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 […]
For today’s mortgage leadership, the most expensive asset on the balance sheet is the borrower’s attention. Yet, in an era defined by an “attention economy,” the industry has spent a decade devaluing that asset through a practice that has become as predictable as it is ineffective: the mass-market email newsletter blast. For years, the industry […]
Older Americans are leaving money on the table when they sell their homes, with losses widening sharply after age 70, according to new research from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. Using a newly built national dataset, researchers found that sellers in their 70s and beyond consistently earn lower returns than younger homeowners. […]
One Real Mortgage is undergoing a C-suite shuffle. On Tuesday afternoon, Kate Gurevich posted on social media that she’s starting a new position as CEO of the company. “I am thrilled to share that I am starting a new role as CEO of One Real Mortgage, a division of Real Broker LLC,” Gurevich wrote on […]
President Donald Trump is set to speak Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and it’s already proving to be a catalyst for mortgage rates. Mortgage News Daily reported on Tuesday that 30-year fixed rates averaged 6.21% — up 14 basis points from Friday. HousingWire’s Mortgage Rates Center, which tracks locked loans across […]
HighTechLending has named Paul Fiore vice president of sales and branch production, the company announced on Tuesday. Fiore will oversee the expansion of the lender’s branch channel, including recruiting branch managers and loan officers. He is also tasked with supporting growth across the company’s 30-state footprint and increasing loan production through the company’s product offerings. […]
Balance Homes announced its relaunch on Tuesday, backed by a $30 million investment led by Falco Group, as it seeks to expand access to alternative home equity solutions amid mounting affordability pressures. The company said the funding will accelerate its mission to help homeowners remain in their homes by offering more flexible equity-sharing options. The […]
Housing industry participants will closely watch President Donald Trump in Davos, where he is expected to outline measures aimed at improving housing affordability. His speech is expected for Wednesday. Potential initiatives include ideas Trump has already floated on social media, such as encouraging Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to expand their purchases of mortgage-backed securities […]
As we prepare to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it’s important to pause and reflect not only on Dr. King’s national legacy, but also on the work he did in my hometown of Chicago that continues to shape lives, opportunities and generational progress today. Dr. King’s Chicago campaign and the fight for fair housing […]
Non-QM mortgage lender Logan Finance Corp. announced last week that Chuck Vaughn has joined the company as managing director of correspondent lending. Vaughn will oversee strategic initiatives, efforts to expand market share, the launch of Logan Finance’s select delegated channel and lead operational growth across its correspondent business. “We were seeking a proven leader who […]
A former corporate attorney is accusing Michigan-based United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) of retaliation and wrongful termination after he refused to sign attorney opinion letters (AOLs) in states where he was not licensed. The plaintiff claims the requirement stemmed from a policy change implemented in November. A spokesperson for UWM said in a statement to HousingWire […]
A federal judge in New York has consolidated multiple lawsuits stemming from a data breach at SitusAMC Holdings Corp. in November 2025, combining a newly filed case with an existing class-action suit to streamline proceedings. On Wednesday, Judge Lewis J. Liman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York granted an […]
With mortgage rates expected to remain flat for the foreseeable future, lenders of all sizes are looking for creative ways to attract creditworthy borrowers who may not fit into the conventional loan box. Below are four trends that will enable lenders to expand their reach to new borrowers in 2026: Non-QM lending goes mainstream A […]
Two Ohio state representatives are supporting legislation they say will establish clear statewide protections against property tax‑related foreclosures for the state’s senior homeowners. Reps. David Thomas (R) and Adam Mathews (R) highlighted H.B. 443, known as the Senior Protection from Foreclosure Act, during a news conference Wednesday. The bill would bar counties from enforcing property […]
Foreclosure filings were reported on 367,460 U.S. properties in 2025, up 14% from 2024 and up 3% from 2023. Foreclosure filings in 2025 were also down 87% from a peak of nearly 2.9 million in 2010. That’s according to ATTOM‘s Year-End 2025 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, released Thursday, which is based on publicly recorded and […]
The Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA) is pushing back against proposals to allow a single-bureau credit pull in mortgage underwriting, as Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte presses for changes aimed at increasing competition in the use of credit scores. In a white paper published Wednesday, CHLA argued that the three main […]
Freddie Mac‘s multifamily division reported Thursday that its 2025 production volume totaled $77.6 billion, a 17% increase from 2024. The government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) said it supported 577,000 affordable rental units across the U.S. while “maintaining strong safety and soundness standards.” Production for the year included $1.2 billion in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) equity investments, […]
Mortgage rate-lock activity ended 2025 stronger than typical holiday season patterns, according to Optimal Blue‘s December 2025 Market Advantage mortgage data report released on Tuesday. Total lock volume rose 2% from November and finished 30% higher than a year earlier, driven largely by rate-and-term refinances, which increased 13% month over month and more than 170% […]
Mortgage applications for new home purchases rose 2.5% in December 2025 from a year earlier, according to data released Thursday in the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s Builder Application Survey. Applications fell 3% compared to November 2025 without any seasonal adjustment. “December purchase activity for newly built homes continued to run stronger than last year, despite […]
Affordability pressures, elevated mortgage rates, and homeowner rate lock-in have pushed once-fringe mortgage ideas back into the spotlight. Concepts such as 50-year mortgages, portable mortgages, and assumable loans are being discussed as potential solutions. Some are misunderstood. Others already exist in limited form. A few, however, come with tradeoffs that warrant closer examination. For lenders, […]
New View Advisors on Tuesday published the newest installment of its Proprietary Reverse Mortgage Production Index, which showed that private-label reverse mortgages are continuing to become a preferred product among lenders and borrowers. The company estimated that proprietary loan volume totaled $250 million in December 2025, $730 million in the fourth quarter of 2025 and […]
