclosure moratoria and is comparable to the pre-pandemic level.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) also weighed in on the subject, reporting that Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fnma#OTC">FNMA</a>) completed 129,779 foreclosure prevention actions during the first quarter, with 75% of loan modifications reducing borrowers&#39; monthly payments by more than 20%. The number of refinances decreased amid rising mortgage rates from 1,266,043 in the fourth quarter to 899,518 in the first quarter.
The serious delinquency rate for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mac declined from 1.19% to 0.97% at the end of the first quarter, a lower level than the 5.33% for Federal Housing Administration loans, 3.15% for Department of Veterans Affairs loans and 2.39% percent for all loans.
Photo: Dan Moyle / Flickr Creative Commons
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/real-estate/22/07/27987481/rent-growth-and-property-values-outpace-inflation-creating-a-unique-opportunity-for-investors-with-m">Rent Growth And Property Values Outpace Inflation, Creating A Unique Opportunity For Investors With Multifamily Developments</a>

Exclusives

Housing Beat: Mortgage Rates Fall Again, Home Price Growth Cools, Roe V. Wade Influences Homebuyers

Each day, Benzinga takes a look back at a notable market-related moment that occurred on this date.
<h3>What Happened?</h3>
On this day 85&nbsp;years ago, President Franklin D. Roosevelt enacted the National Housing Act of 1934.
<h3>Where The Market Was</h3>
The Dow closed at 96.94. The S&amp;P 500 traded at around 9.47. Today, the Dow is trading at 31,500 and the S&amp;P 500 is trading at 3,911.
<h3>What Else Was Going On In The World?</h3>
In 1934, bank robber and public enemy No. 1 John Dillinger died in a shootout with the FBI in Chicago. The famous &ldquo;surgeon&rsquo;s photograph&rdquo; of the Loch Ness Monster was taken in Scotland. A gallon of gasoline cost 10 cents.
<h3>National Housing Act</h3>
The National Housing Act was one of many pieces of Great Depression-era legislation aimed at jump-starting the frozen U.S. economy. The act created the Federal Housing Administration for the purpose of providing credit to lenders to make home repairs and perform home construction. The National Housing Act helped keep the housing market moving when there was very little liquidity in the traditional lending market throughout the Depression.
The National Housing Act also led to the creation of government mortgage aggregator the Federal National Mortgage Association (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fnma#OTC">FNMA</a>), or Fannie Mae. Fannie Mae was ultimately a prime player in the creation of the <a href="http://jasonzweig.com/this-day-in-financial-history/">secondary mortgage</a> bond market that sprung up in the 1970s and facilitated a national housing market boom in the early 2000s.
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Photo: Federal Housing Administrator Stewart McDonald discusses with Senator Robert F. Wagner, author of Wagner Housing Act, the recommendations of President Roosevelt for amendments to the act.

