The idea of “lender choice”, or the insinuation that mortgage lenders will choose the credit score that allows them to originate more mortgages, relies on the myth of adverse selection. This concept assumes a level of discretion and disorder that simply does not reflect how the current (or future) mortgage market operates. The false underlying premise […]
President Donald Trump highlighted taxes, inflation and trade in his State of the Union address on Tuesday evening, but he made only a passing reference to housing, leaving affordability largely unaddressed to the chagrin of housing professionals. Housing professionals had expected a larger discussion on mortgage rates, homeownership initiatives and the policies introduced since Trump […]
Addy AI, a loan officer workflow platform, announced this week a partnership with ICE Mortgage Technology to integrate with the Encompass loan origination system. The integration, which aims to help loan officers spend less time reading PDFs, chasing documents and interpreting findings, is designed to address delays that often occur in the middle of the […]
Advancements in health care mean that Americans are living longer than ever. Data from the National Center for Health Statistics shows that U.S. residents born in 2024 have an average life expectancy of 79, an increase of more than six months compared to 2023. While a longer life span is positive news, it also means […]
Dark Matter Technologies on Wednesday introduced a new feature that allows mortgage lenders to securely deploy AI agents within its Empower loan origination system using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). The tool is designed to help lenders reduce manual work and access information faster while remaining compliant with industry rules. Traditional loan origination systems require […]
United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) closed $163.4 billion in mortgages in 2025, up 17% from 2024, as lower rates fueled a refinancing rebound. The company also invested heavily to strengthen its servicing platform, including its pending acquisition of Two Harbors and a strategic investment in Bilt. Despite higher volume, net income declined to $244 million in […]
Mortgage applications increased 0.4% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s weekly mortgage applications survey for the week ending Feb. 20. On an unadjusted basis, the index increased 2% compared with the previous week. The seasonally adjusted purchase index decreased 5% from one week earlier. The unadjusted purchase index […]
So, you finally discovered ChatGPT, Claude or whatever shiny AI toy your nephew told you about. Congrats! You’re officially part of the future of marketing! Ok. Not really. Not the way you’re doing it. Here’s a scene being played out way too often lately. Someone types “write me a LinkedIn post about title insurance” into […]
Cypress, California-based LenderMac Holdco LLC has agreed to acquire Direct Mortgage Corp. in a move aimed at expanding its geographic footprint and building a multichannel mortgage platform, the companies announced Tuesday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. “This acquisition represents an important step in our long-term growth strategy,” Kenneth Jo, CEO of LenderMAC, […]
AI-powered mortgage underwriting platform Friday Harbor announced Tuesday the launch of a new set of tools called Income and Asset Sandbox, which are designed to help loan officers structure income and asset decisions earlier in the origination process. The tools allow lending teams to test how different income streams, assets and supporting documents affect a […]
The Campaign for Accountability (CfA), a nonpartisan watchdog group, has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The group alleges the FHFA failed to comply with a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that sought access to a report prepared by FHFA Director Bill Pulte about Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. CfA submitted […]
The Trump administration is exploring options to create a retirement savings plan for workers who don’t have access to an employer-sponsored account. The move would not require action by Congress, people familiar with the discussions told news website Semafor on Tuesday. President Donald Trump is considering mentioning the concept in his State of the Union […]
Better Home & Finance Holding Company, the parent of Better.com, has struck a deal with crypto-focused venture capital firm Framework Ventures to unlock up to $500 million in credit by integrating the lender into the Sky stablecoin ecosystem. The transaction creates a bridge between decentralized finance (DeFi) and traditional housing finance, signaling that crypto-native capital […]
iBuyer Opendoor is rolling out a new mortgage product to a limited group of users, marking a return to home financing. CEO Kaz Nejatian told analysts during the company’s earnings call on Thursday that the product was developed internally in less than 10 weeks. “Early in January, we took four engineers aside, and we asked […]
Leadership at C2 Financial is looking to reclaim a top wholesale ranking by strengthening its infrastructure, leveraging artificial intelligence, recruiting and mentoring the next generation of loan officers, and expanding from 42 states to nationwide coverage. In 2021, C2 was ranked No. 1 on Inman’s top 10 list of independent mortgage brokers to gain market share, which used […]
