FirstClose, a fintech provider of data and workflow tools for mortgage and home equity lenders, on Wednesday announced a partnership with Stewart Lender Services, a division of Stewart Information Services Corp. The agreement will expand home equity fulfillment capabilities within the FirstClose Order Management System (OMS). The integration gives FirstClose OMS users access to Stewart’s […]
The U.S Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) home loan program rebounded sharply in 2025, according to a new analysis from Veterans United Home Loans. The rebound reverses last year’s slowdown and highlights the program’s continued appeal for service members and veterans. VA loan count rose 26.8% to 528,343 loans closed in fiscal year 2025, up […]
The American Financial Services Association (AFSA), the nation’s oldest and largest consumer credit trade group, on Tuesday released its quarterly Consumer Credit Conditions Index. It found that AFSA members’ assessment of current conditions turned slightly negative in the third quarter of 2025. More respondents reported worsening business conditions than improving conditions, pushing the survey’s Net […]
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed legislation to expand property tax exemptions for seniors to up to 65% of their home’s assessed value, raising the ceiling for the first time in decades from the previous 50% cap. “No New York senior should lose their home because they can no longer afford their property taxes,” […]
CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM) filed a motion last week as it seeks to intervene in the criminal case against former loan officer Christopher Gallo, and to vacate a November court order that blocked the company’s arbitration claim against the former employee. National Mortgage News first reported the legal action. According to the Dec. 3 filing, the […]
Blue Owl Capital announced Tuesday that it’s making a $2.5 billion commitment in funds it manages to home equity investment (HEI) platform Point. The newss comes just one month after the companies issued the largest securitization ever completed in the HEI space. The new capital will allow Palo Alto, California-based Point to originate about $10 […]
Mortgage credit availability increased in November, according to data released Tuesday by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). The trade group’s Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI), which uses data from ICE Mortgage Technology, rose 0.7% to a reading of 107.5. A lower reading signals tighter lending standards, while a higher reading indicates looser credit. The index […]
Michael Burry, the investor best known for predicting the 2008 financial crisis, revealed on Monday that he holds a sizable position in what he labels the “Toxic Twins” — Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – common stock, which he believes could deliver significant gains if the government moves forward with a potential initial public offering (IPO). “I […]
Optimal Blue announced on Monday that it has promoted Lanny Rogers III to chief financial officer and Jeremy Moreno to chief revenue officer. Rogers, a certified public accountant, will oversee financial planning, forecasting and capital allocation as the company expands. He joined Optimal Blue in 2017 and most recently served as vice president of accounting. […]
The ROAD to Housing Act was left out of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in the final House text released Sunday, leaving the mortgage industry to continue pushing for housing provisions into the first quarter of next year. The bipartisan bill — which includes policies to address housing affordability, boost supply, modernize financing […]
Late last month, federal banking regulators proposed lowering the Community Bank Leverage Ratio (CBLR) for qualifying community banks and bank holding companies from 9% to 8% while extending the timeframe for certain banks to remain in the program. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance […]
Last week, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) and 14 other trade groups representing insurance companies, lenders and other financial institutions urged Congress to approve a long-term reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). In a letter to congressional leaders dated Dec. 2, the organizations said that millions of U.S. homeowners depend on the federally […]
Global consulting and actuarial firm Milliman Inc. announced Monday that it has acquired MorVest Capital, a Dallas-based provider of mortgage servicing rights (MSRs) analytics and advisory services. The deal, which is expected to enhance Milliman’s own MSR services, expands its mortgage capabilities to include MSR valuation, financing, hedging and brokering. MorVest, founded in 2013, is […]
Another home equity investment (HEI) securitization is hitting the market, this time issued by financial technology company Splitero in partnership with funds managed by Blue Owl Capital, Antarctica Capital and Kingsbridge Investment Partners. The companies closed a $283.3 million rated HEI securitization on Nov. 25 in a transaction that saw strong investor demand. In total, […]
ICE Mortgage Technology said in its December 2025 Mortgage Monitor report that declining mortgage rates helped to push servicer refinance retention to 28% in the third quarter — a 3.5-year high — as more homeowners sought to lower their monthly payments. The report, released on Monday, tracks mortgage performance data from ICE’s most recent First […]