This Day In Market History: The National Housing Act Of 1934

This week in the housing market, mortgage rates resumed their upward movement, mortgage applications continued their downward movement and industry experts weighed in on the arrival of the next recession.
On The Mortgage Front:&nbsp;Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp&nbsp;-&nbsp;Freddie Mac (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fmcc#OTC">FMCC</a>) reported the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.23% as of June 9, up from last week when it averaged 5.09%. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.38%, up from last week when it averaged 4.32%. And the 5-year Treasury-indexed&nbsp;hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage averaged 4.12%, up from last week when it averaged 4.04%.
&ldquo;After little movement the last few weeks, <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/mortgage-lenders-no-tax-returns/">mortgage</a> rates rose again on the back of increased economic activity and incoming inflation data,&rdquo; said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac&rsquo;s chief economist. &ldquo;The housing market is incredibly rate-sensitive, so as mortgage rates increase suddenly, demand again is pulling back.
&ldquo;The material decline in purchase activity, combined with the rising supply of homes for sale, will cause a deceleration in price growth to more normal levels, providing some relief for buyers still interested in purchasing a home,&rdquo; Khater added
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported that its Market Composite Index, a measure of <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/mortgage-lenders-no-tax-returns/">mortgage</a> loan application volume, was down last week by 6.5% from one week earlier. The Purchase Index was down by 7% and the Refinance Index decreased 6% &mdash;&nbsp;the latter was also 21% lower than the same week one year ago.
&ldquo;Weakness in both purchase and refinance applications pushed the market index down to its lowest level in 22 years,&rdquo; said Joel Kan, MBA&rsquo;s associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting, who also noted the &ldquo;purchase market has suffered from persistently low housing inventory and the jump in <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/mortgage-lenders-no-tax-returns/">mortgage</a> rates over the past two months. These worsening affordability challenges have been particularly hard on prospective first-time buyers.&rdquo;
On The Homebuying Front: While home prices continue to break records, Zillow Group Inc&nbsp;(NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/z#NASDAQ">Z</a>) (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/zg#NASDAQ">ZG</a>) polled 100 industry experts to determine if this environment is turning into a new housing bubble.
According to Zillow, 60% of the respondents said they do not believe the U.S. housing market is currently in a bubble, compared to 32% who said a bubble existed and 8% who were not sure.
&quot;Americans have seen home values rise at record rates over the past few years. But although a recession is looking more and more likely, the housing market today is a far different beast than what we saw in the mid-2000s,&quot; said Zillow economist Nicole Bachaud. &quot;Unlike in 2006, this market is underpinned by strong fundamentals and has been built on mortgages with sound credit, factors that won&#39;t change in the near term.&quot;
Zillow also asked the 100 experts about the potential for a new recession. The majority of respondents (45%) expected the next U.S. recession to begin in 2023, while 30% expected a recession this year, 8% predicted it would come in 2024 and 17% saw it happening beyond 2024.
&quot;Although the Great Recession was triggered by a housing crash, it&#39;s an outlier in the grand history of recessions, which have often strengthened investment in housing due to its relative stability as an asset,&quot; Bachaud said.
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/22/06/27613090/analysis-kohls-downhill-road-to-seeking-a-buyer">Analysis: Kohl&#39;s Downhill Road To Seeking A Buyer</a>
The Equal Opportunity Front:&nbsp;Federal National Mortgage Association -&nbsp;Fannie Mae (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fnma#OTC">FNMA</a>) released a three-year Equitable Housing Finance Plan designed to address continuing affordability and accessibility challenges faced by Black renters and homeowners.
According to Fannie Mae, the new plan focuses on three key areas: preparing Black consumers early through credit building and financial education, identifying and removing the &ldquo;unnecessary obstacles&rdquo; that prevent Black Americans from gaining a residence&nbsp;and enhancing sustainable homeownership so renters and homeowners can withstand disruptions or temporary hardships that would force their removal from their residences.
&quot;Our Equitable Housing Finance Plan lays the groundwork to meaningfully address housing barriers faced by Black renters and homeowners,&quot; said David C. Benson, president and interim CEO at Fannie Mae. &quot;We want to knock down these barriers, one by one, doing our part to undo the legacy of discriminatory practices that perpetuate racial housing gaps in America. The plan is a solid step toward this goal and a milestone in our work to make housing stronger, fairer, and more sustainable for the people and communities we serve.&quot;
On The Fire Risk Front: When it comes to buying a home, it appears that prices are greater in markets with a higher risk of fires.
New data from Redfin Corp&nbsp;(NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/rdfn#NASDAQ">RDFN</a>) determined the median sale price of homes with higher fire risks was $550,500 in April, compared with $431,300 for homes with low risks, a 27.6% difference.
Much of this is due to location and property size. Redfin noted&nbsp;homes with a higher fire-risk tend to be either larger and/or located in pricey West Coast metros, including many suburban and rural areas that saw a greater migration of new residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the median sale price of high-risk homes was up 51.7% in April from two years earlier, while the median sale price of low-risk homes increased by 40.9%.
&ldquo;Suburban homes tend to be more expensive because they&rsquo;re large, and demand for large homes skyrocketed during the pandemic as Americans sought respite from crowded city life,&rdquo; said Redfin Senior Economist Sheharyar Bokhari. &ldquo;Pandemic buyers also hunted for deals due to surging home prices, and while fire-prone homes aren&rsquo;t cheaper on average, buyers may feel they&rsquo;re getting more bang for their buck because they&rsquo;re getting more space. And for some pandemic buyers, the fire-prone home they bought in suburbia was actually cheaper than their last home because they were relocating from somewhere like San Francisco or Seattle.&rdquo;
Photo:&nbsp;Sch&auml;ferle from Pixabay&nbsp;

