Fewer refinances in 2027? Control what you can.

What mortgage teams can do now to reduce costs, rework, and time to investor delivery.

Fewer refinances may put more pressure on loan economics. Lenders can find opportunities to protect margins by measuring cost per funded loan, rework, and time to investor delivery and purchase, then piloting eNote workflows to see whether they reduce delays and costs in their own process.

What changed in October

Higher rate forecasts lowered expectations for 2027 originations. Refinance volume accounts for most of Fannie Mae’s forecast reduction.

• Rates are anticipated to average 7.5% in 2027, up from the 6.7% projection in September, according to Fannie Mae’s October Housing Forecast.

• Fannie Mae cut its 2027 origination forecast by $414 billion in its October update, compared with its September forecast. Nearly $372 billion of that came from refinance volume, and $42 billion from purchase volume. Compare the September forecast with the October forecast.

• MBA forecasts a smaller year-over-year decline. It expects 2027 originations just under $2 trillion, down 5%. Purchase volume is forecast to rise slightly to $1.42 trillion while refinance volume is projected to fall 17% to $571 billion.

Both forecasts point to lower refinance volume.

What this means for lenders

With fewer refinances, purchase money loans may account for a larger share of originations. If total origination volume falls, fixed operating costs are spread across fewer loans. When carrying costs are high, delays between funding and investor purchase can add warehouse interest expense.

Teams can review the incremental steps they control to reduce delays: points in the process where work stalls; where documents need correction, or staff repeat manual tasks. Three measures can help locate the pressure:

1. Cost per funded loan
2. Repeat touches and rework
3. Time from signing to investor delivery and purchase.

Together, these measures can identify where costs accumulate and where a change within the workflow could improve efficiency. Compare similar eNote and paper-note loans, accounting for differences in product, channel, and investor requirements.

Measure eNote impact in post-closing

Follow the note from signing through storage, quality checks, and investor delivery. Record where it stalls, needs correction, or requires a manual handoff.

Track four measures:

1. Days from funding to investor purchase
2. Warehouse interest expense
3. Collateral exceptions
4. Total cost per loan

Where to start

Start with one workflow. Map the steps your team can influence, from closing through collateral delivery. Confirm loan eligibility along with investor and warehouse line requirements. Set quality and security checks, then identify repeated tasks that could be automated.

Starting now gives teams room to test one workflow, review the results, and address issues before volume picks up. Compare speed, cost, and exceptions with similar paper-note loans. Use the efficiency gains found in the pilot to protect margins and support more production with the same resources as volume rises.

Secure signing, transfer, and storage that connect with closing, funding, and fulfillment workflows are part of that foundation. Snapdocs brings eNote creation, storage, and delivery together with closing and quality-control workflows.

Where could your post-closing process move faster?

Talk with our team about your eNote workflow.