Much attention has been given to the potential impact private listings could have on minorities and protected classes, but one Realtor is asking a court to consider how off-MLS marketing could impact senior home sellers. Greg Alkema, an 80-year-old California-based real estate agent, posed this question in an amicus brief filed earlier this week in […]
Mortgage stocks should benefit from lower interest rates in 2026, but the strongest performances will be driven by other sources of value creation, including lower expenses from artificial intelligence-driven workflows, according to BTIG analyst Eric Hagen. “Most stocks are coming off a strong year of performance driven by accommodative Federal Reserve policy, which was necessary […]
Earlier this week, the Appraisal Institute told the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that it supports the current requirement for a second appraisal on certain federally insured reverse mortgage transactions. The comments came in response to HUD’s recent request for information (RFI) that sought public feedback on potential improvements to the Home […]
The New York State Court of Appeals has upheld the Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act of 2022 (FAPA), confirming that the law is constitutional and applies retroactively. The landmark decision, made on Nov. 25, means that mortgage lenders cannot restart the state’s six-year statute of limitations on foreclosure claims by withdrawing or abandoning earlier cases. FAPA […]
Over the course of 2025, the fix-and-flip housing market was characterized by tighter profit margins and higher expenses — including acquisition, material and labor costs. All of that tied together with tariff uncertainty and properties that continued to linger on the market. Despite this, investors persisted in their fix-and-flip pursuits, according to industry experts. Justin […]
HousingWire and MAXA Designs are proud to partner for the 2025 Exhibit Awards, a national awards platform recognizing standout real estate — and now mortgage — branding and design. First launched in 2022, Exhibit was built on a simple idea: great branding doesn’t just make a brokerage look good. It drives clarity, culture, and business […]
Kind Lending announced on Thursday that Brett Stubbs was appointed as the company’s chief financial officer. Stubbs’s appointment, effective Oct. 9, is a part of a planned transition plan involving Gary Fabian, who served as CFO since the company’s founding in 2020. Fabian will retire at the end of this year. Fabian will continue supporting […]
Florida-based AD Mortgage, which specializes in nonqualified mortgages (non-QMs) for self-employed borrowers and real estate investors, on Thursday announced the launch of a $417.15 million pool of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS). The transaction is the 28th issued by the company that involves its own collateral, and it’s the 19th offering to be rated by Fitch […]
Mortgage Cadence, a subsidiary of Accenture, confirmed on Thursday that George Morales, its national sales director, has been elected to the 2025–26 board of directors for the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA). Morales joins several other leaders on the board who help shape NRMLA’s policy agenda and strategic direction. NRMLA represents lenders, servicers and […]
Backflip, a real estate financial technology company, announced on Thursday that it has closed its first securitization, a $95 million transaction backed by residential transition loans (RTLs). The deal marks a significant step for the company following the launch of its asset management subsidiary, Backflip Asset Management LLC, in mid-November. The firm said the securitization […]
While mobile apps have reshaped customer service across most industries, mortgage servicers are lagging, leading to uneven digital experiences for borrowers. That’s according to the inaugural J.D. Power U.S. Mortgage Servicer Digital Experience Study, released on Thursday. The study is based on 5,223 evaluations from customers of the nation’s largest mortgage servicers. Responses were collected […]
Gino Fronti is switching companies. The high-producing loan officer announced this week that he’s leaving Paramount Residential Mortgage Group (PRMG) to affiliate with Lower. Fronti, who’s based in Southern California, will head operations on the West Coast as an executive vice president for Ohio-based Lower. With a deep background in technology, he’ll add a second […]
In the mortgage industry, we love to talk about technology, market cycles, and rate movement, but there is one topic that still gets treated like a soft skill even though it determines almost every outcome — culture. Culture is not a perk. It is not a slogan on a wall. It is the operating system […]
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have curtailed the public release of their economic and housing data, prompting questions about transparency in the mortgage market, according to reporting by Inman. Fannie Mae did not release its National Housing Survey in November, marking the first missed publication in more than 15 years. Its last recorded survey in […]
U.S. Senate Democrats sent a letter to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) acting director Russell Vought raising concerns that any “efforts to shutter the agency” could disrupt the publication of average prime offer rates (APOR), a key benchmark in the mortgage market. The CFPB manually calculates and publishes detailed APOR tables on a weekly basis. […]
