Silvio Tavares waited years for news that finally arrived in July: government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would finally allow lenders to use something other than a FICO score to determine whether a customer is credit-worthy enough to buy a home. The wonky policy change, delivered via a social media post after years of […]
Fannie, Freddie win for VantageScore causes pain for FICO shares Read More »
Adobe Stock Application gains slowed to a crawl last week after soaring earlier as fixed rates that dominate the market experienced a more subdued decline. Mortgage applications increased 0.6% following a 29.7% jump for the week ending Sept. 12, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey. On an unadjusted basis, volume increased
Mortgage applications’ meager gains contrast previous spike Read More »
The title industry saw premium volume and profits both head higher with only a mild drift upward in claims during the second quarter, sustaining a turnaround insurers began to see last year. Insurers reported $4.5 million in premium volumes between April and June 2025, with the total rising approximately 9.8% from one year earlier, according
Title insurers report rising volumes in 2025 Read More »
Fannie Mae made downward revisions to mortgage rate forecasts in its latest monthly economic update with projections for higher volumes than previously anticipated next year. The government-sponsored enterprise revised the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage projection for fourth-quarter 2025 to 6.4% from 6.5%, and the one for the same loan type a year further out to
Where Fannie Mae anticipates rates will head next Read More »
In our Tech Disruption survey, National Mortgage News asked participants “What technology is in use in your organization?” When it came to “advanced fraud protection tools,” significant shares of banks, credit unions and nonbank mortgage lenders all said they do employ them. However, a 13 percentage point gap exists between banks (86%) and nonbanks (73%);
EXCLUSIVE RESEARCH: Fraud tech gaps emerge between banks and nonbanks Read More »
New Jersey’s Oceanfirst Bank is ceasing mortgage operations later this year, choosing to instead embark on a new nonbank partnership to serve its customers with home lending needs. The “strategic decision” will pair Oceanfirst with Embrace Home Loans, a deal that is set to begin in the fourth quarter this year, bank officials said. “The
Oceanfirst announces mortgage exit, partners with Embrace Read More »
A bipartisan bill looking to end the Federal Housing Administration’s life-of-loan requirement for that form of mortgage insurance coverage has been reintroduced in the House of Representatives. The Mortgage Insurance Freedom Act was previously introduced in last year’s lame duck session of Congress by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-New York, and Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas. Under
FHA premium cancellation bill reintroduced in the House Read More »
When it comes to the mortgage impact of Compass’ purchase of Anywhere Real Estate, Rate comes out as a big winner thanks to the joint ventures it has with both companies. The Rate/Anywhere JV, Guaranteed Rate Affinity, was formed in 2017, when what was then known as Realogy teamed up with the lender after ending
Rate gets mortgage benefit of Compass-Anywhere deal Read More »
Encompass dominates the loan origination software market but allegiances vary among competing institutions of various sizes. The LOS is a lender’s key piece of technology, often exceeding core origination tasks by housing product and pricing engines and other closing technology, according to a new report by National Mortgage News parent company Arizent. “Everybody has their
EXCLUSIVE RESEARCH: How LOS preferences differ across lender types Read More »
Adobe Stock Profits for home flippers have been on a steady decline for more than a decade, and return on investment hit a 17-year low in the second quarter of this year, impacting a market some lenders serve. The average return on investment for a flipped home was 25.1% in the second quarter of 2025,
Home flipping profits drop to new multiyear low Read More »