Housing Beat: Mortgage Rates Up Again, Homes With High Fire Risks Sell For More

More homebuyers were taking out mortgages despite climbing rates while the tight housing inventory is showing signs of improving. Nonetheless, many homebuyers are not optimistic about the housing market&rsquo;s near future.
On The Homebuying Front: Freddie Mac (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fmcc#OTC">FMCC</a>) reported the 30-year fixed-rate <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/mortgage-lenders-no-tax-returns/">mortgage</a> averaged 5.30% as of May 12, up from last week when it averaged 5.27% &mdash; one year ago at this time, it averaged 2.94%. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.48%, down from last week when it averaged 4.52% &mdash; it averaged 2.26% one year earlier. And the 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage averaged 3.98%, up from last week when it averaged 3.96% and up from last year when it averaged 2.59%.
&ldquo;Homebuyers continue to show resilience even though rising mortgage rates are causing monthly payments to increase by about one-third as compared to a year ago,&rdquo; said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac&rsquo;s chief economist. &ldquo;Several factors are contributing to this dynamic, including the large wave of first-time homebuyers looking to realize the dream of homeownership. In the months ahead, we expect monetary policy and inflation to discourage many consumers, weakening purchase demand and decelerating home price growth.&rdquo;
Homebuyer resilience was on display in the purchase market &mdash; the Mortgage Bankers Association&rsquo;s (MBA) Market Composite Index, a measure of <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/mortgage-lenders-no-tax-returns/">mortgage</a> loan application volume, was up by 2% and its Purchase Index rose 5% while its Refinance Index dipped by 2%. The refinance share of mortgage activity decreased to 32.4% of total applications from 33.9% the previous week.
&ldquo;The rapid rise in mortgage rates continues to hit the refinance market, with activity 70% below a year ago. Most homeowners refinanced to lower rates in the past two years,&rdquo; said Joel Kan, MBA&rsquo;s associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting. &ldquo;Despite a slow start to this year&rsquo;s spring home buying season, prospective buyers are showing some resiliency to higher rates. Purchase activity has now increased for two straight weeks.&rdquo;
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/22/05/27141613/remain-cautious-on-mortgage-originators-rocket-companies-analysts-react-to-mixed-q1">&#39;Remain Cautious On Mortgage Originators&#39;: Rocket Companies Analysts React To Q1 Earnings</a>
While purchase activity was on the rise, the share of home sellers who dropped their asking price reached a six-month-high of 15% for the four weeks ending May 1, according to data released by Redfin (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/rdfn#NASDAQ">RDFN</a>). That percentage was up from 9% one year ago and was the largest annual gain since Redfin began tracking the data in 2015.
Demand is still exceeding supply, however, and even homes with lower prices are being acquired as fast as they come on the market.
&ldquo;Homebuyers continue to be squeezed in nearly every way possible, which is causing some to take a step back from the market,&rdquo; said Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather. &ldquo;Unfortunately for buyers hoping to find a deal as competition cools, sellers are pulling back even faster, which is keeping the market deep in seller&rsquo;s territory. So even though price drops are becoming more common, most homes are still selling above asking price and in record time.&rdquo;
On The Home Selling Front: But there might be good news on the way &mdash; new data from Realtor.com reported a 12.2% decline in active listings in April, which marks the smallest year-over-year decline since December 2019.
&quot;April data suggests a positive turn of events is on the horizon for weary buyers: If the trends we&#39;re seeing now hold true, we could potentially see year-over-year inventory growth within the next few weeks,&quot; said Danielle Hale, chief economist for Realtor.com. &quot;While home shoppers are still seeking relief from record-high asking prices and all-time low supply, when compared to the past two-plus years of double-digit annual inventory declines, an imminent rebound is welcome news &mdash; a real estate refresh, if you will.&quot;
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/22/05/27135003/stock-wars-m-t-bank-vs-webster-financial">Benzinga&#39;s Stock Wars: M&amp;T Bank Vs. Webster Financial</a>
Nonetheless, homebuyers are not particularly optimistic the environment will improve.
Fannie Mae&rsquo;s (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fnma#OTC">FNMA</a>) Home Purchase Sentiment Index in April decreased by 4.7 points to 68.5, its lowest level since May 2020, as surveyed consumers cited the minimal levels of housing affordability and rising mortgage rates for their gloom. All six of the index&rsquo;s components decreased month over month, with 76% of consumers indicating they believe it&rsquo;s a bad time to buy a home and 73% of respondents expecting year-over-year mortgage rate spikes &mdash; both percentages represented record highs for the survey.
&ldquo;Additionally, consumer perception regarding the ease of getting a mortgage also decreased across nearly all surveyed segments this month, suggesting to us that the benefit of the recent past&rsquo;s historically low mortgage rate environment appears to have diminished, and affordability is poised to become an even greater constraint going forward,&rdquo; said Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae senior vice president and chief economist. &ldquo;This sentiment is consistent with our forecast of decelerating home sales through the rest of 2022 and into 2023.&rdquo;
Photo: F. Muhammad / Pixabay

