Homebuyer affordability improved slightly in December as mortgage payments declined and household earnings continued to grow, according to data released Thursday by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). The national median mortgage payment for purchase applicants fell to $2,025 in December, down from $2,034 in November, based on MBA’s Purchase Applications Payment Index (PAPI), which tracks […]
Reports before Davos suggested that President Trump would announce an initiative to spur homeownership by allowing individuals to withdraw funds from their 401(k) accounts to make a down payment on a home purchase without incurring a10% early withdrawal penalty. Davos has come and gone, and we are now hearing reports that the President is “not […]
Foreclosure auction volume in the fourth quarter of 2025 rose 48% from a year ago, reaching the highest level since the second quarter of 2020, according to Auction.com‘s Q4 2025 Auction Market Dispatch report. Volume remained 39% below the level seen in Q1 2020, just before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent […]
A new study commissioned by Equitable and conducted by The Wall Street Journal’s Intelligence Unit examines how Gen X is approaching investing and retirement planning. The research is based on a survey of 500 retail investors — primarily Gen X — with millennials and pre-retiree baby boomers included for comparison. Gen X includes more than […]
Cardinal Financial‘s third-party origination division announced Wednesday the launch of its nondelegated correspondent program that targets independent mortgage lenders. The program allows approved nondelegated correspondents to originate loans in their own name while using Cardinal Financial’s loan technology platform, Octane, which provides underwriting, pricing and other operational functions. “In a competitive market, lenders need to […]
Planet Home Lending, a national mortgage lender and servicer, has expanded its retail operations in the western U.S. with the addition of Kris Kehl as a senior loan officer in California. Kehl, who brings more than 20 years of experience to the role, will focus on serving homebuyers and real estate agents as part of […]
Mortgage applications decreased 8.5% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) weekly mortgage applications survey for the week ending Jan. 23, 2026. On an unadjusted basis, the index decreased 16% compared with the previous week. MBA noted that the results include an adjustment for the Martin Luther King Jr. […]
As we kick off the New Year, affordability remains one of the biggest challenges facing the mortgage industry and the broader housing market. It continues to shape conversations among lenders, policymakers, and consumers alike. Affordability is not a rate problem Ask most people what’s wrong with housing affordability, and the answer comes quickly: rates are […]
On the back of stronger estimated financial earnings, Onity Group — the parent company of PHH Mortgage Corp. and Liberty Reverse Mortgage — raised $200 million through a debt offering to qualified investors on Monday, exceeding its initial target of $150 million. The offering came amid the release of preliminary fourth-quarter 2025 financial results, with […]
Brian Brown, chief financial officer and treasurer for Rocket Companies, expects continued improvement in the mortgage market in 2026, building on momentum that emerged in the second half of 2025. “If you look at the mortgage forecasts, it depends on which one you choose, but they’re up anywhere from 8% to 25% based on the […]
Mortgage servicing technology provider Vertyx on Tuesday announced the release of a new Borrower Relationship Management capability that aims to help servicers and investors identify borrower retention and recapture opportunities earlier in the loan life cycle. The new feature is part of Vertyx’s end-to-end mortgage servicing platform, which is designed to help institutions monitor portfolio […]
The Federal Reserve is set to wrap up what’s expected to be an uneventful two-day meeting on Wednesday. Mortgage rates remain in the low-6% range and aren’t likely to swing one way or the other as policymakers should keep benchmark rates unchanged. Mortgage News Daily reported Monday that 30-year fixed rates averaged 6.17%, down 4 […]
Rocket Companies and Redfin on Tuesday released a teaser for their upcoming Super Bowl LX commercial, featuring Lady Gaga performing “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”, the theme song from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. The ad will mark Redfin’s first appearance in a Super Bowl broadcast since the company’s founding 20 years ago, Rocket said in its […]
Better Home & Finance Holding Company (Better) announced on Tuesday via an 8-K filing that it has amended and renewed a $175 million warehouse credit facility with a global banking institution, a move the digital mortgage lender said strengthens liquidity and improves financing terms. The amended facility includes reduced cash deposit requirements, expanded leverage capacity […]
National mortgage lender HighTechLending has launched a second-lien version of a home equity product designed to function more like a credit card, the company announced Tuesday. The product, called EquitySelect, debuted in September as a first-lien home equity loan that allows borrowers to set monthly payments as low as 1% of their annualized loan balance, […]
ACES Quality Management, a provider of enterprise quality management and control software for the financial services industry, announced on Tuesday its acquisition of data quality platform BaseCap Analytics. The acquisition, which involves integrating the BaseCap platform, allows ACES to expand its platform to include enterprise-wide data quality automation, advanced data validation and more intelligent quality […]
