When Jesse Allen arrived at Rate in late 2024 to lead its reverse mortgage division, he was immediately tasked with continuing the growth trajectory for the Chicago-based mortgage lending giant. Rate has long been a leading forward mortgage lender, ranking No. 9 nationally in 2025 with $45.6 billion in volume, according to Inside Mortgage Finance. […]
For decades, mortgage lending has been built around a single objective: to make homeownership affordable. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage became the dominant structure because it lowers monthly payments, expands borrower eligibility, and fits cleanly into underwriting frameworks built around debt-to-income ratios. It works—and it worked at scale. But in optimizing for affordability, the industry made […]
With refinance activity constrained and purchase volume under pressure, lenders are being forced to rethink their sustainable growth plans. The answer is becoming clear: home equity. As millions of homeowners remain locked into low mortgage rates, they are turning to second liens and mortgages to access equity without disrupting their primary loan. Tom Davis, Chief […]
Proprietary reverse mortgages have gained a lot of traction over the past year and now account for more industry volume than federally insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs). With the help of loan officers Nathan Guerrero and Jackson Matheson, Tennessee will soon join the list of states to allow private-label reverse mortgages. Guerrero, a reverse […]
SoFi Technologies this week unveiled a new fully digital home equity line of credit (HELOC) experience, expanding its push into mortgages as more homeowners choose to tap equity rather than move. The company said the new HELOC offering will allow members to access home equity through an end-to-end digital process within the SoFi platform, with […]
Newrez originated roughly $10 million in mortgages scored with VantageScore 4.0 that Freddie Mac has now securitized, the company announced Friday. The move is part of a pilot that helped federal housing agencies greenlight wider use of modern credit scores. Newrez, a top-five mortgage lender and servicer, said that its “loan delivery limited engagement” with […]
The lock-in effect is persisting as mortgage rates stay above 6%, leading homeowners to increasingly opt to stay put and invest in renovations rather than move, according to a new survey from Citizens Financial Group. The survey points to a growing “stay and upgrade” trend, with 44% of homeowners saying that renovating their current home […]
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday dropped its investigation into the Federal Reserve regarding Jerome Powell’s congressional testimony on the central bank’s headquarters renovation. The decision could ease the path for Kevin Warsh‘s confirmation as Powell’s successor. Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, announced that she’s closing the investigation and […]
I started in mortgages in 2007 for a brokerage office in Salem, Oregon. Within my first year and a half, I was one of the top-producing loan officers in the office. At the same time, the world around me was coming apart. I didn’t realize at the time that the industry I had just joined […]
Sixty-four percent of Americans say they feel confident they have enough money to live comfortably throughout retirement — down from last year — according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)’s 2026 Retirement Confidence Survey. The 36th annual survey, conducted online in January, is jointly produced by EBRI and Greenwald Research. Worker confidence fell to […]
For a hundred years, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has moved mortgage policy in Washington. Last Wednesday, it brought 50 loan officers with it. Loan officers are going to Washington. For a hundred years, that sentence had not been true. For a hundred years, the MBA has been the mortgage industry’s voice in Washington. An […]
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is advancing multiple pieces of legislation designed to strengthen retirement savings options for millions of unpaid family caregivers. Two companion bills introduced in the House and Senate would modify retirement account rules to better reflect the realities caregivers face. Under one proposal, the Improving Retirement Security for Family Caregivers Act, […]
FSBO.com on Wednesday announced the launch of a new loan officer portal designed to integrate mortgage professionals earlier into the for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) home selling process, as the company looks to create a more structured and collaborative transaction model. The platform allows loan officers to assist sellers with listing creation, marketing and buyer screening, while also […]
Federal agencies on Wednesday took steps to bring newer credit scoring models into the mortgage underwriting process, marking a significant shift in how borrower risk is evaluated. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner announced the adoption of FICO 10T and VantageScore 4.0 for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans in the […]
Asset manager Castlelake has acquired a majority ownership stake in Resfin Partners, the parent company of mortgage correspondent business Eastview and lender to residential real estate investor Lendmarq, the firm announced on Wednesday. Over a multiyear relationship, Castlelake has acquired more than 4,000 senior structured loans from Eastview and Lendmarq, representing more than $2 billion […]
