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The Rise in Mortgage Fees: Evidence from HMDA Data

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Abstract

Although rising mortgage interest rates between 2022 and 2023 captured headlines, the cost of upfront mortgage fees also increased significantly during that time. Using new Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data on fees, collected since 2018, we estimate that borrowers’ out-of-pocket upfront costs for getting a home purchase mortgage rose nearly 33 percent from 2021 to 2023, to almost $6,500. We document that the main driver of this increase has been rising payments of “discount points,” as opposed to other types of lender fees and third-party fees. We show that loans originated by nonbanks, in particular, have seen large increases in discount points and yet also carry the highest interest rates, on average, after accounting for borrower and loan traits that influence risk premia.

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  • Neil Bhutta & Lauren Lambie-Hanson, 2024. "The Rise in Mortgage Fees: Evidence from HMDA Data," Consumer Finance Institute discussion papers 24-01, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedpdp:99047
    DOI: 10.21799/frbp.dp.2024.01
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    File URL: https://www.philadelphiafed.org/-/media/frbp/assets/consumer-finance/discussion-papers/dp24-01.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Buchak, Greg & Matvos, Gregor & Piskorski, Tomasz & Seru, Amit, 2018. "Fintech, regulatory arbitrage, and the rise of shadow banks," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(3), pages 453-483.
    2. Ross M. Batzer & Jonah Coste & William M. Doerner & Michael J. Seiler, 2024. "The Lock-In Effect of Rising Mortgage Rates," FHFA Staff Working Papers 24-03, Federal Housing Finance Agency.
    3. Susan E. Woodward & Robert E. Hall, 2010. "Consumer Confusion in the Mortgage Market: Evidence of Less Than a Perfectly Transparent and Competitive Market," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 100(2), pages 511-515, May.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    mortgage; closing costs; nonbanks; FinTech;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G51 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Household Savings, Borrowing, Debt, and Wealth

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