Nearly two months after three federal housing agencies wrapped up an extended public comment period about the future of two federal reverse mortgage programs, industry stakeholders are waiting to learn what they’ll do next. In October, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Ginnie Mae announced a […]
Virginia-based mortgage lender City Lending Inc. is winding down operations as regulatory burdens and ongoing industry consolidation weigh on independent mortgage banks, according to founder and CEO Jorge Campodonico. The lender originated approximately $232 million in mortgages over the past 12 months — most of it through Federal Housing Administration (FHA), conventional and purchase loans […]
Chicago-based mortgage lender Rate announced Monday that it has launched RateFi, a product aimed at borrowers who hold cryptocurrency, allowing them to qualify for a mortgage without liquidating their digital assets. The product is designed to bridge digital assets and traditional home financing. Available this month, the program enables qualified borrowers to use verified cryptocurrency […]
Editor’s note: Welcome to the first installment of the Monday Morning Q&A from HousingWire’s Reverse Mortgage Daily (RMD). Each Monday morning, the RMD newsletter will feature an in-depth interview with a reverse mortgage industry figure on a wide range of topics including loan origination and servicing, product development and technology. Dan Hultquist has no shortage […]
Zillow is seeking to have the consolidated Taylor-Armstrong Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) lawsuit dismissed. The real estate giant filed its motion to dismiss in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Friday. The lawsuit, which was consolidated in early December, began in mid-September, when plaintiff Alucard Taylor filed his initial complaint. Taylor alleged that […]
Eight trade groups representing lenders are urging federal regulators to revise bank capital rules by adopting a more tailored risk weight for mortgages held on balance sheets and by significantly cutting the capital charge applied to mortgage servicing rights (MSRs). In a letter sent Friday to the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the […]
Kiavi, a digital nonbank lender for residential real estate investors, announced Thursday that it closed a $350 million rated securitization of residential transition loans (RTLs). The transaction marks Kiavi’s sixth rated securitization and 24th deal under its LHOME shelf, bringing its total offered notes to more than $6.8 billion since inception, the company said. The […]
A study by Andrew Davidson & Co. found meaningful credit score discrepancies among the three major bureaus — a key data point for those arguing in favor of maintaining the tri-merge standard rather than shifting to a bi-merge or single-report model. According to the paper, released Friday, 35% of the 245 million scored consumers in […]
New York City-based Saluda Grade, an alternative investment firm with a concentration in asset-based finance, announced Thursday that Patrick Lo is joining the company as its co-chief investment officer. Lo has more than 20 years of experience in alternative credit and asset-based investing. He will work with Timothy Carr in the newly created co-CIO role […]
Women who are 50 and older are feeling the pinch of rising costs and economic uncertainty, even as they enjoy time with their family and hobbies, according to a new AARP survey. The research, part of AARP’s “She’s the Difference” series, highlights financial concerns that weigh heavily on older women — particularly when it comes […]
Huntington Bank — which is poised to become a $280 billion institution after its acquisitions of Cadence Bank and Veritex Bank — is aggressively expanding its mortgage footprint across Texas and the Southeast while emphasizing a “partnership” culture over a traditional acquisition model. That’s according to Carolyn Gorman, the bank’s senior vice president and mortgage […]
FirstHome IQ, a nonprofit focused on first-time homebuyer education and financial literacy, announced Thursday that it’s teaming up with the Mortgage Bankers Association to bring a coalition of loan officers to Washington, D.C., for the MBA’s National Advocacy Conference in April. The initiative aims to have at least one LO from every state advocating together […]
Rate announced Thursday that it added seven loan officers from Movement Mortgage in December 2025, a move the Chicago-headquartered Rate characterized as a “significant wave of competitive talent acquisition momentum to close out the year.” The loan officers who joined Rate are Gabriel Carter of Santa Barbara, California; Alexandra Hunt of Tampa, Florida; James Golotko […]
The U.S. economy is set to post solid growth even as cracks form beneath the surface for lower-income households and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) borrowers, according to Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) economists Joel Kan and Marina Walsh during a market update at the association’s annual Servicing Solutions Conference this week. Kan, MBA’s vice president and […]
Equifax reached a settlement with plaintiff Junnan Guo in her Fair Credit Reporting Act lawsuit filed last May. The parties notified the court of the settlement late last week. In the filing, Equifax and Guo told California-based U.S. District Court Judge Kenly Kiya Kato that they anticipate filing a joint stipulation to dismiss Equifax from […]