Pennymac TPO is waiving a $99 credit report fee charged at closing for loans submitted through its POWER+ portal in December, the lender announced Wednesday. “Qualified credit report fee waivers will be paid by Pennymac at closing—no action required by the partner,” the company said in a notice to brokers. The move comes as credit […]
As 2025 winds down and industry experts try to gauge how the 2026 housing market will go, Mat Ishbia, the CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM), predicts that the housing market is positioned for growth in the new year. That’s according to Ishbia’s monthly “3 Points” video released on Tuesday. Ishbia’s comments highlighted signs of […]
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his administration is studying a new retirement savings program in the U.S. that’s modeled on Australia’s “superannuation” system. When asked at the White House about policies aimed at boosting the U.S. birthrate, Trump said officials are reviewing “a certain Australian plan that people are liking,” Newsweek reported. Australia’s […]
Moody’s Ratings analysts expect the performance of collateral in residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) to remain largely solid in 2026, although some deterioration is anticipated. “Although mortgage losses will stay low with home prices largely steady on a national basis, delinquencies will rise further as economic growth slows and new loans remain weaker, with higher leverage,” […]
Mortgage applications decreased 1.4% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) weekly mortgage applications survey for the week ending November 28, 2025. The results include an adjustment for the Thanksgiving holiday. On an unadjusted basis, the index decreased 33% compared with the previous week. The refinance index decreased 4% […]
Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) endorsements saw an artificial increase in November due to the federal government shutdown, an effect that may continue into December. Meanwhile, activity in the secondary market slowed down, according to reports released this week. In total, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insured 3,905 HECMs in November — a nearly 77% […]
Mortgage rates remain in a holding pattern at the start of December and the general consensus among market experts is that little will change even if the Federal Reserve implements another interest rate cut next week. Mortgage News Daily reported that 30-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 6.31% on Monday, virtually unchanged from a week ago. HousingWire’s […]
Rithm Capital Corp., the parent of multichannel lender Newrez, completed its acquisition of Crestline Management on Monday, pushing its investable assets past $102 billion. The deal “is a significant milestone in Rithm’s evolution and demonstrates our commitment to building a world-class investment platform,” CEO Michael Nierenberg said in a statement. Crestline adds $17 billion in […]
Absolute Home Mortgage Corporation has struck a deal to acquire the assets of Fidelity Direct Mortgage (FDM), the company confirmed on Tuesday. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Absolute — a mid-size independent mortgage bank based in Fairfield, New Jersey — is adding FDM’s team of 55 producing loan officers, who originated about […]
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s proposals to reform federal reverse mortgage programs include seven key recommendations — ranging from the creation of a new securitization option to charging insurance premiums based on the actual amount drawn. In October, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Ginnie Mae […]
CMG Financial‘s reverse mortgage division has welcomed John-Robert Martinez as regional manager of reverse for the eastern U.S., effective Monday. The news was confirmed on LinkedIn by Sean Kirksey, CMG’s vice president of reverse mortgage. “Anyone who has worked with John knows how much this is earned,” Kirksey wrote. “He has been our top-producing reverse […]
Chase Home Lending announced a limited-time interest rate discount for homeowners looking to refinance their mortgages. The offer applies to both rate-and-term and cash-out loans. The discounted rates are available starting Monday, Dec. 1, through Sunday, Dec. 14. Eligible customers nationwide must lock in their rates during this period to take advantage of the savings, […]
As interest rates continue to ease and borrower confidence rebuilds, originators are operating in a market that demands both adaptability and creativity. To better understand how mortgage professionals are approaching today’s environment, I asked four experienced originators to share how they’re guiding clients, leveraging non-qualified mortgage (non-QM) solutions, and refining their playbooks to stay competitive. […]
Bayview Asset Management has closed its acquisition of Guild Holdings Company, the parent of Guild Mortgage, in a deal that takes the lender private and removes it from the New York Stock Exchange. The transaction was finalized on November 28, according to a new 8-K filing. Under the agreement, shareholders received $20 per share in […]
For many borrowers, the appraisal is the most stressful step in a refinance: part mystery, part high-stakes hurdle. Will the home appraise high enough? Will it delay closing? What actually determines the final value? Lenders can help ease these concerns by adopting the right combination of technology, strategy, and partnerships to modernize the process. A […]