Kind Lending announced multiple leadership changes this week as company co-founder Yvonne Ketchum moves from the president role’s to a part-time role as president emeritus and executive adviser as she begins semi-retirement. As a result, chief operating officer Jennifer Folk will assume the role of president and Stephanie Gibbons has been promoted to COO. Before […]
Shares in publicly traded mortgage insurance companies dropped between 5% to 8% in a single day and are down by 5% to 12% so far this year, according to an investor note published Tuesday by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW). KBW analysts Bose George and Frankie Labetti explained that the main concern appears to be tied […]
Wells Fargo on Wednesday reported fourth-quarter 2025 net income of $5.36 billion, or $1.62 per diluted share, as the bank posted stronger loan growth, solid credit performance and continued expense discipline following the removal of a long-standing Federal Reserve asset cap. But the numbers still fell short of Wall Street analysts’ expectations of $1.66 per […]
Multichannel mortgage lender Lower announced on Wednesday that it has acquired Acopia Home Loans, expanding its footprint across the Southeast and adding more than $425 million in annual loan production. The acquisition brings 14 branch locations and 36 mortgage originators to Lower, which describes itself as one of the fastest-growing, fintech-driven homeownership platforms. The deal follows a […]
Mortgage applications increased 28.5% from one week earlier, following President Donald Trump’s directive to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds. That’s according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) weekly mortgage applications survey for the week ending January 9, 2026. Last week’s results included an adjustment for the […]
NEXA Lending announced on Wednesday that it has appointed Todd Bitter as national director of sales, the latest in a series of strategic leadership hires by the company. Bitter, who most recently held the role of chief sales officer at UMortgage, brings over 30 years of experience as a loan officer and executive leader, with […]
Retirement is widely portrayed as the reward for decades of work, but many Americans who have already stopped working say that promise is slipping out of reach. Rising costs and inadequate savings are reshaping expectations — and fueling fears — about life after work, according to findings from a recent Clever Real Estate survey. Clever […]
The National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) is urging the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to end its “life of loan” mortgage insurance rule and let borrowers cancel premiums once they’ve paid down their loan to 78% of their home’s value. NAMB believes the policy is outdated and unfair. Current rules mean that many FHA borrowers […]
Mortgage trade groups are closely monitoring a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would raise fees on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) mortgages to help fund other veterans’ benefits. The Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of 2025 (H.R. 6047) — introduced in November by Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Mich.) and […]
American Pride Bank announced on Tuesday that it’s expanding its one-time-close construction loan programs through its wholesale mortgage division, APB Wholesale, by adding new options aimed at self-employed borrowers, entrepreneurs and real estate investors. In a press release, the bank explained that the expanded product suite is designed to give mortgage brokers more flexibility when […]
For the first time in months, mortgage rates made significant downward progress last week. But the question for housing professionals is whether the trend will last. Mortgage News Daily reported Monday that the average 30-year fixed-rate loan averaged 6.01%, down 18 basis points in the past week. MND data shows that rates haven’t been this […]
Billionaire investor Bill Ackman is floating a proposal that suggests mortgage rates could be lowered by limiting borrowers’ ability to refinance or prepay mortgages. Ackman said on Jan. 10 on social media platform X that adding prepayment penalties to new mortgages could reduce interest rates by roughly 65 basis points (bps). The post addressed President […]
Newrez plans to recognize cryptocurrency assets in the mortgage qualification process without requiring borrowers to liquidate their holdings, the company announced Tuesday. The option will be available in February across the lender’s nonagency Smart Series product suite. While assets such as stocks and bonds are commonly considered in mortgage underwriting without liquidation, many lenders still […]
Snapdocs announced Tuesday a new integration with MeridianLink’s cloud-based consumer loan origination system that allows lenders to originate and close home equity loans and home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) entirely within the MeridianLink Consumer platform. The integration enables lenders to complete digital closings — including hybrid, eNote and fully digital transactions — using remote […]
In today’s digital-first environment, administrative access is essential to keeping real estate, title insurance, and mortgage operations running smoothly. From managing core production systems to supporting secure transaction workflows, administrators play a critical role behind the scenes. However, administrative access also represents one of the most significant cybersecurity risks facing organizations today. With elevated privileges […]
Skyrocketing health care costs are threatening early retirement dreams for millions of Americans. Enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies expired at the end of 2025 — leaving 24 million people facing a sharp rise in health insurance costs unless Congress acts. Middle-income Americans ages 50 to 64 are most at risk, according to KFF data […]
Following Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s disclosure on Sunday that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued grand jury subpoenas to the central bank, the investigation has triggered political backlash on Capitol Hill. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, said he backs Powell and accused the DOJ of threatening the […]
Figure Technology Solutions reported that its loan origination system produced $2.705 billion in volume during the fourth quarter of 2025, up 131% from the same period a year earlier, according to preliminary operating data released Monday. Compared to the prior quarter, the volume increased 9.5%. The volume was driven by the company’s consumer loan marketplace, which […]
Federal agencies are walking back a 2023 warning that credit policies tied to an applicant’s immigration or citizenship status could conflict with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and Regulation B, saying the guidance created confusion among lenders. In October 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a […]
For the past several years, the U.S. housing market has faced an unusual constraint: not a lack of buyers, but a lack of sellers willing — or able — to move. Millions of homeowners remain “rate-locked,” holding mortgages originated in 2020–2022 at interest rates between 2% and 4% (Federal Housing Finance Agency; Freddie Mac Primary […]
Jobs Friday came and went without much reaction in bond yields because the labor market isn’t breaking, nor is it getting stronger. Mortgage rates dropped into the 5s for a short time on Friday as a result of Trump’s earlier announcement directing the GSEs to buy $200 billion in mortgage backed securities. The 10-year yield […]