Origination

Manual income verification is killing your commissions

In a market where every deal counts, manual income verification is the silent killer of commissions. You know the scenario: the borrower is solid, the property appraises and everything looks good—until income verification turns into a bottleneck. Suddenly, you’re chasing paystubs, waiting on HR reps who don’t call back and explaining delays to a frustrated […]

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Better Mortgage’s AI revolution: How Better is empowering loan officers, not replacing them

In an era where technology often threatens to overshadow human roles, Better Mortgage is charting a different course. By developing in-house AI tools designed to complement rather than replace human expertise, the company is enhancing the mortgage experience for both borrowers and loan officers.  Already, its AI Loan Agent, Betsy, handles over 125,000 customer interactions

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Stable mortgage rate environment reshapes how LOs engage with borrowers

Analysts, economists and mortgage professionals are coining this quarter’s activity as one of the most “calm” periods for mortgage rates in recent memory. It follows nearly three years of borrowers being sidelined by higher rates or “stuck” in loans with historically low rates. BTIG analysts said Wednesday that despite Treasury volatility in April, mortgage rates

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Closing the gap: How Rocket Close has streamlined its platform experience

Rocket Close and Rocket Pro have taken a major step forward by integrating the two platforms into a single, more efficient platform, designed to simplify the closing process and enhance the broker experience. Under the leadership of Matt Brown — Rocket’s Executive Vice President, Sales and Revenue Strategy, with a background in tech, finance, and

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If you think DPA is a niche, you’re missing the bigger picture

Lenders, take note. June is National Homeownership Month, and if you’re still treating down payment assistance (DPA) like some fringe program, you’re about to get left behind. The housing market isn’t just shifting—it’s being dismantled and rebuilt in real time. Younger buyers are bypassing the legacy playbooks. They’re digitally native, financially savvy, and actively searching

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Redefining what it means to win in mortgage

You likely hear strategies rooted in competitive advantage: how to stand out, gain market share and outperform rivals. In mortgage, that playbook often mirrors sports—one side wins, the other loses. But what if winning didn’t require someone else to lose? A smaller market still full of opportunity According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s May 2025

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House passes abusive trigger leads ban

The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act (H.R. 2808) late Monday, bringing a national ban on abusive trigger leads one step closer to reality. The move was widely applauded by mortgage trade groups. The House’s action follows the U.S. Senate’s approval of a similar bill (S. 1467) on June 13.

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FICO to add Buy Now, Pay Later data to credit scores

Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO) will incorporate Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) data into two of its credit scores set to launch in Fall 2025. The company, which owns the rights to the market’s most widely adopted consumer credit risk assessment methodology, announced the move on Monday. The change will provide mortgage brokers, loan officers and

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Down payments shrink as homebuyers scoop up FHA, VA loans

As of April 2025, the typical U.S. homebuyer’s down payment was $62,468, down roughly 1% on a yearly basis and the first annual decline in nearly two years. That’s according to a new report from Redfin that’s based on an analysis of records across 40 of the most populous U.S. metropolitan areas. In percentage terms,

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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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