The National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) has formed a partnership with the Chenoa Fund, a down payment assistance program, to help mortgage brokers better serve first-time and underserved homebuyers who struggle with upfront homebuying costs, the organizations announced on Wednesday. Through the collaboration, NAMB members will gain enhanced access to Chenoa Fund programs, tools […]
Planet Financial Group — the parent company of Planet Home Lending — has launched a refreshed brand identity and logo designed to unify its growing platform across origination, servicing, subservicing, asset management and affiliated services. The Meriden, Connecticut-based specialty finance firm said its rebrand as Planet, announced Wednesday, reflects how the business already operates today, […]
In November 2025, Equifax published a statement making the case that FICO is the villain in the mortgage credit cost story. It was just one more shot across the bow from the 3Bs at FICO; a battle we’ve been watching play out in real time for years. The numbers don’t lie: FICO’s per-score price has […]
Shareholder Michael Koblentz filed another lawsuit against Two Harbors Investment Corp. and its board of directors, alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act tied to the company’s pending acquisition by CrossCountry Intermediate Holdco (CCM). Koblentz previously filed a similar suit targeting Two Harbors’ original merger agreement with UWM Holdings Corp. (UWMC), which was closed after […]
Kevin Warsh, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as the 17th chairman of the Federal Reserve, faced sharp questioning from senators on Tuesday at his confirmation hearing. Warsh asserted that he would not be the president’s “sock puppet” when determining interest rate decisions. Warsh, a former Fed governor who served during the 2008 financial crisis, […]
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is set to publish a final rule on Wednesday that eliminates disparate-impact liability under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and adds new prohibitions for Special Purpose Credit Programs (SPCPs). The rule amends Regulation B, which implements ECOA, to clarify provisions related to disparate impact, the discouragement of prospective […]
GreenPath Financial Wellness — a nonprofit approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the National Foundation for Credit Counseling — reviewed data from its reverse mortgage counseling clients over the past two years. It found that more older homeowners are turning to home equity to close widening monthly budget gaps. […]
About 85% of homeowners with mortgages say there is something they wish they had known before starting the homebuying process, according to a new national survey of New American Funding (NAF) servicing customers, released Tuesday. The biggest blind spot is down payments. Roughly 20% of respondents said they wish they had known about down payment […]
Presidio Investors has taken a strategic stake in Minnesota-based mortgage brokerage platform Edge Home Finance, the firms announced Monday. Financial terms and ownership structure were not disclosed. The Austin, Texas-based private equity firm said the deal will support Edge’s technology roadmap, operations and potential acquisitions. Edge will continue to operate with the same platform, leadership […]
PennyMac Financial Services Inc. has launched a specialized mortgage program for Team USA athletes, aiming to address the unique income and qualification challenges that Olympians and Paralympians face when buying or refinancing a home. The “Welcome Home: Athlete Mortgage Program,” announced Tuesday, builds on PennyMac’s role as the official mortgage provider of Team USA and […]
Every day, about 10,000 Americans turn 65. That pace is expected to continue for another seven to eight years. Collectively, senior homeowners are sitting on a record $14.6 trillion in housing wealth. That’s not a niche. It’s a wave of new business that most purchase-loan originators are overlooking as a component of their pipeline — […]
A wave of texts and mailers warning that California politicians are targeting retirement savings for taxation has sparked confusion among voters, but experts say the claims mischaracterize a broader fight over competing ballot initiatives. At issue is a proposed measure called the Retirement and Personal Savings Protection Act, one of several initiatives tied to an […]
Loan officer mobility is continuing to decline even as the overall pool of active producers rebounds from recent low points. This appears to signal a shift in how originators are weighing risk, compensation and opportunity, according to a recent mortgage market intelligence report from RETR. Loan officer movement has long served as a proxy for […]
The window for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to be returned to the private sector “appears to be narrowing,” with a low probability of it happening before the midterms election in November, according to analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW). With the Trump administration’s focus having shifted to the Middle East conflict and housing […]
Florida-based Atlantic Avenue Mortgage became the top reverse brokerage firm in the U.S. in 2025, less than four years after its founding, and it sees more room for growth in 2026. “We just had our best month ever. We’ve done over $90 million in loan volume in Q1. We expect to certainly be at the […]