Econ #s

Housing Beat: Mortgage Rates Keep Climbing As Inventory Levels Slowly Expand

Compared to other sectors of the wider economy, the housing and mortgage industries have traditionally been slower to embrace cutting-edge technologies and digital solutions. A&nbsp;myriad of reasons explain this pokey response to evolving change, ranging from the sector&rsquo;s conservative risk tolerance to a lack of standardization in many evolving technologies.
One ongoing area where this lethargy is on display involves <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/best-cryptocurrency/">cryptocurrency</a>. In many ways, the housing and mortgage industries can be excused for being late to this game &mdash;&nbsp;these industries are heavily regulated and the federal regulatory agencies tasked with their oversight are historically even further behind the proverbial curve than the industries they oversee.
Cyrptocurrency&rsquo;s role within the housing and <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/mortgage-lenders-no-tax-returns/">mortgage</a> space can be divided into the minimal blips from the past and a rich promise of the future. Anyone looking for the present day will mostly find a void.
See Also:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/real-estate-investing/">Real Estate Investing: Guide, Reviews &amp; More</a>
The Early Days:&nbsp;Cryptocurrency first permeated this environment during the mid-to-late 2010s in isolated incidents. One of the earliest documented transactions took place in 2014 when a home in Lake Tahoe, California, sold for 2,739 Bitcoins (CRYPTO: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/btc/usd">BTC</a>), the equivalent of $1.6 million at the time.
Other Bitcoin-fueled home purchases began to occur in California shortly afterward; these were direct buyer-seller transactions that did not require <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/mortgage-lenders-no-tax-returns/">mortgage</a> financing.
In 2017, a buyer seeking to purchase a $4 million residence in California contacted BitPay, an Atlanta-based Bitcoin payment service, to facilitate his transaction in Bitcoin.
The buyer secured $4 million in Bitcoin at a time it was worth approximately $750 on the global Bitcoin exchange market, but when the final payment on the property was made, Bitcoin&rsquo;s value increased to $1,160. As a result, the buyer scored a $1.3 million profit on&nbsp;the currency exchange rate. 
&ldquo;The buyer actually ended up making about 25% in the currency exchange rate, essentially, in the appreciation,&rdquo; said Sonny Singh, chief commercial officer at BitPay, at the time of the transaction. &ldquo;He got a house for pretty much 25% cheaper.&rdquo;
In 2018, Glen Oaks Escrow, a Los Angeles-based independent escrow company serving the Southern California region, announced it would use BitPay to accept Bitcoin payments. Joe Curtis, chief operating officer at Glen Oaks Escrow, said at the time that &ldquo;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/best-blockchain-penny-stocks/">blockchain</a> and cryptocurrencies have the potential to become a bigger part of real estate transactions, and this is one step to be ahead of the curve and enable transactions to happen through this vehicle.&rdquo;
Here And Now: Fast-forward a few years and cryptocurrency is still something of a novelty element in this area, and in one significant breakthrough the opportunity involved investors rather than homebuyers.
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/21/09/23056474/redswan-cre-accepts-dogecoin-for-2-multifamily-property-investment-vehicles">Last September</a>, RedSwan CRE, a tokenization platform focused on the leading commercial real estate sector, issued a statement that it was accepting Dogecoin (CRYPTO: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/doge/usd">DOGE</a>) as one of its payment options for investment in two multifamily properties,&nbsp;a 270-unit luxury multifamily development near downtown Oakland, California, and a&nbsp;251-unit complex in suburban Seattle.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Accredited investors will be able to use Dogecoin to purchase fractionalized ownership in the buildings, which can be later traded like stocks,&rdquo; said the company on its website. &ldquo;This will be the first time a major real estate asset will be available to a specific crypto community.&rdquo;
But on the residential real estate side, the situation was still focused on very occasional direct buyer-seller transactions that did not involve mortgage financing. A high-profile example of this was the January news announcement that a Miami condominium sold for $6.94 million in Ethereum (CRYTPO: ETH) &mdash; although the buyer converted their Ethereum into the USDC stable coin linked to the U.S. dollar.
