LendingLife

How midsize lenders are surviving the mortgage squeeze

Mortgage veteran Glenn Stearns is taking a different approach with his latest venture.  Kind Lending, a national wholesale mortgage lender and his second brainchild, is built on lean operations and a focus on efficiency — a contrast with his first company, Stearns Lending, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2019.  “This is not our […]

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UWM’s Jason Bressler challenges the fear-driven narrative around AI in mortgage lending

Discussions about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) have dominated conversations on stage at HousingWire‘s The Gathering. But there seems to be little common ground as some lenders are excited for the chance to scale their businesses to new heights by taking away menial tasks, while others are concerned about information security and job insecurity.

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Mortgage demand dips over holiday but keeps yearly momentum

Mortgage applications decreased by 3.9% for the week ending May 30, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). On an unadjusted basis, the index fell 15% during the week marked by the Memorial Day holiday. But economists and loan officers say the year-to-date landscape looks much better. “Mortgage applications decreased over the week,

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GSEs could go public while staying under government control

The Trump administration has studied the possibility of turning Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into public companies while keeping them under conservatorship — one of several alternatives still under consideration, according to a Bloomberg report published Tuesday. The primary goal of the administration is to reduce the U.S. budget deficit and avoid any increase in

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Judge dismisses insider trading suit against Rocket’s Dan Gilbert

Rocket Companies scored a win in a derivative lawsuit alleging insider trading by its primary stakeholder, Rocket Holdings, Inc. (RHI), an entity owned by founder and chairman Dan Gilbert, and its board of directors. The lawsuit stemmed from two complaints, one filed by the Doris Shenwick Trust in November 2021 and another by investor Christopher

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Mat Ishbia: GSEs acting ‘private’ in conservatorship could be best of both worlds

Mat Ishbia, the president and CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM), said last week he doesn’t think that releasing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from conservatorship is a major focus for the Trump administration — and he isn’t sure “whether it should be.”  One thing he is confident about: If ending the conservatorship results in

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Americans tapped $25B in home equity in Q1 2025

U.S. homeowners tapped nearly $25 billion in home equity through second-lien mortgages during the first quarter of 2025 — the largest volume for this period in 17 years, according to the ICE Mortgage Technology‘s newest Mortgage Monitor report. That marks a 22% increase compared to the same quarter last year. The first quarter is typically

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Supreme Lending to acquire Michigan Mutual: sources

Dallas-based Supreme Lending has reached a deal to acquire Michigan Mutual, Inc. (MiMutual), adding a wholesale platform and a presence in Michigan to its operations, sources told HousingWire. Founded in 1999, Supreme Lending originated $3.8 billion over the past 12 months, with most of its volume concentrated in Texas, Florida and California, according to mortgage

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NAHREP’s top Latino loan officers closed $22B in volume in 2024

The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) on Wednesday released its annual Top 250 Latino Mortgage Originators Report, which recognizes the nation’s top-performing Latino mortgage professionals. NAHREP received nearly 5,000 nominations and is recognizing more than 600 Latino mortgage originators this year across various national and regional rankings. Even in a high interest

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How to become a mortgage loan officer in 6 steps + Q&A about MLOs

Move over, real estate agents, and make way for the person who gives homebuyers the financial ability to buy a home – mortgage loan officers (MLOs). Also known as mortgage loan originators or mortgage brokers (although the roles differ slightly —  we’ll talk about it), MLOs are the key to financially connecting people to the

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