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MortgagePoint ยป Your Trusted Source for Mortgage Banking and Servicing News 80 November 2025 F I N A L T H O U G H T S "more power over mortgage rates" Matt Schulz, Chief Consumer Finance Analyst at LendingTree, explained that despite not having any control over when rates rise or fall or when the Fed acts, consumers have far more control over mortgage rates than they may think, which is why it's so important to compare prices when shopping for the best rates. "a shift that could help" Sam Williamson, Senior Economist at First American, discussed how inflation edged higher in September, just as the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates again in an effort to support a cooling labor market, and despite the uptick, the Fed is still expected to prioritize addressing growing signs of labor market softness over further progress against inflation and cut rates. "second-strongest pace of the year" Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for the National Association of Realtors, detailed how contract signings matched the second-strongest pace of the year; however, signings have yet to fully reach the level needed for a healthy market despite mortgage rates reaching a one-year low in September, as record-high stock markets and growing housing wealth were not enough to offset a likely softening job market. "market remains remarkably resilient" Andy Walden, Head of Mortgage and Housing Market Research at ICE Mortgage Technology, revealed that the mortgage market remains remarkably resilient, with mortgage performance continuing to hold up well and delinquency rates improving in September, and even with increases in activity among FHA loans, the market is largely returning to more typical levels following several years of artificially low foreclosure volumes. "continuously low vacancy rates" Rob Barber, CEO of ATTOM, revealed how the nation's consistently low vacancy rates, which have remained stable for almost four years, indicate that the demand for houses has not been slowed by record-high prices. Barber further described how this activity is encouraging local housing markets, in addition to the declining number of abandoned foreclosures.