Scaling from Freelancer to Business Owner

Yields gravitated back toward session lows — down three to four basis points on the day — after the December ISM manufacturing gauge unexpectedly dropped. View the full article

The impact of extreme weather remains top of mind for many, with a majority of homeowners citing it as a factor behind purchase or relocation considerations. View the full article

First Federal Bank stretched its retail mortgage operations into Louisiana and Mississippi, following its expansion into the Midwest and Arizona in 2023. View the full article

The accusations, relating to the lender's marketing programs, including trips for brokers as things of value, stem from a larger racketeering complaint. View the full article

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods attributes Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac portfolio growth for the narrower spreads, but other reasons include lower volatility. View the full article

Late last year, commercial bank holdings of mortgage paper reached the highest level since 2023 as these depositories are flush with deposits. View the full article

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Tom Barkin said economic uncertainty should ease in the coming year as businesses gain confidence in sustained demand and adapt to the new policy environment. View the full article

With limited seasoning and primarily a clean payment history, OBX 2026-NQM1 had a seasoned probability of default of 33.3% among the AAA stresses and 11.4% among the B. View the full article

While the US military operation in Venezuela didn't hit sentiment on American financial markets, the action reminded investors how tenuous any trading thesis can be in a world undergoing geopolitical changes. View the full article

Marshall is tasked with bringing Sagent's Dara servicing platform implementation up to scale, replacing Geno Paluso, who is vice chairman during the transition. View the full article

The deal still faces a lawsuit from activist investor HoldCo Asset Management, which contends that Comerica didn't properly shop itself before agreeing to sell to Fifth Third. View the full article

A housing official renewed his call for credit bureaus to address lenders' concerns. Low pull-through magnifies a cost that's small relative to others. View the full article

Willamette Valley Bank cited consumer shifts to nonbanks and stubborn interest rates behind the decision, joining a line of institutions to exit since 2025. View the full article

The bill, offered by Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Todd Young, R-Ind., would allow Federal Home Loan Bank members to establish tax-exempt community infrastructure development bonds. View the full article

In their decision to send the case to a lower court, appellate court judges said the servicer's handling of borrowers' mortgage payments was still unclear. View the full article

The national median payment applied for by purchase applicants rose from $2,025 in December to $2,070 last month, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. View the full article

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., moved to consider the housing package next week, but it's not clear what version of the bill senators will be voting on as the House, Senate and White House are still negotiating priorities. View the full article

While overall delinquencies eased in January, foreclosure starts jumped to their highest point since early 2020, signaling growing strain among late-stage borrowers despite steady mortgage performance. View the full article

Rocket Mortgage and Compass launched a three-year Redfin listing partnership, expanding access to 500,000+ homes, with executives saying they see no RESPA compliance issues. View the full article

Dubbed Fairway Home Insurance Agency, the new business is the latest to emerge from agreements struck between mortgage lenders and The Baldwin Group brokerage. View the full article

Though changes to bank capital rules previewed by Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman in February being viewed as welcome, experts say other more significant hurdles — not all of them regulatory — are keeping banks on the sidelines of mortgage servicing and lending. View the full article

Not all borrower scenarios are equal. When it comes to evaluating the risk of small landlords, lenders need to focus on a few specific factors. View the full article

The former two-time head of the Federal Housing Administration is an industry consultant since he left government service following Pres. The President's first term. View the full article

The company also revealed more about the impacts of its data breach, and said it doesn't consider the development likely to materially affect its results. View the full article