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Tech Pulse: Longbridge talks AI senior inclusivity, UWM details lending advancements

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Welcome back to Tech Pulse — a new weekly series rounding up the latest in technology, including tools, integrations and trends that impact mortgage and real estate. Here’s what happened this week: Longbridge’s Bill Packer on crafting AI that’s inclusive of seniors As AI becomes more common in financial services, Bill Packer, the chief operating officer at Longbridge […]

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The importance of meeting older customers where they are with AI technology

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The expanding ubiquity of artificial intelligence (AI) across all facets of life is not showing any signs of a slowdown — and that includes its interactions with the reverse mortgage industry. Bill Packer, chief operating officer of Longbridge Financial, previously explained how senior-focused tailoring of AI systems can help overcome issues tied to perceived institutional […]

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Without VASP, veterans don’t have a foreclosure safety net

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There are about 80,000 veterans in the U.S. who are behind on their mortgages and heading toward foreclosure, according to data from ICE Mortgage Technology, a number that could have been alleviated with help from the Veteran Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) program. But just last month, the program was abruptly discontinued by the U.S. Department of Veterans […]

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Inside UWM’s tech evolution: How LEO and Mia are shaping the future of mortgage lending

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Technology is accelerating change across the financial services industry, and United Wholesale Mortgage is at the forefront of mortgage innovation. With the launch of two groundbreaking platforms— the Loan Estimate Optimizer (LEO) and Mia, an AI-powered assistant for loan officers, UWM is setting a new benchmark for how technology and especially AI can transform the […]

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Global equity release market projected to top $56B by 2035

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Equity release — a class of financial products that involve unlocking home equity and converting it into cash flow — currently has global annual volume of roughly $17 billion. This class includes reverse mortgage products in the U.S., the United Kingdom and elsewhere, but a European equity release authority projects that volume will more than […]

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Rithm closes non-QM securitization, issues $500M debt offering

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Rithm Capital announced this week the closing of a $504 million securitization backed by nonqualified mortgages (non-QMs) serviced by its subsidiary Newrez, along with the issuance of $500 million in debt.  In 2025, Rithm closed three securitizations of non-QM loans — a product that has gained popularity amid a challenging mortgage market. Non-QM loans are […]

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Longbridge’s Bill Packer on crafting AI that’s inclusive of seniors

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As more companies embrace the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) into their business- and customer-facing operations, a concern has emerged among firms focused on delivering services to older people AI training typically occurs with younger staffers, who could then incorporate unconscious institutional biases that might leave seniors feeling alienated from the technology. Representatives of Longbridge […]

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PHH Mortgage expands partnership with Blend Labs

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Lender and servicer PHH Mortgage, a subsidiary of Onity Group, is expanding its partnership with Blend Labs, the company announced on Monday. The expanded partnership includes PHH Mortgage utilizing more of Blend’s technology platform, which already powers its mortgage lending operations, to now include Rapid Refi and Rapid Home Equity. “Many homeowners today are still […]

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EPM names Kenny Phillips as Kevin DeLory’s successor

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Atlanta-based Equity Prime Mortgage (EPM) named Kenny Phillips as its new Chief Sales Officer on Tuesday, succeeding his late best friend, Kevin DeLory. DeLory, EPM’s former chief lending officer for TPO and a partner in the business, passed away in early April after a bout with cancer. He was 53 years old. Phillips joined EPM […]

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In Chicago, a reverse mortgage scammer left a lasting scar

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Mark Diamond has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for his crimes against elderly homeowners, but the scars from the damage he inflicted across the Chicago metro area are still visible. A recent report from a local publication, the South Side Weekly, detailed one family’s struggle to recover from Diamond’s scams. Louise Minter […]

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HUD signs agreement with South Korean housing finance agency to spur MBS investment

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The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Ginnie Mae on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a South Korean housing finance authority, with the goal of increasing investment in U.S. agency mortgage-backed securities. The agreement, signed with the Korea Housing Finance Corp. (KHFC), “underscores a shared commitment to expanding access […]

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How midsize lenders are surviving the mortgage squeeze

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Mortgage veteran Glenn Stearns is taking a different approach with his latest venture.  Kind Lending, a national wholesale mortgage lender and his second brainchild, is built on lean operations and a focus on efficiency — a contrast with his first company, Stearns Lending, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2019.  “This is not our […]

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Senate unanimously passes trigger leads bill

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The U.S. Senate on Thursday unanimously passed the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act (S. 1467), a bipartisan bill aimed at curbing the abusive use of trigger leads in the mortgage industry—a move widely applauded by mortgage trade groups. The Senate action follows the House Financial Services Committee’s approval of a similar bill (H.R. 2808) earlier this […]

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Judge blocks CFPB bid to undo Townstone redlining settlement

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A federal judge on Thursday blocked an attempt by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to reverse a $105,000 settlement with Townstone Financial, a Chicago-based mortgage broker accused of discouraging Black applicants. U.S. District Judge Franklin Valderrama ruled that allowing the CFPB to unwind the deal, finalized last year, “would erode public confidence in the […]

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Judge sets trial timeline for Mutual of Omaha and Longbridge

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An order signed by a magistrate judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California has established a forward timeline for the ongoing lawsuit between major reverse mortgage industry lenders Mutual of Omaha Mortgage and Longbridge Financial. A trial is scheduled to begin in November 2026, according to court documents viewed by […]

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Truliant registers first eHELOC using DocMagic mortgage tech 

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North Carolina-based Truliant Federal Credit Union announced Wednesday that it successfully utilized DocMagic’s technology to complete the first electronic home equity line of credit (eHELOC) registration with Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems‘ (MERS) national electronic database. Truliant said the home equity note was registered using DocMagic‘s digital lending technology on June 6. The MERS database tracks […]

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Tips for aging in place from … Best Buy?

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Best practices for aging in place can come from a wide variety of academic and informational sources, but how often do you get these tips from the same place you browse the latest in TV and home theater technology? U.S. electronics retailer Best Buy is offering information on its technology product that could make aging […]

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Xactus integrates flood compliance solution with ICE’s mortgage servicing system

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Xactus on Wednesday announced the completion of its integration with MSP, the loan servicing system operated by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). The integration enables mortgage servicers to receive automated flood zone determination updates directly into their systems without manual intervention. “This integration is a market-changing development for both Xactus and mortgage servicers who rely on systems […]

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Why more servicers are implementing technology integrations through APIs 

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With a variety of change impacting the mortgage industry, including borrow demands, digital transformation, and regulatory requirements, mortgage servicers are re-evaluating the systems they use and how they interact with each other. With this in mind, servicers must leverage technology and platforms that offer seamless, real-time integration that allows for operational efficiency, data security, and […]

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Rocket Pro announces partnership with Vetted VA

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Rocket Pro is partnering with Vetted VA, which provides education to veterans and training to loan officers to give veterans better access to home loan benefits. The partnership, announced on Tuesday at The Gathering by HousingWire, will involve the training of Rocket staff and LOs by Vetted VA so the lender can better serve the […]

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Total Expert debuts AI Sales Assistant at The Gathering

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Total Expert on Tuesday announced the debut of its AI Sales Assistant at HousingWire‘s The Gathering. The company said that the AI-powered assistant is already in private beta testing with select customers, including several top 10 lenders. Total Expert said that the AI Sales Assistant is not a chatbot retrofitted for financial services but is […]