Mortgage Industry
The mortgage industry runs on volume, margin, and regulation. We cover lender earnings, hiring, channel dynamics, servicing transfers, and regulatory action.
Coverage is written for operators — loan officers, brokers, ops leaders, and capital-markets teams.
Latest Mortgage Industry coverage
MBA Forecasts a 5% Drop in 2027 Mortgage Originations as Rates Stay Above 7%
At its annual convention in Chicago on Oct. 11, MBA projected just under $2 trillion in 2027 single-family originations, with purchase lending flat and refinances down 17%.
nCino Bundles AI Tools for Mortgage Loan Officers Into a New Productivity Suite
nCino said Oct. 12 its Loan Officer Productivity Suite brings an AI assistant, eligibility prechecks, AUS task summaries and automated preapprovals and disclosures into its mortgage point of sale.
PLACE Agrees to Buy Ardley, Adding Mortgage Retention Software Weeks After Maxwell
PLACE said Oct. 9 it agreed to acquire Ardley, which analyzes servicing portfolios and sends borrowers pre-structured loan offers. Financial terms were not disclosed.
MBA Adds FTI Consulting Cybersecurity Help as a Member Benefit
MBA said Oct. 9 its members will get preferred access to FTI Consulting for security assessments, threat monitoring and incident-response support, without requiring a full audit.
eXp Realty and Newrez Plan Revenos Mortgage Joint Venture for Early 2027
Announced Oct. 8 at eXpcon, Revenos Mortgage, powered by Newrez, will serve eXp agents and their clients. It is not live yet, and product and pricing details have not been released.
Ocrolus Now Includes Its Detect Fraud Checks for All Mortgage Customers
Ocrolus said Oct. 12 that every mortgage customer now gets Detect, which screens bank statements, pay stubs and tax forms for tampering, at no added cost.
FHA Sets Score-Selection Rules for FICO 10T and VantageScore 4.0 Starting Jan. 1, 2027
FHA Mortgagee Letter 2026-11, dated Oct. 8, explains how lenders pick the Minimum Decision Credit Score when more than one credit score model is submitted, for case numbers assigned on or after Jan.…
Alta Home Lending Says It Has Nearly Doubled Staff, Bets on Builder Joint Ventures
An Oct. 11 San Antonio Express-News report says Alta grew from 80 to 150 employees after its April 2025 Republic State Mortgage acquisition, as it adds builder partners including DRB Group.
HUD Sets 5% FHA Debenture Rate for Second Half of 2026
A HUD notice filed for public inspection Oct. 9 sets a 5% debenture interest rate for most FHA loans committed or endorsed July 1 to Dec. 31, 2026. It is not a consumer mortgage rate.
ARM Demand Climbs as High Rates Push Borrowers Toward Lower Initial Payments
ICE's October Mortgage Monitor, released Oct. 5, found ARMs topped 11% of rate locks, their largest share in nearly four years. About 180,000 ARMs face first resets in 2027.
White House Sets November 5 Hearing in Lisa Cook Inquiry
A presidential memorandum dated Oct. 7 creates a three-member committee to examine mortgage-related allegations against Fed Governor Lisa Cook, who denies wrongdoing, with a closed hearing Nov. 5.
Small-Dollar Mortgages Keep Shrinking Despite New Federal Pilot
Realtor.com research published Oct. 7 finds loans of $100,000 or less are now under 3% of originations, as a July law gives HUD authority for a four-year FHA small-dollar pilot.
Why Now May Be the Right Time for a Cash-Out Refinance
Homeowners with substantial equity are increasingly looking to their properties as a source of financing for home improvements, debt consolidation and other major expenses. With years of home-price a…
Equifax Extends $1 VantageScore 4.0 Pricing as Mortgage Adoption Rises
Equifax said Oct. 8 that nearly 2,000 mortgage lenders and resellers used its free VantageScore 4.0 offer and that it will keep $1 mortgage pricing for the score through 2028. It also launched Mortga…
FHA Lending to Non-Permanent Residents Falls After Eligibility Change
ICE origination data reported by HousingWire on Oct. 8 show non-permanent residents' share of FHA purchase loans fell from about 5.8% to about 0.1% after HUD's May 25, 2025 eligibility change.
