Analysts at Bank of America Securities say they are in the minority in believing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should return to serving as the main backstop buyers of agency mortgage-backed securities. BofA Securities has said the return of the GSEs as major MBS purchasers “would be welcomed in managed form, particularly given their retained […]
Fed, not GSEs, should be mortgage securities backstop: BofA Read More »
Ting Shen/Bloomberg Key Insight: Fed Gov. Lisa Cook highlighted her commitment to getting inflation to 2% and said she will “act forcefully” if signs emerge that point to cost pressures increasing. Expert quote: “Looking ahead, policy is not on a predetermined path.” — Fed Gov. Lisa Cook. What’s at stake: Cook’s remarks come amid a growing rift
Fed’s Cook strikes hawkish tone in rare appearance Read More »
Rates have dipped enough to stir refinancing and home-equity borrowing, but not enough to ease the strain on stretched homeowners. New industry data shows mortgage originations rising in the second quarter and home equity lending climbing for a fifth straight quarter, even as third-quarter delinquencies edged higher, signaling growing stress for some borrowers. Originations climbed
Refis revive mortgage market, but trouble’s brewing Read More »
Forward look: The partners behind a new fund to finance affordable housing believe they can build a business by allocating CRA-related capital from banks for this kind of project. Expert quote: “We found a capital stack that has really never been institutionalized,” said Bryant Group Ventures Founder John Hope Bryant. Supporting data: The U.S. is
$100M affordable housing fund is ‘just the beginning’ Read More »
Key insight: Wells Fargo is re-architecting its systems to embed agentic AI into core workflows. What’s at stake: Competitive advantage and reduced operational risk hinge on secure, governed agent deployment across firms. Forward look: The bank plans to deploy interoperable agent-to-agent banking and customer AI “buddies” that help conduct transactions. Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review
How Wells Fargo is building agentic AI into its workflows Read More »
Investors are bracing for Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to lean more toward shorter maturities in the government’s funding mix to keep down long-term yields amid a mounting debt burden. Wall Street dealers expect Bessent to signal as soon as Wednesday, when his department releases a quarterly statement on debt sales, that issuance in the $30
The shift to shorter-dated US debt is only getting started Read More »
National direct-to-consumer lender Sage Home Loans is entering into a partnership with leading retail securities trading fintech Robinhood to provide discounted mortgage options to the latter platform’s select users. Through an exclusive agreement, Robinhood’s gold-tier subscribers will be able to apply for mortgage loans through the digital platform’s app or website and take advantage of
Robinhood, Sage Home Loans enter lending partnership Read More »
The unsung hero of the housing market in 2025 has been the improvement in mortgage spreads, because without the spreads improving as much as they have, mortgage rates would not have gotten near 6% this year. I forecast that mortgage spreads should improve by 0.27%-0.41% this year, from a 2.54% average in 2024, giving mortgage
Mortgage spreads hit lowest level in years, keeping rates near 6% Read More »
Welcome back to Tech Pulse — HousingWire‘s weekly series rounding up the latest in technology news, including tools, integrations and trends that impact mortgage and real estate. Here’s what happened this week: Zillow’s Follow Up Boss privacy policy changes spark industry debate Zillow‘s updated privacy policy for Follow Up Boss has sparked debate among real estate agents. The policy introduces
Tech Pulse: AI advances, big earnings and policy shifts Read More »
Florida Realtors has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Japan-America Real Estate Coalition Office (JARECO) — strengthening cooperation and expanding business opportunities between real estate professionals in Florida and Japan. Under the memorandum, Florida Realtors and JARECO will focus on professional development, market data sharing and global business outreach. Both groups have committed to
Florida Realtors, Japan-America Real Estate Coalition expand ties Read More »