Contracts, Invoices & Legal

Home Depot Inc. is offering cautious preliminary guidance for next year, a sign that the home-improvement retailer doesn't anticipate the housing market to rebound in the short term. View the full article

Many servicing metrics look weaker amid lower rates although valuations can vary depending on companies' models, operations and portfolio composition. View the full article

The FHFA's ACV condo insurance rollback gets the balance right between affordability and safety, even if politics muddied the waters, the chairman of Whalen Global Advisors writes. View the full article

The Fed should consider actively selling its mortgage-backed securities holdings, according to the Federal Reserve's vice chair for supervision. View the full article

The real estate data firm said the merger will support efforts to scale and plans to ramp up development of enterprise technology products. View the full article

The Massachusetts Democrat requested to see records related to second liens that banks were required to expunge per terms of the 2012 mortgage settlement. View the full article

Up to 75% of the class A2 notes pay a coupon based on the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR). Also, since the assets pay a fixed rate, interest rate spikes could eat away at excess spread. View the full article

The announcement follows Realpha's two previous mergers with mortgage brokerages, as well as its purchases of AI firms and title businesses. View the full article

For five of the six private mortgage insurers, the surge of originations during the fourth quarter led to more new business versus the prior three months. View the full article

As the Federal Open Market Committee announces its near-term interest rate plans Wednesday, market watchers expect the central bank to hold interest rates steady as policymakers seek greater clarity on the health of the economy. View the full article

NAHB's remodeling index finished at its highest mark in a year, with the current industry outlook standing in stark contrast to homebuilder sentiment. View the full article

More than half of respondents in a National Mortgage News survey predict AI-backed underwriting will fundamentally change mortgage processes in 2026. View the full article

Fitch Ratings' outlooks for mortgage and title insurers this year are neutral, as housing deals with affordability challenges and a likely economic downturn. View the full article

The government-sponsored enterprise is under fire from dozens of the more than 100 workers it fired last spring for allegedly committing fraud. View the full article

Onity adds former Meta exec as director, Click n' Close taps industry veteran as president while banks and credit unions boost their mortgage teams. View the full article

Bank of America has a playbook for government shutdowns, which includes providing fee and payment waivers as well as loan deferrals and forbearance programs, CEO Brian Moynihan said at the American Bankers Association's annual convention. View the full article

Originators with less than $59 million in assets don't have to share their loan data with CFPB, as the semi-shuttered regulator continues mortgage oversight. View the full article

More mortgage professionals told National Mortgage News they expect their companies to hire, or stand pat, rather than fire workers this year. View the full article

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has seen a rapid drop in the effectiveness of its cybersecurity program, according to a new report from the Fed's Office of Inspector General. View the full article

Former Fed Gov. Kevin Warsh is a relatively known quantity to financial markets, but his embrace of President The President's agenda and the White House's own contentious relationship with the central bank make it hard to know with certainty where — or even whether — he will lead the Fed. View the full article

Mortgage borrowers filed a third amended class action complaint against the bank over modification issues from 2010 to 2015. View the full article

The Federal Reserve Friday issued a set of proposed changes to its stress testing program for the largest banks that would disclose the central bank's back-end stress testing models, a move that the Fed had long opposed out of fear of making the tests easier for banks to pass. View the full article

Rithm Capital, a real estate investment trust, is sponsoring the deal, in which property focused investor loans represent 32.60% of the collateral pool. View the full article

Three U.S. senators opened an inquiry into insurance ratings firm Demotech and whether its assessments may be exposing taxpayers to growing risks tied to climate-driven insurer failures. View the full article