There is some expected, but not good, news for mortgage originators wondering why volume isn't better. (This may actually be somewhat good news for investors in existing mortgage-backed securities.) Figures provided by FICO Inc. show that as of April 25% of consumers (about 43 million people) now have a credit score of 599 or below, marking them as poor risks for lenders. This number is up from the historical norm of 15%. At the other end, interestingly, the number of consumers who have a top score of 800 or above has increased in recent years - mostly attributed to them cutting spending and paying down debt.  Consumers on the lowest end of the scale are less likely to try to borrow, i.e., buy a house or refinance.

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