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Washington just banned noncompete agreements. Will other states follow suit?

Employment, Federal Trade Commission, HWmember, Legislation, Loan Officer, Mortgage, Regulatory, Regulatory Compliance, Washington /

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a bill into effect earlier this week that bans noncompete agreements across the state. The move marks a significant shift in employment law that will take effect on June 30, 2027. The measure prohibits contracts that restrict workers from joining or starting competing businesses after leaving a job. Noncompete agreements […]

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Even as GSEs step into MBS market, macro forces are controlling mortgage rates

Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Government-Sponsored Enterprise, HWmember, LendingLife, MBS, Mortgage, Regulatory, Secondary market /

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been active in the mortgage-backed securities (MBS) market in recent weeks — but their approach appears more measured and opportunistic than many initially expected. Their activity has also been overshadowed by the U.S.-Iran conflict.  “We’ve seen some activity from the GSEs. Instead of issuing cash window pools and putting

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Florida court shields unused reverse mortgage credit from garnishment

Florida, HECM, HWmember, Lawsuit, Legal, Mortgage, Reverse, Reverse Mortgage Daily /

A Florida appeals court has ruled that funds available but not yet withdrawn from a reverse mortgage line of credit are protected under the state’s homestead exemption and cannot be garnished. The March 25 decision by the Fourth District Court of Appeal found that a creditor could not force a homeowner to access unused funds

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NEXA Lending targets recurring income model for loan originators

HWmember, Loan Officer, Mike Kortas, Mortgage, Mortgage Servicing, MSRs, NEXA Lending, Origination, Servicing /

NEXA Lending announced Friday that it’s developing a new initiative aimed at allowing loan originators to participate in recurring income tied to the long-term performance of the loans they originate. The initiative, described as a “servicing-aligned income model,” is expected to begin rolling out as early as July 2026, the company said. The program centers

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California MBA urges guardrails for bill targeting wildfire-related forbearance

California, CMBA, Forbearance, Housing Market, HWmember, Legislation, Mortgage, Natural Disaster, Wildfire /

The California Mortgage Bankers Association (CMBA) testified on March 20 before the California Assembly Banking & Finance Committee during an oversight hearing on California Assembly Bill 238, which focuses on the effectiveness of mortgage forbearance and the broader challenges facing homeowners affected by the state’s January 2025 wildfires. AB 238 provides up to one year

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How mentorship, not recruiting alone, builds strong loan officers 

Contributors, HWmember, Mortgage, Opinion, Origination /

Most mortgage companies have gotten very good at recruiting.  You can measure recruiting. You can count heads. You can show momentum on a spreadsheet and call it growth. Development is harder to quantify. It takes time, structure, and discipline, especially when the market is moving and everyone is tempted to chase short-term volume.  But if

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Missouri senator opens investigation into FICO’s mortgage credit score pricing

Credit Score, FICO, First-Time Homebuyers, HWmember, Missouri, Mortgage, Origination, Senate /

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has opened an investigation into Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO)’s pricing practices in the mortgage industry and is urging Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Andrew Ferguson to do the same. FICO dominates the credit scoring market for mortgage lenders, largely due to decades of exclusive acceptance for loans sold to Fannie

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HUD launches probe into Washington state down payment assistance program

Down Payment Assistance, Fair Lending, HUD, HWmember, Mortgage, Regulatory, Regulatory Compliance, Washington /

Washington state’s Covenant Homeownership Program is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) over potential violations of the Fair Housing Act. HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) notified the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, which administers the program, of the probe on Tuesday. The investigation comes days

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43.5 million U.S. properties face mounting hail risk, Cotality finds

Climate Change, Cotality, Homeowners insurance, Housing Market, Mortgage, Natural Disaster, Weather /

More than 43.5 million U.S. properties are at moderate or greater risk from hail damage, representing about $17.84 trillion in reconstruction cost value, according to Cotality’s 2026 Severe Convective Storm Risk Report released Tuesday. The report finds that hailstorms are emerging as one of the most financially destructive natural hazards for the housing market, with

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Ex-employees accuse Stockton Mortgage of accessing personal email accounts

Alabama, HWmember, Lawsuit, Legal, Lenders, Loan Officer, Mortgage /

Two former loan officers have sued Stockton Mortgage Corp., alleging the company illegally accessed their personal email accounts and used private messages in separate litigation against them. Christopher Hoehn and Ashley Hoehn filed the complaint on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. They claim that Stockton and unidentified employees

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