Detroit-based Rocket Companies was hit with a class-action lawsuit on Monday that accuses one of the nation’s largest mortgage lenders of steering consumers to their loan products, “even though Rocket Mortgage‘s terms are disadvantageous to the clients.” The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The plaintiffs are […]
The Jason Mitchell Group (JMG) said it has added mortgage brokerage LitFinancial to its network of business-to-business partners. LitFinancial was founded in 2024 and has closed more than $1 billion in client volume since launching — providing mortgage services and working with homebuyers nationwide. “JMG is proud to partner with LitFinancial, who provide a world-class […]
Onity Group — the parent company of PHH Mortgage Corp. and its subsidiary, Liberty Reverse Mortgage — plans to raise $150 million through a debt offering to qualified investors via two of its subsidiaries, the company announced Monday. PHH Corp. and PHH Escrow Issuer LLC are offering senior notes due in 2029 at an interest […]
Down Payment Resource (DPR) on Monday released its Q4 2025 Homeownership Program Index (HPI) report, identifying 2,619 down payment assistance (DPA) programs available nationwide. The count is five fewer compared to the third quarter but represents a 6% increase from Q4 2024, when 2,466 programs were available. The year-over-year growth reflects continued expansion and refinement […]
The Trump administration recently floated the idea that Americans should be able to withdraw funds from their 401(k) retirement accounts without tax penalties to furnish down payments for home purchases. Details — including limits and eligibility — remain unclear. And the proposal is in limbo, per recent comments from Trump that appear to distance himself […]
President Donald Trump appears to be backing away from the idea of allowing homebuyers to tap their retirement accounts without tax penalties to fund down payments — a proposal that had been publicly floated by his economic team but met with skepticism from housing experts. Speaking to reporters Thursday while returning to Washington from the […]
NEXA Lending announced Monday the rollout of new artificial intelligence tools within its Agenetic AI platform, which aim to support loan officers with real-time guidance on pricing, loan structuring, marketing and borrower communication. The update introduces Chat AI and Social AI capabilities that integrate large language-model technology directly into loan officers’ workflows. The platform also […]
California’s tax incentives lock in homes The inheritance trend is especially pronounced in Inherited homes accounted for a record share of U.S. property transfers in 2025, a shift in how housing supply reaches the market and challenging expectations that aging baby boomers who wish to downsize will unlock a surge of homes for sale. New […]
TikTok has finalized a deal to form a new U.S. entity with investors that include Oracle, Silver Lake and Emirati firm MGX, easing the threat of a nationwide ban and allowing the social media app to continue operating for more than 200 million American users. The company said Thursday that the new TikTok U.S. joint […]
CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM) announced Friday that it has hired Sam Sharp as regional executive vice president, expanding the lender’s presence in the Chicago market. Sharp, who brings more than 23 years of mortgage industry experience, is known in the Chicago area for a borrower-focused approach and long-standing referral relationships, according to the company. “When you […]
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA)’s annual Performance and Accountability Report was published on Friday, revealing that the agency received clean audit results for fiscal year 2025 from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The report disclosed that the GAO did not find any “material weaknesses or unacceptable risks.” The FHFA received an unmodified audit opinion […]
Ginnie Mae on Thursday released its fiscal year 2025 Annual Financial Report, reporting strong financial performance, steady market confidence and continued progress in supporting the U.S. housing finance system. The government-owned corporation said its mortgage-backed securities (MBS) program remained a key source of liquidity for government-insured lending, financing about 1.4 million transactions during the fiscal […]
This week, Go Companies named Jay Promisco as its CEO, signaling a push toward automation, data-driven mortgage origination and a renewed focus on company culture. Promisco, who brings 20-plus years of executive leadership experience — including roles at Sierra Pacific Mortgage and Stearns Lending — will lead the technology-driven mortgage platform’s next phase, the company […]
Planet Financial Group, LLC, the parent company of Planet Home Lending, has appointed Scott Henley as a correspondent regional sales manager, the company announced on Thursday. Henley will be responsible for supporting and expanding correspondent lending relationships across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico and Colorado. His role includes working with existing partners, developing new correspondent […]
Natural disasters can upend lives in an instant, leaving homeowners to cope with emotional trauma and financial uncertainty. Mortgage lenders and housing professionals play a critical role in helping clients rebuild. By connecting survivors to counseling and financial coaching services, you can make recovery faster, safer, and more sustainable. Why recovery counseling matters The emotional […]
