Scaling from Freelancer to Business Owner

Mortgage applications for new-home purchases decreased 15.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis in December, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. View the full article

Confidence among US homebuilders unexpectedly fell in January, as costly sales incentives outweighed a recent boost from lower mortgage rates and the president's housing proposals. View the full article

The class action complaint describes, from a real estate agent's perspective, how the company allegedly pushes borrowers toward its in-house lending arm. View the full article

Roughly 40,000 home-purchase agreements were canceled in December, equal to 16.3% of homes that went under contract,according to a report from Redfin. View the full article

Overall, three-quarters of those in a National Mortgage News survey believe loan production will increase during 2026, but just 15% felt strongly about it. View the full article

Stop chasing digital leads and invest in face-to-face partnerships that build trust and referrals sustainable growth, writes a leader of Choice Mortgage Group. View the full article

Competition that impacted margins and prepayments in excess of expectations were challenges during the period, but executives report first quarter improvement. View the full article

Although investor properties, which are prone to higher chances of default, account for 58% of the pool, the strong borrower and collateral quality mitigate the credit stress. View the full article

Less than 45% of mortgage residential properties in the United States were equity-rich last quarter, a 1.5-percentage-point drop from the third quarter. View the full article

Mortgage loan officer licensing saw its first rise since 2022 as Fannie Mae projects $2.4T in 2026 volume. Experts eye a market reset amid improving affordability. View the full article

A Federal Housing Finance Agency report suggests it should have more authority over companies that work with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. View the full article

Traders are bracing for a range of Fed outcomes: some hedging flows have favored outlier dovish scenarios and other trades have focused on the possibility that the Fed forgoes a move at one meeting. View the full article

Fannie Mae revised its economic and housing outlook for 2025 and 2026, projecting mortgage rates to hit 6.3% and 5.9%, respectively. View the full article

Mortgage groups want GSEs to buy MBS to lower rates, but the Chairman of Whalen Global Advisors writes that the plan is risky, unnecessary, and poorly timed. View the full article

Of the 15 states most affected by natural disasters, California and Florida had the highest non-renewal rates in 2024, a Weiss Ratings study found. View the full article

A 50-year mortgage would make borrowers susceptible to higher interest rates, significantly more payable interest and slower equity gains, LendingTree analysis showed. 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

With the increase in investor-owned properties, the risk of undisclosed real estate fraud, including occupancy misrepresentation, rose 9% in the third quarter. View the full article

The acquisition agreement is the latest example of merger activity this year focused on the recapture potential held within servicing pipelines. View the full article

Bayview Asset Management and three affiliates reached an agreement in a data breach lawsuit for an incident that impacted 5.8 million customers. View the full article

AIME's CEO takes an additional AI leadership role, ALTA elects new president and Revolution, Tidalwave, Visio welcome chief operating officers. View the full article

Representatives of the insurance industry called the proposal too speculative and prescriptive, while consumer and environmental advocates say it doesn't go far enough. View the full article

Federal Reserve Gov. Christopher Waller said in a speech Monday that private and public-sector data suggests that the labor market is continuing to weaken, making a 25 basis point rate cut in December a prudent choice. View the full article