Mortgage technology firm Tidalwave and Columbia, Missouri-based lender Flat Branch Home Loans on Thursday announced that Flat Branch has launched a modernized point-of-sale system and mobile app in conjunction with Tidalwave‘s agentic AI platform. The point-of-sale system, known as Flat Branch Home, has been operational for a few weeks. Already, it has converted 90% of […]
Regulatory changes to how banks treat mortgage assets — anticipated this week by Federal Reserve Vice Chair Michelle Bowman — may have an impact on the mortgage market over time, analysts said. “The near-term impact on the mortgage market is likely to be somewhat limited,” Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW) analysts wrote in a report […]
A proposed constitutional amendment that would freeze property tax assessments for 65-and-older residents in Kentucky has cleared a state Senate committee — one of several efforts to limit rising tax bills for elderly homeowners. Senate Bill 51, sponsored by state Sen. Mike Nemes (R-Shepherdsville), would lock in the assessed value of a senior’s primary residence […]
Austin Niemiec has a clear message for mortgage brokers: “We’re more committed to Rocket Pro than we’ve ever been,” he said in his first interview since stepping in to lead the channel in late January. Niemiec’s return to Rocket Pro comes during a period of leadership transition at the third-party originations wing of Rocket Companies […]
Mortgage applications rose 2.8% last week as lower borrowing costs spurred a pickup in refinancing activity, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s weekly mortgage applications survey for the week ending Feb. 13. On an unadjusted basis, the index rose 5% compared with the previous week. Refinance applications led the gain, climbing 7% from the […]
Union Home Mortgage (UHM) indicated a strong appetite for mergers and acquisitions by hiring Renee Hildebrand from Guild Mortgage to seek new opportunities, the company announced Tuesday. The move comes a few years after the Strongsville, Ohio–based UHM, led by CEO Bill Cosgrove, acquired Amerifirst Home Mortgage. It also follows two additional acquisitions in 2025 […]
UMortgage is rolling out a flat-fee broker model that waives certain charges for originators who close more than 50 loans per year, part of a broader push to more than quadruple its sales force to 1,000 loan officers by December. Under the structure, LOs earn 275 basis points per loan but pay a $995 flat […]
The National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) announced Tuesday that leading reverse lender Mutual of Omaha Mortgage is partnering with the trade group as the exclusive sponsor for a reverse mortgage specialist certification program. According to a press release from the companies, the sponsorship is a “significant milestone in NAMB’s ongoing commitment to providing high-quality […]
A January storm that wreaked havoc across much of the U.S. pushed existing home sales down, but a positive inflation report gave housing professionals and consumers a reason to believe that mortgage rate stability isn’t going anywhere. At HousingWire’s Mortgage Rates Center on Tuesday, rates for 30-year conforming loans averaged 6.26%. That figure is nearly […]
Chicago-based mortgage lender Rate has entered into a partnership to offer mortgage incentives to customers of wealth and savings platform Betterment, the companies announced Tuesday. Under the arrangement, Betterment customers with at least $100,000 in combined investment and cash balances who apply for a mortgage through Rate may qualify for discounted interest rates and closing-cost […]
Fairway Home Mortgage on Tuesday announced a partnership with the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) to unveil a new educational credential for NAIFA members. The Certified Home Equity Advisor (CHEA) credential aims to help financial and insurance professionals “responsibly integrate home equity into comprehensive retirement planning,” Fairway explained in a press release. […]
Mortgage lending has a Day 28 problem. Borrowers engage with lenders on Day Zero. Expectations get set. Loan options get discussed. Confidence gets built. Then income finally receives scrutiny on Day 28—deep in underwriting, after time, money, and operational effort have already been spent. The result? Income surprises kill deals. Borrowers wait, frustrated. Lenders scramble […]
Mike Fawaz said Monday that he’s departing Rocket Pro after roughly 15 years with the company and plans to announce his next steps in March. “After nearly 15 years, I have made the thoughtful decision to step away from Rocket,” Fawaz said in a statement given to HousingWire. “After significant reflection, I believe this is […]
Michelle Bowman, the Federal Reserve‘s vice chair for supervision, used a major industry forum to argue that Basel capital rules have helped to drive mortgage lending and servicing away from banks — and that it’s time to reconsider that approach. Addressing the American Bankers Association (ABA)’s 2026 Conference for Community Bankers on Monday, Bowman described […]
Converging forces reshape the industry The real estate market is experiencing a once-in-a-generation disruption, driven by forces that are fundamentally reshaping the role of agents and brokers. Semi-private deal networks, a growing class of small investors, legal and regulatory shifts, and intensifying competition among online portals are creating an unfamiliar landscape High mortgage rates and […]