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While expectations that another federal rate cut is on the way next week, other economic trends may be having a larger influence on mortgage lending.

A cohort of more than 100 Republican members of Congress sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urging the administration to protect and fund a community lending program that has been gutted despite its legal mandate and Bessent's backing.

Contract closings increased 1.5% to an annual rate of 4.06 million in September, the highest in seven months, according to National Association of Realtors figures released Thursday.

Home loan players are diverting technology budgets to cover back-office operations, after big spending in a downcycle, counter to historical patterns.

Decreased homeowner equity corresponds to recent declining prices reported by leading housing researchers, but tappable amounts still sit near record highs.

In addition, John Roscoe and Brandon Hamara have been appointed co-presidents at the government-sponsored enterprise, effective immediately.

Forbearance or refinancing may help some, workarounds can keep many mainstream loans moving and one type of uncertainty does have an upside for rates.

While the Federal Open Market Committee has yet to meet this month, investor pricing of longer-term bonds helped mortgages by 11 basis points, Wallethub said.

While purchase volume is up 20% from last year, it was 5% lower than one week ago, although a 4% increase in refinance activity helped pick up the slack.

The Department of Justice has filed a motion opposing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employee union's appeal of an August D.C. Circuit ruling allowing the administration to fire up to 90% of the agency's workforce.

Top industry minds emphasized they're still bullish on the technology and said humans will still provide irreplaceable traits like empathy and trust.

Selected companies will have the opportunity to demo their compliance-related solutions at a February 2026 tech sprint following a December kickoff event.

The company's servicing valuations fell but by less than in previous quarters. Lower rates both aided production and created recapture opportunities.

Kin, a direct-to-consumer insurance provider, has started a mortgage broker in Florida which also takes loan applications through a call center or online.

Bank of America has a playbook for government shutdowns, which includes providing fee and payment waivers as well as loan deferrals and forbearance programs, CEO Brian Moynihan said at the American Bankers Association's annual convention.

The housing agency director also announced plans to donate his salary to help wounded veterans as CHLA and ICBA push for the enterprises to resume MBS buying.

The NRMLA/Riskspan Reverse Mortgage Market Index set a new high of 502.42, with the dollar amount of home equity for those 62 or over reaching $14.4 trillion.

Stenger joins the Chicago-based lender after more than a decade at Movement Mortgage and will oversee its retail platform, including new tech enhancements.

The lender, which reported over $200 million in home equity line of credit volume in the recent quarter, suggests the business can deliver massive scale.

Regulators are nearing a key step in overhauling credit scoring as the MBA touts its influence on GSE policy and close alignment with Washington leaders.