President Donald Trump has floated proposals to make it easier for Americans to pull from their 401(k) retirement accounts to buy a home — framing the idea as a way to boost homeownership and financial stability. But financial experts say the strategy could undermine long-term financial security, particularly as housing costs rise and retirement savings […]
In the mortgage industry, the initial reaction to President Donald Trump’s proposal to cap credit card interest rates at 10% has been concern that the policy could ultimately backfire on would-be homebuyers. The cap might seem beneficial on paper, but the long-term consequences, including reduced credit availability, could outweigh the benefits, mortgage professionals told HousingWire. […]
Newfi Lending, a national mortgage lender focused on non-QM originations, announced Tuesday that it’s expanding its debt-service-coverage ratio (DSCR) loan program to allow larger loan amounts, financing for rural properties and the use of qualifying cryptocurrency assets to meet reserve requirements without liquidation. The updates are aimed at real estate investors who hold digital assets […]
Foreclosure prevention activity increased in October as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac completed more than 17,000 actions to help struggling homeowners, according to a Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) report released Thursday. The government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) completed 17,032 foreclosure prevention actions in October 2025, bringing the total to nearly 7.3 million since the start of […]
United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) and its executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Sarah DeCiantis — both of whom are defendants in the ongoing court battle between the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts (AIME) and its former CEO, Katie Sweeney — have denied allegations that they interfered with a contract involving AIME. An amended complaint […]
Technology-driven mortgage platform Go Companies has appointed Jay Promisco as chief executive officer, the company announced on Thursday morning. Promisco will lead the company’s next phase, focusing on modernizing mortgage origination through automation and data-driven decision-making, according to the company. He will also emphasize company culture and improve the borrower and originator experience. Ohio-based Go […]
The Philadelphia City Council has advanced a proposal to create PhillySaves, a city-sponsored automated retirement savings program designed to reach private sector workers whose employers do not offer retirement benefits. City officials said the initiative aims to expand access to retirement savings while placing minimal administrative burdens on employers. Under legislation approved by the council, […]
The Trump administration has rolled back a series of health care regulations affecting nursing homes, home care workers and Medicare beneficiaries — scrapping minimum staffing standards and launching a new experiment that expands prior authorization in traditional Medicare. The changes reverse years of advocacy efforts by consumer groups and labor organizations. They are expected to […]
President Donald Trump’s expected proposal to allow Americans to tap their 401(k) retirement accounts without penalties to fund down payments could ease one of the biggest barriers to homeownership, but it could come at the cost of weakening long-term retirement security. The idea was absent from Trump’s speech on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum […]
Multiple mortgage lending trade groups are urging the White House to take administrative steps to lower the costs of home loans, arguing that federal regulations have driven up borrowing expenses as affordability worsens. In a letter sent Wednesday to White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, the Mortgage Bankers Association, America’s Credit Unions and […]
For nearly two hours on Wednesday, the Supreme Court discussed President Donald Trump’s bid to oust Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, who is accused of committing mortgage fraud by allegedly misrepresenting occupancy requirements on loans for two properties. Several outlets — including The New York Times, CNN, NPR and The Wall Street Journal — reported […]
President Donald Trump said the U.S. will not “become a nation of renters” as he announced what he described as a ban on large institutional investors purchasing single-family homes during his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday. Trump also said he has directed the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) to acquire up to […]
Mortgage applications increased 14.1% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) weekly mortgage applications survey for the week ending January 16, 2026. On an unadjusted basis, the index increased 17% compared with the previous week. Refinance activity continued to be elevated, with the refinance index increasing 20% from the […]
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has “revoked” the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan approval authority of Equity Prime Mortgage (EPM) and Residential Acceptance Corporation (RAC), in several markets, as outlined in Wednesday’s Federal Register. The action is part of HUD’s Credit Watch Termination Initiative, which monitors mortgage lenders’ performance. In the notice, HUD said Equity Prime is […]