A possible breakthrough involving cryptocurrency and home loan financing occurred last August when United Wholesale Mortgage (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/uwmc#NYSE">UWMC</a>) <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/21/08/22534395/united-wholesale-mortgage-plans-to-begin-cryptocurrency-transactions-in-q3">announced</a> it was conducting a pilot program on cryptocurrency mortgage payments.
&ldquo;We&#39;ve evaluated the feasibility, and we&#39;re looking forward to being the first mortgage company in America to accept cryptocurrency to satisfy mortgage payments,&rdquo; said President and CEO Mat Ishbia at the launch of the pilot.
One UWM payment occurred in September and five were transacted before in October before the company abruptly canceled the endeavor. Ishbia said that while the pilot program was designed to determine if cryptocurrency could bring greater speed and efficiency to the payment process, its termination was &ldquo;due to the current combination of incremental costs and regulatory uncertainty in the crypto space.&rdquo;
Ishbia added his company would monitor the industry&rsquo;s acceptance of cryptocurrency in mortgage transactions before determining whether to the effort another go-round. To date, UWM has not revisited the subject.
See Also:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8Q9eiXMr5w">The Bullpen: How Long Will Stocks Keep Rallying?</a>
The Next Big Thing?&nbsp;But where UWM paused, the Miami-based fintech Milo is ready to move ahead. In January, Milo launched a 30-year crypto mortgage product. According to CEO Josip Rupena, this mortgage is specifically designed for homebuyers with significant digital assets.
&ldquo;A conventional mortgage is driven around standards that are set by either banks or Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,&rdquo; Rupena said. &ldquo;That means they require you to have tax returns, income assets, be conformed to certain ratios and certain guidelines. This is a challenge for individuals that have crypto, because a lot of their wealth is tied up in digital assets that are not being recognized fully by those institutions.
&ldquo;So, for us to be able to launch a crypto mortgage, it entails us to really think outside of the box and look at their overall financial picture to be able to make an underwriting decision,&rdquo; Rupena added. &ldquo;We have different criteria set to be able to underwrite them, and we have technology to be able to assess what is sort of our risk to the transaction and to the borrower. We&#39;re coming up with new ways of underwriting the consumer.&rdquo;
Rupena said he had a waiting list of 7,400 potential borrowers eager to take advantage of his product. Earlier this month, the company announced the completion of a $17-million Series A funding round led by California-based venture capital firm M13 with additional participation from QED Investors and MetaProp, who were also investors in the previous seed round.
&ldquo;With this new capital coming into this into the company, it&#39;s allowing us to continue to build more technology continue to really scale out this crypto mortgage, which we see as a very big opportunity for us, and quite frankly, a big portion of the direction of the company going forward,&rdquo; Rupena said. &ldquo;We wanted to go out and raise additional capital to really go out and accelerate these efforts.&rdquo;
Potholes Up Ahead:&nbsp;Are crypto mortgages ever going to become as prevalent as a&nbsp;FHA loans? Dr. Anthony B. Sanders, distinguished professor of real estate finance at George Mason University and former director and former head of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities research at Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/db#NYSE">DB</a>), predicts&nbsp;crypto mortgages could be &ldquo;the wave of the future,&rdquo; although he warned that the biggest obstacle to their future success lies in the policies of the government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fnma#OTC">FNMA</a>) and Freddie Mac (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fmcc#OTC">FMCC</a>), which buy mortgages and package them for secondary market sale as mortgage-backed securities.
At the moment, neither Fannie Mae nor Freddie Mac view cryptocurrency as an eligible source of funds in the loan origination process, which is holding back lenders who would rather package their mortgages for sale in the secondary market than keep the loans in their portfolio.
&ldquo;Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are still the 1,000-pound gorilla in the room,&rdquo; Dr. Sanders said. &ldquo;When Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae give the green light to do it, then you&#39;ll see all the lenders going through and making loans accepting it, just as you&#39;re seeing Bitcoin machines that are sort of like ATMs.&rdquo;
