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Armando Falcon on the FHFA’s move toward crypto mortgages

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It’s been just over a week since Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to start preparing for the use of cryptocurrency in single-family mortgages. With limited guidance beyond the FHFA’s directive, mortgage originators and industry experts are working to assess how cryptocurrency could be applied to mortgages. […]

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Cornerstone Capital Bank and Tresidio Homes announce joint venture

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Cornerstone Capital Bank and Tresidio Homes on Thursday announced the launch of Table Rock Mortgage, a joint venture mortgage brokerage. The new Idaho-licensed brokerage will provide mortgage services to local homebuyers “with goals of promoting affordability and streamlining the mortgage process for homebuyers,” according to press release from the companies. “This joint venture brings together […]

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Reverse mortgage metrics dipped slightly in June

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The high mortgage rates that have stymied the broader housing market continue to put a lid on reverse mortgage activity too. According to the June report from Reverse Mortgage Insight, Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) endorsements dropped to 2,244 loans, down 2.3% compared to May and part of a sinking trend that resumed after an […]

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FHFA wants crypto in mortgages. Lenders have questions

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Just a week ago, Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte issued a directive for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to begin preparing their businesses for the use of cryptocurrency in single-family mortgages. In response, originators are weighing the potential hurdles for offering crypto-backed loans. Despite crypto’s promise, its extreme volatility poses risks, including […]

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Foundation Mortgage offers July pricing incentive for brokers

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Florida-based lender Foundation Mortgage announced on Wednesday the launch of its Stars, Stripes & Submissions Broker Challenge — a limited-time pricing incentive for July that was created to reward brokers for delivering funded loans in June. The promotion offers mortgage brokers the chance to earn exclusive pricing credits on eligible nonqualified mortgages (non-QMs) that are […]

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Truv and Tidalwave announce point-of-sale integration

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Truv, a provider of direct-to-source income, employment and asset verifications, on Wednesday announced a strategic integration with Tidalwave, an AI-powered mortgage point-of-sale platform. Per a press release from Truv, the integration “embeds Truv’s advanced verification capabilities directly into Tidalwave’s mortgage application flow,” establishing a seamless verification process that reduces preapproval times and improves conversion rates. […]

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Lower mortgage rates are driving refinance applications

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Lower mortgage rates drove a 2.7% increase in mortgage applications from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending June 27, 2025. On an unadjusted basis, the index increased 13% compared with the previous week. Last week’s results included an adjustment for the […]

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What’s in Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ for seniors?

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President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” is headed back to the House for reconciliation after passing the Senate with a tiebreaking vote from Vice President JD Vance. The 1,116-page multitrillion-dollar bill contains some key changes for older Americans, including a senior bonus tax deduction that would offset taxes on Social Security. But the bill also […]

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Argyle announces verification of assets through Finicity

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Argyle, a service provider automating income and employment verifications, recently announced the availability of verification of assets (VOA) powered by Mastercard’s open finance technology. A release from Argyle says that the expanded offering allows lenders to confirm borrowers’ balances, cash-to-close and cash-flow history alongside income and employment. By combining direct-source banking data from Mastercard’s U.S. […]

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Rocket completes Redfin deal, announces Rocket Preferred Pricing

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Rocket Companies announced on Tuesday the completion of its acquisition of Redfin after Rocket announced in March it agreed to purchase the digital real estate brokerage in an all-stock transaction valued at $1.75 billion in equity. The transaction faced no opposition from antitrust regulators and received approval from Redfin shareholders on June 4. “I’ve used […]

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Dark Matter establishes integration with UCDP

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Dark Matter Technologies announced on Tuesday that it has established an integration with the Uniform Collateral Data Portal (UCDP), a single portal jointly maintained by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. According to a release from Dark Matter, the expansion positions the mortgage technology company as an early adopter of the technology required to support the […]

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NAMB issues support for CHLA white paper on LO compensation

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The National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) on Monday issued a letter of support for the Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA)’s white paper on LO compensation reform. CHLA‘s white paper, released last week, urged Congress to roll back the loan originator compensation rule to focus on its original purpose — a ban on yield […]

