LendingLife

Mortgage rates cool in 2025, but 2026 relief likely limited

Mortgage rates started the year slightly above 7% but are heading into the holiday season near the 6.2% level. Looking ahead to 2026, lenders and industry experts expect some relief, though not a dramatic shift. On Monday, Mortgage News Daily reported that 30-year conventional fixed rates averaged 6.24%, down 2 basis points (bps) over the […]

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The Loan Store doubles wholesale mortgage volume in 2025

In a wholesale mortgage market dominated by giants, Arizona-based lender The Loan Store (TLS) has found a way to grow quickly by hiring a team of “samurai” account executives and underwriters from across the industry and picking up loans that others would deny. In the first nine months of 2025, the company doubled its origination

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reAlpha acquires InstaMortgage for $8.5M to expand lending

Real estate technology company reAlpha Tech Corp. has closed a deal to acquire lender InstaMortgage Inc. for $8.5 million in a cash-and-stock transaction. The move will add direct lending capabilities and expand multi-licensing structure to reAlpha’s existing mortgage brokerage operations, the company announced Tuesday. Founded in 2008, InstaMortgage has originated more than $4 billion in

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DSCR mortgages are grabbing the spotlight. They’ll gain speed in 2026

Demand for debt-service-coverage ratio (DSCR) loans grew in 2025 as tight housing inventory and a rising share of nontraditional wage earners pushed more borrowers toward alternative products. The demand was contagious across the industry. In November, Rocket Pro announced the launch of its first DSCR product for investment properties, marking a turning point as companies

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UWM shifts strategy with $1.3B Two Harbors deal, boosts servicing

The move by United Wholesale Mortgage’s (UWM) parent company to acquire Two Harbors Investment Corp. for $1.3 billion — the first acquisition in its history — marks a shift towards a more balanced business model between origination and servicing for the nation’s top mortgage lender. UWM will continue to focus on its broker channel, while

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UWM to acquire Two Harbors, nearly doubling servicing portfolio

United Holding Corp., the parent company of United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM), has struck an all-stock deal to acquire real estate investment trust Two Harbors Investment Corp. for $1.3 billion. The transaction, announced Wednesday, will nearly double UWM’s servicing book while expanding its capabilities, creating the eighth-largest U.S. mortgage servicer, according to company estimates. Two Harbors

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Don Goettling goes all in with Momentum Builder

Don Goettling, a nearly 40-year veteran of the mortgage and real estate industry, announced last week that he’s committing full time to his role as CEO of Momentum Builder, the company he co-founded in 2018. The organization, which provides resources for housing professionals — including coaching, workshops, events and technology tools — also oversees the

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Pathway Lending launches $30M housing fund

Pathway Lending, a Nashville-based Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), announced on Thursday the launch of the Pathway Housing Fund with $30 million in committed capital to acquire and preserve Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) in Tennessee communities at risk of gentrification. “Over the past two decades, Tennessee’s housing crisis has grown more personal for thousands

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Fed delivers third straight rate cut, but housing market will see limited relief

The Federal Reserve delivered another 25-basis-point cut to its benchmark interest rate on Wednesday, setting the target range at 3.5% to 3.75% amid signs of a softening labor market and inflation that’s still above the central bank’s 2% target.  The move marks the Fed’s third straight rate cut to end 2025, following 25-bps cuts in

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Blue Owl funds commit $2.5B to Point for home equity investments

Blue Owl Capital announced Tuesday that it’s making a $2.5 billion commitment in funds it manages to home equity investment (HEI) platform Point. The newss comes just one month after the companies issued the largest securitization ever completed in the HEI space. The new capital will allow Palo Alto, California-based Point to originate about $10

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