Cryptocurrency is already playing something of a role in the homebuying process. In January, the brokerage Redfin (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/rdfn#NASDAQ">RDFN</a>) released a survey that found roughly one in nine first-time homebuyers (11.6%) said selling cryptocurrency during the fourth quarter of 2021 helped them save for a down payment. This percentage is up from 8.8% in the third quarter of 2020 and 4.6% in the third quarter of 2019.
But on the other hand, Taylor Marr, deputy chief economist at Redfin, is not convinced cryptocurrencies will be used for direct purchases in the near future.
&ldquo;I don&#39;t see a very big trend in any cryptocurrency right now in the real estate market,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This has been something that we&rsquo;ve followed for years now &mdash; we&#39;ve been tracking and keeping an eye on it, and we ask our agents about it occasionally. We&#39;ll even do searches to see how many listings even mentioned Bitcoin or are willing to accept Bitcoin.
&ldquo;At the peak of the Bitcoin bubble a few years ago, we did see a lot of home sellers saying they&#39;ll accept Bitcoin,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Maybe that was a marketing thing. But overall, cryptocurrency is extremely rare in housing.&rdquo;
Marr also predicted that lenders will not be comfortable in the risk factor involved in digital assets.
&ldquo;It&#39;s just too volatile that for such a large transaction,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&#39;s not a viable means of managing the finances that are going through closing, so you need to price the additional hedge risk of that volatility. If there&#39;s even a 10% chance that the cryptocurrency could drop between when an offer is agreed upon and when the funds are transferred, that risk has to be priced in &mdash;&nbsp;we don&#39;t face that same risk in a typical dollar exchange.&rdquo;
See Also:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_8XqQ97Uok">PreMarket Prep: Q1 2022 stock market in review</a>
Onward, Crypto Pioneers: While established lenders are keeping crypto at arm&rsquo;s length several newer companies are exploring this new world. These include the blockchain lending startup Figure Technologies, which is planning a pair of crypto mortgage products that allows users to borrow against their Bitcoin or Ethereum to finance their home purchases; Ledn Inc., a digital asset savings and credit platform that is creating a product that can blend equal amounts of Bitcoin and property collateral as part of the mortgage loan; and BlockFi, which offers crypto collateralized loans for homebuying.
Desh Weragoda, chief technology officer with the mortgage lender MBANC, predicted crypto mortgages will be more prevalent when digital assets circulate into a wider consumer audience &mdash;&nbsp;according to the Pew Research Center, only 16% of Americans said they&rsquo;ve invested in, traded or used cryptocurrency.
&ldquo;The immediate thing that comes to mind is people don&#39;t trust it right now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;And even if people did trust it, exchanging crypto is a bit difficult. Think about the processes you have to go through just to take money and turn it into some type of crypto &mdash;&nbsp;it&#39;s kind of intimidating and it&#39;s a big hurdle.&rdquo;
Yet Weragoda said this obstacle will ultimately be overcome as more companies enter this space. He also recalled how another digital financial platform slowly but surely found its place in the daily ebb and flow.
&ldquo;I would give you a great example with PayPal (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/pypl#NASDAQ">PYPL</a>),&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;PayPal was easy to use, but a lot of people had difficulty and mass adoption took several years. I would say it would probably take that much time, but I don&#39;t think crypto is at that point.&rdquo;
Yet Milo&rsquo;s Rupena disagrees&nbsp;that the promise of crypto mortgages is years away.
&ldquo;We&#39;re going to be doing lots and lots of loans this year,&rdquo; he said of his company&rsquo;s crypto mortgage. &ldquo;We&#39;re going to be continuing to enhance the product, continuing to add other digital assets, and continue to iterate on it and ultimately try to add as much value as we can for international consumers as well as crypto consumers. Because I know that we have a lot of work to do there, and we expect to be the pioneers in the space working with crypto consumers.&rdquo;
<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/the-crisis-in-housing">The complete series for &quot;The Crisis In Housing&quot; can be accessed here.</a>

