Origination

Mortgage lenders test crypto-backed mortgages as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac review digital assets in underwriting, weighing risk, non-QM loans and access for nontraditional homebuyers.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will face an existential crisis in 2026 between the Trump administration's efforts to shut down the agency and the employee union and consumer advocates who want to stop them.

The MBA's Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, dropped 5% on a seasonally-adjusted basis and 6% on an unadjusted basis.

Fannie Mae sees growth in refinance activity pushing volumes upward, but flattening purchases will temper lender momentum, according to its December report.

The 30-year fixed rate mortgage dropped 3 basis points this week, its lowest level since October and just over its 52-week bottom, Freddie Mac reported.

The regulator lowered benchmarks for acquisitions of certain single-family loans including low-income refinances, and left multifamily targets intact.

The president's latest commentary comes as he is looking to new leadership at the Fed to help reduce borrowing costs, as he increasingly feels political pressure to address voter concerns over affordability.

Three US senators opened an inquiry into insurance ratings firm Demotech and whether its assessments may be exposing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to growing risks tied to climate-driven insurer failures.

The announcement follows Realpha's two previous mergers with mortgage brokerages, as well as its purchases of AI firms and title businesses.

The national mortgage delinquency rate jumped to 3.85% in November, up 15% month over month and 2.79% year over year, according to ICE Mortgage Technology.