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Allen Beydoun becomes UWM’s first chief client officer

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United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) on Monday announced that Allen Beydoun is taking the reins as the company’s first chief client officer. In his new role, Beydoun will be responsible for “aligning strategic initiatives with client needs, ensuring that the voice of the client remains central to every decision the company makes while elevating the client […]

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Manual income verification is killing your commissions

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In a market where every deal counts, manual income verification is the silent killer of commissions. You know the scenario: the borrower is solid, the property appraises and everything looks good—until income verification turns into a bottleneck. Suddenly, you’re chasing paystubs, waiting on HR reps who don’t call back and explaining delays to a frustrated […]

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Better Mortgage’s AI revolution: How Better is empowering loan officers, not replacing them

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In an era where technology often threatens to overshadow human roles, Better Mortgage is charting a different course. By developing in-house AI tools designed to complement rather than replace human expertise, the company is enhancing the mortgage experience for both borrowers and loan officers.  Already, its AI Loan Agent, Betsy, handles over 125,000 customer interactions […]

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Tech Pulse: Fannie, Freddie move on fintech, crypto, fraud prevention

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Welcome back to Tech Pulse — HousingWire‘s 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: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac jointly create U.S. Financial Technology Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have launched U.S. Financial Technology LLC to replace Common Securitization Solutions. The […]

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FHA rescinds 12 policies as Trump administration pushes to cut red tape

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As part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to cut regulatory burdens, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) on Friday announced the rescission of 12 policies related to appraisal protocols, underwriter employment, flood risk management and other areas.  Scott Turner, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which oversees the FHA, […]

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GSEs prevented 60K foreclosures in Q1 2025

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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac helped to prevent 60,592 foreclosures through various actions in the first quarter of 2025. Since being placed under federal conservatorship in September 2008, they’ve completed more than 7.1 million foreclosure prevention actions. That’s according to the newest Foreclosure Prevention, Refinance and Federal Property Manager’s Report released Thursday by the Federal […]

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Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac jointly create U.S. Financial Technology

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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on Thursday announced the creation of U.S. Financial Technology LLC (U.S. Fin Tech) to take over their jointly shared legacy company, Common Securitization Solutions (CSS). U.S. Fin Tech’s name “better reflects its critical role in providing advanced, innovative technology, and business solutions for the Enterprises,” according to the announcement. It […]

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Trump’s assault on DEI hasn’t ended federal efforts to stop appraisal bias

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The appraisal industry shed no tears when the Trump administration sought to undo the Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity (PAVE) Interagency Taskforce, the federal effort to investigate racial bias in appraisals implemented by former President Joe Biden. But that doesn’t mean appraisers have seen the end of federal regulation and litigation around appraisals, or the […]

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Longbridge’s Melissa Macerato on how the latest proprietary reverse product came to be

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In May, Longbridge Financial debuted Platinum Preserve, a new proprietary reverse mortgage product that aims to help borrowers preserve home equity for their heirs. RMD spoke to Longbridge co-founder Melissa Macerato about the product’s origins, how industry pros have received it thus far, and how it differs from other Platinum line products. The interview with Macerato, the […]

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Mortgage fraud risk is up 7.3% in the past year

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Cotality released its National Mortgage Application Fraud Risk Index for the first quarter of 2025, revealing that fraud risk is up 7.3% year over year while dropping slightly from the last three months of 2024 The largest year-over-year increase in Q1 2025, according to Cotality, was in the transaction risk category, which rose 4.6%. This […]

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Democrats reintroduce bill to boost first-generation homeownership

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Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California — the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee — along with with fellow Democrats Al Green, Sylvia Garcia and Ayanna Pressley, on Thursday announced the reintroduction of the Downpayment Toward Equity Act. The bill would provide $100 billion in direct assistance to help first-time, first-generation homebuyers purchase their […]

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CHLA urges Congress to narrow LO comp rule

