Facing what they describe as a broad request for information (RFI) on potential changes to federal reverse mortgage programs, industry experts are focusing on two pressing issues: mortgage insurance and liquidity constraints. In October, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), along with the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Ginnie Mae, issued an […]
Why innovation matters now In today’s market conditions, lenders who identify strategic opportunities and innovate their operations now stand to gain a competitive advantage. Historically successful lenders have accomplished this by focusing on customer experience, operational efficiencies and the agility to pivot when markets shift. But innovation doesn’t have to mean reinventing the wheel; it […]
Figure Technology Solutions Inc. filed a registration statement on Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a proposed public offering of its Series A Blockchain Common Stock, marking the launch of the first blockchain-native public equity security. Figure‘s offering introduces several industry firsts, which could make it a model for future issuances. The […]
ATTOM released its October 2025 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, showing 36,766 properties with foreclosure filings — including default notices, scheduled auctions or bank repossessions — a 3% increase from September and more than a 19% increase from a year ago. October marked the eighth straight month of year-over-year foreclosure activity increases, with completed foreclosures up […]
A group of Senate Democrats has asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte and other employees over criminal referrals against several public figures as they seek to determine whether federal authority and resources were misused. In a letter sent Monday to Gene Dodaro, the Comptroller General […]
Tidalwave, an agentic AI mortgage technology startup integrated with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, recently announced the hiring of Jason Cao as chief operating officer. Cao, an early investor in Tidalwave two years ago, was most recently COO at CertiK, where he helped build it into a unicorn as the world’s largest blockchain security company. […]
Independent mortgage banks (IMBs) and mortgage subsidiaries of chartered banks reported stronger profits in the third quarter of 2025, as higher production revenue outpaced rising expenses. That’s according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s Quarterly Mortgage Bankers Performance Report, released Tuesday. IMBs recorded an average pretax net production profit of $1,201 on each loan they […]
With only six weeks left in 2025, mortgage rates continue to stabilize in the mid-6% range. And while rates remain higher than many housing professionals and consumers would like, weekly pending home sales are 15% higher than they were a year ago. Mortgage News Daily reported 30-year fixed rates averaged 6.38% on Monday, up 4 bps […]
Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook’s defense repeatedly emphasized that she had no intent to defraud as an argument central to refuting allegations that she misrepresented the occupancy of three properties to obtain more favorable mortgage terms, according to a letter sent by her attorney to the Department of Justice (DOJ). In early September, the DOJ […]
Top-five U.S. reverse mortgage lender Longbridge Financial announced Tuesday that it’s making changes to its Platinum proprietary product suite — including a lower interest rate of 7.99% and a higher principal limit factor that allows borrowers to tap more of their home equity. This week’s changes were precipitated by the company’s desire to help more […]
The share of mortgage with critical defects rose for the second straight quarter as more borrowers tapped home equity through cash-out refinances. That’s according to ACES Quality Management‘s QC Industry Trends Report for the second quarter of 2025. The report, which was released Tuesday and analyzes post-closing quality control data derived from the company’s software, […]
Former Federal Reserve Governor Adriana Kugler is said to have engaged in several financial transactions that violated the central bank’s ethics rules, multiple outlets have reported. That’s according to filings made public by the Office of Government Ethics on Nov. 15. They revealed that Kugler filed the disclosures in September. The forms show that Federal […]
Mortgage applications for new-home purchases decreased 2.6% compared to a year ago, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s Builder Application Survey data for October 2025. Compared to the month prior, applications decreased by 1%. MBA noted that this change does not include any adjustment for typical seasonal patterns. “Lower mortgage rates, ongoing usage of […]
The 2025 U.S. housing market has been marked by high mortgage rates, elevated home prices and economic uncertainty, but a new HomeLight survey of loan officers at 80 top lending companies found that despite the negatives, most lenders are optimistic about their near-term prospects. More than 85% of survey respondents expect mortgage originations to rise […]
Consumer-direct non-QM lender Griffin Funding on Monday announced that John Jones has been named as senior vice president of growth and EOS integrator. Jones, who has served as the company’s fractional integrator and chief operating officer since April 2025, will take on the new role effective Dec. 1. “John has brought tremendous structure and clarity […]
