Rising mortgage rates cut home sales and refinances, shrinking the transaction volume that title insurers earn fees on
Home sales keep hitting multi-year lows, but mortgage rates have eased four weeks and First American and Fidelity National shares climbed as the market fell.
How it connects
- 1What happened
Mortgage rates rise to 7.49%, which lowers what buyers can afford and pushes homebuilders to spend more on rate buydowns or sell fewer homes.
- 2What it forces
Fewer home purchases and fewer refinancings reduce the number of property deals that close.
- 3Who feels it
Title insurers like First American Financial and Fidelity National Financial write fewer policies, because each premium is tied to a closed deal.