Originations

Contract closings rose 5.1% to a 4.35 million annualized pace last month, the highest since February 2023, according to figures released Wednesday by the National Association of Realtors.

Over 46% of mortgage transactions examined had at least one significant wire fraud or title risk, with 3.2 findings per transaction, Fundingshield said.

Total lock volume increased 2% from November and finished 30% higher than last December, according to Optimal Blue's latest Market Advantage report.

The bank did $16 billion of originations during the final three months of 2025, with the quarter-to-quarter increase beating industry-wide growth forecasts.

A Florida man's racketeering class action case accuses two mortgage employees of conspiring with a homebuilder to facilitate fraudulent construction draws.

Cryptocurrency development in the mortgage industry has accelerated in no small part from easing regulation and a push from FHFA Director Bill Pulte.

Sales of new homes in the US were little changed in October near the strongest pace since 2023 as builders lured anxious customers with price cuts and incentives.

A new move that would open up more use of certain dedicated savings accounts for home purchase purposes is under consideration, according to Politico.

Lenders shouldn't expect the latest jobs numbers to yield major monetary policy moves after the unemployment rate came in mostly flat last month, experts say.

With ongoing affordability issues, the Federal Housing Administration program will keep taking low down payment market share from the private mortgage insurers.

Housing starts in the US fell in October to the lowest level since the onset of the pandemic as data delayed by last fall's government shutdown showed builders continued to cut back amid still-high prices and mortgage rates.

The rule, effective July 7, puts into place requirements similar to those for banks, except nonbanks do not have to make community investments or grants.

The 30-year fixed remains in its current range, but most expect the rate to reach 6% for 2026, and one observer feels it could actually break under this point.

Across-the-board decreases across all loan types drove the Mortgage Bankers Association's full credit availability index to its lowest in three months.

Loanlogics rolled out the LoanBeam NQM income analyzer in October and has four users for the non-qualified mortgage underwriting technology, including Pennymac.

The company was founded in 1986 by current CEO Mat Ishbia's father Jeff and became the No. 1 originator by dollar volume in the third quarter of 2022.

Walker & Dunlop Affordable Bridge Capital will originate flexible, short-term first-mortgage bridge loans for properties designated for government programs.

A shared client base helped lead to introduction of the new integration, with implementation scheduled to come later this year, the companies said.

The deal comes as technology experts see likely 2026 artificial intelligence breakthroughs in mortgage to come through improved underwriting.

US mortgage rates fell last week to the lowest level since September 2024, a hopeful sign for the sluggish housing market to start the new year.