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The Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA) is proposing that the U.S. Congress scale back the loan originator compensation rule to its original intent: prohibiting yield spread premiums, an abusive practice from the 2008 financial crisis in which lenders paid brokers more to steer borrowers into higher-rate loans. The proposal comes as the Consumer Financial […]

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Ocrulus hires Nadia Aziz to lead new mortgage division

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New York-based Ocrulus, which offers mortgage document automation technology to speed credit decisions, announced Wednesday that it has hired Nadia Aziz as its general manager of mortgage. The company said in a press release that mortgage is its fastest-growing business segment. Ocrulus has expanded its mortgage footprint over the past 18 months by adding new […]

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First American Title co-president departs company abruptly

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Kevin Wall, the co-president of First American Title, has left the company unexpectedly, according to a report from Inside Mortgage Finance. The departure was confirmed on Wednesday by a spokesperson for parent company First American Financial Corp., although no reason was given for his exit. Wall had been with the title underwriter for more than […]

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Compass launches new division aimed at helping seniors

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Compass, the nation’s largest real estate brokerage by sales volume, is looking to better serve senior citizens. With that intention, the firm recently introduced Compass Plus, a division that aims to “bridge the gap between older adults and essential real estate and adjacent services such as home health, move management, and estate planning.” The division […]

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Mortgage applications rise 1.1% amid ‘calm’ rates

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Amid what analysts and economists have described as one of the most ‘calm’ periods for mortgage rates in recent memory, mortgage applications increased 1.1% for the week ending June 20, according to Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) data released on Wednesday. On an unadjusted basis, the index decreased 10% compared with the previous week. “The combination […]

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If you think DPA is a niche, you’re missing the bigger picture

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Lenders, take note. June is National Homeownership Month, and if you’re still treating down payment assistance (DPA) like some fringe program, you’re about to get left behind. The housing market isn’t just shifting—it’s being dismantled and rebuilt in real time. Younger buyers are bypassing the legacy playbooks. They’re digitally native, financially savvy, and actively searching […]

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Record-high home equity provides opportunity for the reverse mortgage industry

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Soaring prices and increasingly strained affordability have made things difficult for prospective buyers shopping for their first home. But for households that own their home already, rising prices have been a wealth bonanza. That’s evident in data from the annual State of the Nation’s Housing Report from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS), […]

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Volly’s new tech tool aims to improve collaboration between lenders, agents

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Williston Financial Group (WFG) announced the release of a new digital tool through subsidiary Volly that aims to enhance collaboration between mortgage loan officers and real estate agents. The new feature, known as Volly Network Connections, is part of the company’s broader marketing suite and offers loan officers real-time notifications about partner real estate listings. […]

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CFPB cuts short monitoring of BofA mortgage practices

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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) cut short a five-year agreement with Bank of America over the bank’s alleged submissions of false mortgage data. The agreement was supposed to be in place through at least November 2028. In a filing made public Monday, the CFPB said the bank “fulfilled the obligations” of the agreement signed in November 2023, […]

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Cenlar to shutter Missouri office

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Cenlar FSB, the second-largest U.S. subservicer, will close its facility in O’Fallon, Missouri, resulting in the termination of 93 employees, according to documents sent to state officials. The layoffs will affect a range of roles, including 13 loss mitigation advocates, 11 MSP collections professionals and ten customer assistance specialists. Staff across all levels — including […]

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Rocket launches bridge loans to make homebuying easier

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Rocket Mortgage, the home lending arm of Rocket Companies, announced Tuesday it will now offer bridge loans, a short-term financing option that helps homeowners tap into their equity while selling their current property. These loans are designed to help buyers cover down payments or closing costs on a new home before finalizing the sale of […]

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QC risks are shifting: Fraud, insurance, and compliance take center stage

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Traditional QC risks are declining, but lenders now face mounting exposures in fraud, insurance gaps and compliance volatility. The mortgage industry’s quality control risk landscape is shifting dramatically. Traditional defect categories such as income and employment and credit are seeing historic declines, while once-marginal issues like insurance gaps and fraud are now taking center stage. […]