Economics

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The Crisis In Housing, Part 4: Waiting For A Crypto Future

On Tuesday, hedge fund investor and Pershing Square Holdings Ltd (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/pshzf#OTC">PSHZF</a>) CEO Bill Ackman told investors he will no longer be participating in activist short selling campaigns.
What Happened? In his annual letter to Pershing Square investors, Ackman said he is retiring from activist short selling following a failed bet against multi-level marketing company Herbalife Nutrition Ltd (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/hlf#NYSE">HLF</a>), a position which he exited in 2018.
Related Link: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/22/03/26373454/pro-traders-react-to-robinhood-extending-trading-hours-caveat-emptor">Pro Traders React To Robinhood Extending Trading Hours: &#39;Caveat Emptor&#39;</a> 
Why It&#39;s Important: In the letter, Ackman said Pershing has had mixed results with its past short selling campaigns, and they have successfully generated significant media exposure for the company.
&ldquo;Fortunately for all of us, and as importantly for our reputation as a supportive constructive owner, we have permanently retired from this line of work,&quot; Ackman said.
For years, Ackman accused Herbalife of being a predatory pyramid scheme, and he didn&#39;t necessarily change his opinion of the company when he closed out his short position.
&quot;We exited because we believed that the capital could better be deployed in other opportunities, particularly when one considered the opportunity cost of our time,&rdquo; Ackman wrote.
Pershing Square executed extremely profitable short trades on Federal National Mortgage Association (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fnma#OTC">FNMA</a>) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp (OTC: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/fmcc#OTC">FMCC</a>) in 2007 prior to the U.S. <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/mortgage-lenders-no-tax-returns/">mortgage</a> crisis.
Ackman is not the only high-profile former short seller who&nbsp;is stepping back from&nbsp;bearish bets for the time being. Citron Research&#39;s Andrew Left abandoned his firm&#39;s 20-year stretch as one of Wall Street&#39;s most prominent short sellers in early 2021 after Left and his family were allegedly threatened and harassed by supporters of meme stock GameStop Corp. (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/gme#NYSE">GME</a>).
Benzinga&#39;s Take: If short selling disappears or is drastically reduced over fears related to the social media-fueled targeted buying campaigns in meme stocks the market has experienced in recent years, it will be a double-edged sword for investors.
They may no longer have to deal with institutional investors suffocating struggling companies with constant short selling. Instead, the market may see a growing number of market bubbles, corporate frauds and scams that would have otherwise been exposed by short sellers like Ackman and Left.

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