As automation reshapes mortgage operations, the industry’s next challenge is to help borrowers navigate the complex decisions that shape their lives—not just to close the loan faster. For the better part of a decade, the mortgage industry has been obsessed with a single metric: speed. We have poured billions into “Sales Infrastructure”—digital applications and lead […]
I became a grandma recently, which has been equal parts magical … and also mildly humiliating. Because apparently, everything we did thirty years ago is now wrong. Like, way wrong. I marvel that my daughter survived to age one. Put the baby on their stomach? Wrong. Kiss that baby on the face? Not yet, Grandma. […]
Homeowners associations (HOAs) filed 284,933 liens against U.S. homeowners in 2025 — an 8.6% increase from the 262,446 filings in 2024 and the equivalent of roughly one lien recorded every 90 seconds — according to property records compiled by Benutech. An HOA lien is a legal claim placed on a property when an owner falls […]
While the mortgage industry lobbies to reduce credit report costs, the idea of allowing borrowers to use the same file across multiple lenders has slowly emerged. In this consumer-controlled portable credit report model, borrowers would authorize the use of a single credit report during their mortgage search across different lenders. The concept mirrors tenant screening […]
On Thursday, Dark Matter Technologies announced the promotion of Vikas Rao from chief technology officer to CEO, with Rao replacing Sean Dugan. At the same time, the Florida-headquartered company announced layoffs impacting 5% of its workforce. The roles affected were not immediately announced. Rao, just one day into his new role heading the technology company, […]
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) released its April 2026 enforcement actions on Thursday, which included a consent order against a Chicago-based bank. The consent order against The Federal Savings Bank of Chicago is tied to alleged violations of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, and involve deceptive acts or […]
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) on Friday submitted a letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to support the bureau’s proposed 2026–2030 strategic plan, backing efforts to reduce regulatory burdens while urging the agency to go further in easing mortgage rules that expand credit access. The draft strategic plan, which the CFPB published for […]
The mortgage industry is no longer debating whether AI has a role to play. That part is over. The real conversation now is about what kind of AI can work inside a business where decisions must be documented, policies must be followed, and every workflow may eventually be reviewed by risk, audit, or compliance. That […]
Foreclosure activity accelerated in the first quarter of 2026, with signs of mounting operational pressure for mortgage servicers and downstream vendors, according to ATTOM’s latest U.S. Foreclosure Market Report and insights from industry executives. While overall foreclosure volumes remain below pre-Great Recession peaks, starts, completions and real estate-owned (REO) inventories are climbing, timelines are shrinking […]
UWM Holdings Corp. tied its acquisition of Two Harbors Investment Corp. to its stock price, ultimately failing to complete the deal even after adding a cash portion. When CrossCountry Intermediate HoldCo emerged as the seller’s preferred option, UWM suggested potential litigation, according to a public filing by TWO. UWM revised its original proposal — an […]
Three in four homebuyers assume artificial intelligence already plays a role in the homebuying process, but most still want humans making or verifying key decisions, according to a new global survey from property data firm Cotality. Its AI in Housing 2026 Report, released Thursday, finds that 75% of buyers expect AI to be embedded somewhere […]
Vikas Rao Dark Matter has emphasized product innovation and early adoption of Dark Matter Technologies on Thursday appointed Vikas Rao as CEO, elevating him from the role of chief technology officer as the mortgage technology firm is poised to accelerate its AI-driven strategy and growth plans. Rao succeeds Sean Dugan and will lead the company’s […]
A borrower’s age should shape every financing recommendation, yet it is often treated as a secondary detail when a senior wants, or needs, access to a portion of their equity. Consider that most mortgage advice is built on the assumptions that the borrower will continue working and has time and resources to recover from financial […]
Mortgage industry veteran Jeremy Moreithi has joined Waterstone Mortgage Corp. as branch manager of its office in Ashburn, Virginia, the company announced Wednesday. Moreithi, who has more than 20 years of mortgage lending experience, will be based in Ashburn but will primarily serve homebuyers in the Greater Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia metropolitan areas. He […]
Mortgage lenders and servicers are facing strict new artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning guidelines from the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) that industry attorneys warn will significantly impact daily operations. The requirements apply well beyond obvious applications like underwriting engines or credit decisioning models. They extend across multiple business areas and stakeholder touchpoints, creating new liability […]