Contracts, Invoices & Legal

As the government shutdown stalls key housing programs, lenders are shifting tactics to keep loans moving and preparing for bigger challenges ahead. View the full article

Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr is warning small banks about the growing threat from fraudsters' use of AI-generated deepfakes. But he also says AI may be able to help community banks fight fraud more effectively. View the full article

Equifax will hold costs for scores from FICO rival Vantagescore through 2027 and offer other incentives meant to drive adoption of the alternative metric. View the full article

Solve stages an acquisition, Intercontinental Exchange partners on new indices, Optimal Blue adds updates and Incenter offers a CRA loan trading platform. View the full article

The appointment of the mortgage veteran comes as the lender undergoes marketing and branding pivots, including its recent name change from Nexa Mortgage. View the full article

Selected companies will have the opportunity to demo their compliance-related solutions at a February 2026 tech sprint following a December kickoff event. View the full article

Home loan players are diverting technology budgets to cover back-office operations, after big spending in a downcycle, counter to historical patterns. View the full article

On a year-over-year basis, Waterstone's mortgage business was able to grow pretax profits to $1.3 million in the third quarter, compared with $144,000 in 2024. View the full article

FHA loans accounted for about half of the annual rise in foreclosure starts and 80% of the rise in active foreclosures in September, according to ICE. View the full article

Rocket Companies lost $124 million on a GAAP basis, but its management celebrated milestones regarding its Redfin and Mr. Cooper acquisitions. View the full article

Three Federal Reserve officials said they did not support the US central bank's decision to cut interest rates this week, citing inflation that remains too high. View the full article

Wall Street dealers expect Bessent to signal as soon as Wednesday, when his department releases a quarterly statement on debt sales, that issuance in the $30 trillion Treasury market will keep shifting in that direction. View the full article

All five publicly traded title insurance companies reported a year-over-year increase in earnings during the third quarter, but only two had higher orders. View the full article

Besides adding 60 days to the partial claim deadline in some cases, the bill also has provisions for buyer agent payments for Veterans Affairs borrowers. View the full article

For the second consecutive week, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage increased as investors were still sorting through the lack of information due to the shutdown. View the full article

Origination has picked up but has limits, retention rates are improving and stakeholders are seeking a recapture standard, experts at an industry meeting said. View the full article

Advances from the Federal Home Loan Banks dipped in the third quarter, but experts do not necessarily see the dip as a sign of ample liquidity in the economy. View the full article

Consecutive weeks of mortgage rate increases resulted in a 5.2% decrease in mortgage loan application volume, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. View the full article

Federal Reserve Gov. Stephen Miran argues that banks holding excess reserves are keeping the central bank's balance sheet bigger than it should be, and suggested that regulatory changes could help bring those reserves down. View the full article

Rocket enters the crowded DSCR market with a product for experienced investors, joining rivals as non-QM lending grows and demand for single-family rentals stays strong. View the full article

Sales of previously owned homes in the US rose in October to the fastest pace in eight months, as buyers took advantage of lower mortgage rates and gained the upper hand over sellers in some markets. View the full article

Even with this week's increase, mortgage rates have remained within a 13 basis point band since mid-September, with industry pundits saying that's where they will stay. View the full article

The New York Stock Exchange disclosed the news on Monday of the sudden passing of its head of International Capital Markets. View the full article

Big-picture plans for the government-sponsored enterprises get the spotlight, but other issues may affect the industry more directly. Part 1 of a series. View the full article

The Rithm affiliate that acquired Specialized Loan Servicing will pay $4.65 million, an amount that includes borrower restitution. View the full article