Scaling from Freelancer to Business Owner

Affordability improved in February as rates dipped below 6%, but March's climb to 6.43% signals tougher months ahead. Lenders should act now on pockets of opportunity before rising rates erode recent gains. View the full article

The 30-year fixed mortgage has increased by 40 basis points since February, while the 15-year is 14 basis points lower than a year ago, Freddie Mac reported. View the full article

New questions about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's guarantee by experts who saw conservatorship start points to tensions in a stalled secondary offering. View the full article

Layoffs stretch across the organization, including members of Summit's c-suite and its general counsel, the company said in a notice to California officials. View the full article

Full documentation was only applied to 2.6% of the underlying pool of mortgages. Debt-to-income, however, was 23.3% when it was applied. View the full article

Americans who qualify for a mortgage with Better will be able to use Bitcoin or USDC as collateral to fund their down payment through a private loan. View the full article

In three separate appearances Thursday, Fed Gov. Lisa Cook, Gov. Michael Barr and Vice Chair Philip Jefferson said they are worried that U.S. involvement in the war with Iran could drive up inflation, leading them to conclude that interest rates should remain steady in the near term. View the full article

The real estate investment trust declared an all-cash offer of $10.80 per share from CrossCountry superior to the fixed stock exchange ratio bid from UWM. View the full article

Lowering minimum standards and using a 2018 proposal as a basis for change may be the quickest path, according to Donald Layton, Freddie Mac's CEO from 2012 to 2019. View the full article

The latest rise in property tax collections at the end of last year continued a nine-quarter streak of increases, according to the National Association of Home Builders. View the full article

Employers who use Nayya's agentic AI platform can provide Foyer, a dedicated 401(k) for homeownership, as a benefit that helps its employees buy a home. View the full article

Two former members of the Federal Open Market Committee said in interviews that they expect the Federal Reserve to keep rates steady amid uncertainty over the ongoing war with Iran and the resulting upward pressure on inflation. View the full article

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's portfolios were collectively $10 billion larger than in January, spurred in part by their mortgage-backed securities directive. View the full article

A federal appeals court ruled mortgages in REMIC trusts may qualify as ERISA plan assets, reviving fiduciary duty claims against Onity in a case brought by a union pension fund. View the full article

Some of Wall Street's biggest bond-fund managers say financial markets are underestimating the risk that the US war in Iran will cause a sharp slowdown in an already sputtering economy. View the full article

Recent double-pledging scandals in auto lending and the U.K. put U.S. mortgage lenders on alert. Here's what to watch and how MERS, e-notes and electronic vaults can help. View the full article

The 30-year fixed rate climbed to 6.46% this week, its highest mark since September, as mortgage applications fell 10.4% and sellers outnumber buyers by a record 46%. View the full article

A court and jury found a father-son executive team liable for wage violations, and a federal judge recently increased the amount of damages for plaintiffs. View the full article

The latest generation of anti-money laundering software uses agentic AI to help alleviate AML alert fatigue. Experts say this use of the technology is promising, though they offer some caveats. View the full article

Banks have a lot to celebrate in the operational risk framework, but advocates warn it cuts capital too far. View the full article

Nearly 18 million homeowners in the 100 largest U.S. metros paid HOA or condo fees in 2024, with 2.6 million paying $500 or more monthly, according to a new LendingTree report. View the full article

The Department of Justice is seeking court approval to immediately fire more than 600 employees, slashing the CFPB's workforce by 53%. View the full article

Which parties are responsible for the surge persisted as a source of debate as community lenders released updated survey data reflecting their average expense. View the full article

Calyx Path's integration with Friday Harbor clears paperwork for underwriters, while Dark Matter's Ask Aiva quick verifiable answers to LO questions. View the full article