Welcome back to Tech Pulse — HousingWire‘s weekly series rounding up the latest in technology news, including tools, integrations and trends that impact mortgage and real estate. Here’s what happened this week: Redfin puts forth AI chat tool for home searches Redfin has launched a new AI-powered “conversational home search” on its website, allowing users to find homes through natural […]
Figure Technology Solutions reached $2.5 billion in consumer loan marketplace volume in the third quarter of 2025 — a 70% year-over-year increase, the company reported Thursday in its first earnings release since going public. Most of Figure’s volume continues to come from home equity lines of credit (HELOCs). New product categories — including crypto-backed loans, […]
Earlier this month, title and real estate services company Stewart Information Services Corp., owned by SISCO Holdings, agreed to acquire the mortgage services of property preservation provider Mortgage Contracting Services (MCS) for $330 million. The transaction, which expands Stewart’s suite of services in the property preservation arena, supports default servicing while providing MCS with additional capital to invest in other […]
Rice Park Capital’s agreement to acquire Rosegate Mortgage highlights the increasing focus among mortgage companies on recapture opportunities. But industry executives say the economics of this strategy have grown more challenging amid intensifying competition. In its latest move centered on recapture, private investment firm Rice Capital announced Friday that it’s buying retail and consumer-direct lender […]
The delinquency rate for mortgages on one- to-four-unit residential properties increased to a seasonally adjusted rate of 3.99% of all loans outstanding at the end of the third quarter of 2025, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s National Delinquency Survey. The delinquency rate increased by 6 basis points from Q2 2025 and by 7 […]
Minneapolis-based investment firm Rice Park Capital Management announced on Friday that it acquired Rosegate Mortgage LLC, a retail and consumer-direct mortgage lender based in Charlotte, N.C. Rice Park said the deal expands its capabilities across the mortgage value chain by supporting servicing-retention and recapture strategies while maintaining its work with originator partners. The acquisition allows […]
One of the most common themes in the mortgage industry is to point out its failure to adopt technology. It’s a complaint among pretty much everyone. Yet, as soon as ChatGPT launched to mainstream use this year, our industry (like everyone else) began the AI hype cycle. Today is a good day to ask the […]
Financial advisors warn that the first year of retirement often determines how long savings will last and whether homeowners can comfortably stay in their homes, according to reporting by Kiplinger. “The first year of retirement is one of the most defining periods in a person’s financial life,” said Renee Collins, founder of Retire Ready Inc., […]
Last month, American Pacific Mortgage (APM) announced a leadership transition as the company nears its 30th anniversary. The company’s longtime chairman and former president and CEO, Bill Lowman, said he plans to retire after more than two decades with APM. As part of the leadership transition, Ned Payant, APM’s former CEO, stepped into the role of […]
Mortgage fraud risk increased 8.2% year-over-year, with an estimated 1 in 118 applications showing indications of fraud. That’s according to Cotality’s Q3 2025 National Mortgage Application Fraud Risk Index, released on Thursday. While mortgage fraud risk increased on an annual basis, it dropped by 2.7% from the previous quarter, Cotality said. The index, which measures quarterly […]
Slip out the back, Jack!Make a new plan, Stan. You don’t need to be coy, Roy. Just get yourself free. As Paul Simon sang in the song “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” just change the word “Lover” to “50-Year Mortgage,” and you have some really good advice. Being free of too much debt is key. The 50-year […]
Better Home & Finance Holding Company (Better) reported Q3 2025 revenue of about $44 million, matching the prior quarter and up from $29 million a year earlier, the company said Thursday. “This was a pivotal quarter for Better as we set the stage for our next chapter of growth,” said Vishal Garg, CEO and founder […]
Bill Pulte said this week that the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) may allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to offer assumable or portable mortgages — part of ongoing discussions inside the Trump administration on ways to address housing affordability. “At Fannie and Freddie, we are evaluating how to do assumable or portable mortgages, in […]
As the White House and federal housing officials float backing 50-year fixed-rate mortgages as a potential tool to ease U.S. housing affordability, the proposal has drawn quick praise from some quarters and sharp criticism from housing economists and industry groups. The idea surfaced publicly this month when President Donald Trump shared an image on Truth […]
Fannie Mae officials who were recently removed from their positions were investigating whether Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte improperly obtained mortgage records of Democratic officials, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. Fannie Mae’s ethics and investigations team had received internal complaints that senior officials […]
