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Mortgage originators brace for rising costs as ban on abusive trigger leads nears

Artificial Intelligence, Consumer Protection, Cotality, credit report, HWmember, Lead Generation, Legislation, LendingLife, Mortgage, Origination, Regulatory Compliance /

A ban on abusive trigger leads that’s set to take effect in early March is already driving up overall costs to acquire leads and putting pressure on mortgage originators’ business models, industry experts told HousingWire. Sources say this short-term shift is part of a broader set of trends — including heightened competition for first-party data […]

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Mortgage lenders report strong start to 2026 homebuying season

CrossCountry Mortgage, Guild Mortgage, Homebuying, HWmember, LendingLife, Mortgage, Mortgage Rates, NewRez, Origination, Refinancing, United Wholesale Mortgage /

Mortgage lenders are entering the 2026 spring homebuying season with strengthening business pipelines, fueled by lower mortgage rates, rising refinance incentives and early signs of improving purchase demand. “We’re off to a great start,” Alex Elezaj, executive vice president and chief strategy officer for United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) said in an interview with HousingWire. “Spring

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Judge upholds Washington state’s special purpose credit program

Discrimination, Fair Housing, Fair Lending, HWmember, Lawsuit, Legal, Mortgage, National Fair Housing Alliance, Origination, Redlining, Washington /

A federal judge this week refused to block a special purpose credit program (SPCP) designed to reduce the racial homeownership gap across Washington state, rejecting a constitutional challenge brought by nonprofit Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism (FAIR). U.S. District Court Judge John H. Chun denied FAIR’s request for a preliminary injunction to halt the Covenant

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Optimal Blue mortgage data shows 50% refi jump in January as rates dip

HWmember, MBS, Mortgage, Mortgage Rates, Optimal Blue, Origination, Purchase Applications, Rate Lock, Refinancing /

Optimal Blue reported a sharp increase in refinance activity in January as falling mortgage rates spurred borrowers to act, according to its January 2026 Market Advantage data report released on Tuesday. Total rate-lock volume rose 16% from December and was 36% higher than in January 2025. The increase was driven primarily by rate-and-term refinances, which

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Single-file credit proposal reignites debate over savings vs risks

Bob Broeksmit, Community Home Lenders of America, credit report, HWmember, LendingLife, Mortgage, Mortgage Bankers Association, Origination /

A proposal to replace the longstanding tri-merge credit report with a single-file model has reignited debate over borrower costs and systemic risk, placing trade associations on opposing sides. Supporters argue a single pull would encourage more predictive credit data and reduce systemwide costs without materially increasing risk in some cases, noting that mortgage servicing rights

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NEXA Lending CEO Mike Kortas explains why he’s buying shell companies

HWmember, Mike Kortas, Mortgage, Mortgage Broker, NEXA Lending, Origination /

NEXA Lending CEO Mike Kortas is in the process of acquiring several shell companies to build joint ventures, he said in an exclusive interview with HousingWire on Monday.  “They are for multiple JVs with large teams, agencies, builders and strategic partnerships,” Kortas said without providing details on each transaction, which he said will be announced

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Are you selling the rate or building relationships? 

Contributors, HWmember, Mortgage, Mortgage Rates, Opinion, Origination /

For more than 25 years, I’ve heard loan officers complain that their rates aren’t competitive. One of the first questions rate shoppers ask is, “What’s your rate today?” For far too long, the industry’s focus has been on rate—not on what is truly the best financial decision for the borrower. Many salespeople sell rate because

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Mortgage M&A wave creates more mega-lenders

Guild Mortgage, HWmember, IMBs, LendingLife, Mergers and Acquisitions, Mortgage, Mortgage Bankers Association, Mortgage Servicing, Origination, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act /

Terry Schmidt believes she surprised the mortgage industry. Schmidt, the director and CEO of Guild Mortgage Co., was referring to the June 2025 announcement that the company would be acquired by Bayview Asset Management. The transaction officially closed in November. “Many found that this was very surprising because we’ve been independent for so long,” Schmidt

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Atlas launches A4 Credit Partners for residential transition loans

Fix and Flip, HWmember, Investors, Lenders, Mortgage, Origination, Real Estate Investing /

New York-based Atlas Real Estate Partners this week announced the launch of A4 Credit Partners, a small-balance mortgage lending platform targeting credit opportunities within the residential transition loan (RTL) market. As part of the launch, A4 Credit Partners is seeking to raise $150 million to originate a variety of first-lien mortgages. It will primarily focus

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MBA’s Broeksmit says credit bureau trade group “gaslit” mortgage industry

Bob Broeksmit, Credit Score, HWmember, LendingLife, Mortgage, Mortgage Bankers Association, Origination /

Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) President and CEO Bob Broeksmit took the stage at the trade group’s IMB26 Conference in Florida to say that its members and he himself have “just been gaslit by the trade association that represents the credit bureaus.” The MBA has proposed that lenders submit a single-bureau credit pull for loans sold

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