Fannie and Freddie Put New Distressed-Loan Pools on the Market
On Oct. 8, Fannie Mae marketed about 1,217 deeply delinquent loans plus a 27-loan Dallas-Fort Worth Community Impact Pool, and Freddie Mac reported a $428 million NPL sale with another offering due O…
HUD Says Operation Clean House Led to Nearly 500 Arrests
HUD said Oct. 8 that Operation Clean House, a multi-agency effort targeting fugitives living in HUD-assisted housing, produced 491 arrests across 12 cities and others. Arrests are not convictions.
Mortgage Credit Availability Edges Lower in September
MBA's Mortgage Credit Availability Index, released Oct. 8, fell 0.2% to 107.1 in September as lenders tightened conventional documentation and trimmed cash-out and investor offerings.
Freddie Mac Sells $428 Million in Nonperforming Loans, Awarding Four Pools to Two Buyers
Freddie Mac’s latest sale of deeply delinquent mortgages highlights how the government-sponsored enterprise manages distressed assets, transfers mortgage credit exposure and uses investor demand to m…
Fannie Mae's October Guide Update Loosens Verbal VOE Methods and Expands Attorney Opinion Letters
Fannie Mae's Selling Guide announcement SEL-2026-09, dated Oct. 7, removes prescribed verbal verification methods, changes income continuance timing and digitizes seller wire instructions. One K-1 ch…
UWM Drops Its Minimum Credit Score Overlay on Agency Loans
UWM said Oct. 7 that conventional, FHA, VA and USDA eligibility will be set by automated underwriting rather than a company score floor. Scores still drive pricing, and Jumbo, Bank Statement and Inve…
HUD Opens Fair Housing Act Investigation Into Wells Fargo's Black Homeownership Programs
HUD said Oct. 7 that Secretary Scott Turner launched an investigation into whether Wells Fargo's initiatives to increase Black homeownership may violate the Fair Housing Act. No finding has been made.
HUD Raises the Section 184 Upfront Guarantee Fee to 1.50% for New Commitments
Since Oct. 1, new Section 184 firm commitments, including refinances, carry a 1.50% upfront fee instead of 1.00%. The annual fee stays at zero, and existing guaranteed loans are not affected.
UWM Will Pull Both FICO and VantageScore 4.0 and Use the Stronger Qualifying Score
The wholesale lender said Oct. 6 it will obtain both scores on every credit pull and default to the one that gives the borrower the better eligible outcome. It is a lender policy, not a new FHFA rule.
MISMO Starts Work on a Standard Template for Tri-Party eNote Bailee Agreements
The mortgage standards body asked lenders, warehouse banks, investors and technology firms on Oct. 6 to help build a common Master Bailee Agreement. The kickoff meeting is Oct. 22.
Fair Isaac Discloses Plan to Cut About 15% of Positions, $27 Million in Charges
An Oct. 6 filing says management committed to the plan Oct. 1, began notifying employees the week of Oct. 5 and expects about $27 million in pre-tax charges in fiscal fourth-quarter 2026.
Paid the VA Funding Fee, Then Got a Disability Award? Check the Effective Date
VA may refund the funding fee when a later compensation award is retroactive to before your closing date. The effective date, not the decision date, is what counts.
Three Insurance Lines at Closing, Three Different Jobs: Lender's Title, Owner's Title and Homeowners
Lender's title insurance protects the lender. Owner's title insurance is usually optional and protects your equity from past title problems. Homeowners insurance covers damage going forward.
Why Your Lender May Not Use the Student Loan Payment on Your Credit Report
Conventional underwriting counts a monthly student loan payment, but a $0, missing or wrong payment on the credit report can trigger a different number. Your loan statement often decides which.
FHA Gift Money Needs a Paper Trail. Plan the Transfer Before It Moves
FHA allows gifts toward a down payment and closing costs, but the lender must document who gave the money, that it is not a loan and how it reached you. Undocumented deposits slow closings.