Defined contribution plans such as 401(k)s and 403(b)s form the vast majority of retirement accounts in the U.S., and a report released Wednesday by Vanguard aims to help consumers, plan sponsors and consultants make better decisions when structuring them. Vanguard’s inaugural How America Retires report analyzed internal company data on retirement plans and industry trends […]
CIC Credit, a provider of verification and credit services for the mortgage industry, said on Tuesday that it will participate in the FICO Mortgage Direct License Program, a new initiative from analytics firm Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO) aimed at streamlining access to credit scores. The program allows CIC to calculate and distribute FICO Scores directly […]
Cornerstone Financing, creator of CHEIFS (Cornerstone Home Equity Insurance/Investment Funding Solutions), on Wednesday announced the launch of Prime HEI. The wholesale program allows mortgage brokers to offer homeowners access to home equity without debt, monthly payments or interest. CHEIFS, which is Cornerstone’s prime, non-debt home equity funding solution, was originally built for financial advisors to […]
Mortgage applications increased 0.6% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) weekly mortgage applications survey for the week ending November 7, 2025. On an unadjusted basis, the index decreased 1% compared with the previous week. The seasonally adjusted purchase index increased 6% from one week earlier. The unadjusted purchase […]
Taking an advisory-style approach over a volume-focused approach is working in the favor of mortgage lenders, according to the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Mortgage Origination Satisfaction Study released on Wednesday. Overall customer satisfaction with mortgage lenders rose sharply to 760 on a 1,000-point scale, up 33 points from last year’s score of 727, the study […]
NEXA Lending, formerly known as NEXA Mortgage, is accusing several former NEXA loan officers, managers and former president Mat Grella of executing a coordinated “employee raid” to harm its business. The suit, which was filed on Nov. 5 in Arizona’s Maricopa County Superior Court, claims that Grella, former branch manager Gregory Nichols and Michigan-based Platinum […]
A lawsuit filed earlier this year by the state of Massachusetts against home equity investment (HEI) provider Hometap is being allowed to proceed after a ruling in August by a Suffolk County Superior Court judge. And the parties made new filings in court last week as they attempt to convince the court of the merits […]
A report released Monday by Capital Group found large disparities between various generations of entrepreneurs and the retirement options available to them. The Small Business America report — based on an April 2025 survey of 1,000 small-business owners regarding their outlook and readiness to offer retirement benefits — found that overall business optimism is high […]
A growing share of U.S. homebuyers are using Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) loans as the housing market leans in favor of buyers. Nationwide, 7.3% of mortgaged homebuyers used a VA loan in August, up from 6.5% a year earlier — the highest level for that month since 2019, according to a report from Redfin. […]
Each year on Veterans Day, I take a moment to think about the Americans I served alongside – their courage, their families, and the quiet sacrifices that never make headlines. It’s a day to remember those who sacrificed and to honor those still building their lives after service. For many of us, that next chapter […]
bevri.ai, a technology firm focused on applying artificial intelligence to the mortgage industry’s third-party origination (TPO) channel, announced on Monday that it has appointed Jonathon Haddad as CEO. The agentic AI company said in a press release that Haddad’s appointment marks a new phase in its efforts to expand end-to-end automation for brokers and non-delegated […]
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s monthly Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI) increased in October by 2.3% to a reading of 106.8. An increase in the MCAI, which relies on ICE Mortgage Technology data, is indicative of loosening credit. The index was benchmarked to 100 in March 2012. Conversely, a decline in the MCAI indicates that lending standards are tightening. […]
Zillow’s mortgage business has grown rapidly over the past few years, posting a 57% annual increase in loan origination volume, which rose to $2.3 billion, in Q3 2025. While Zillow maintains that this growth is purely organic and due to it “making it easier for more buyers to choose financing through Zillow Home Loans (ZHL),” […]
Mortgage marketing is stuck in 2008. Not because the tactics are old. We have webinars instead of lunch-and-learns, sponsored posts instead of postcards. The problem isn’t outdated tools. It’s the mindset, the fact that most of us never really learned how to market in the first place. That’s not an indictment of the people doing […]
In a social post on Saturday, President Trump floated the idea of a 50-year mortgage to boost housing affordability, but the idea got a frosty reception online. One reason is that stretching the loan term out that long ends up costing much more in interest over the life of the loan while only shaving a […]