Scaling from Freelancer to Business Owner

For the first time since early September 2022, the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey has the 30-year below 6%, but the 15-year gained this week. View the full article

Even with the increase in business, Fidelity National Financial reported a net loss for the period, a result of the stock distribution for its life unit. View the full article

While originators are not the primary focus of the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act going into effect on March 5, the way they do business is going to change. View the full article

The lender announced a partnership with Framework Ventures that aims to provide $500 million in credit through an integration into the Sky stablecoin ecosystem. View the full article

Total consumer debt in the United States hit $18.2 trillion by the end of last year, with $12.8 trillion attributed to first mortgages, according to Equifax. View the full article

The merger adds strengths of Direct Mortgage's conventional and government segments to the Lendermac platform, supporting the latter's growth ambitions. 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

Aulene Wessel also previously worked in the fintech sector, and will be heading up accounting in her new post at the nonbank mortgage lender and servicer. View the full article

Even after a servicing write-down, the GAAP net income of $164.4 million during the fourth quarter substantially topped comparative periods at UWM Holdings. View the full article

The bank announced Tuesday its Blueprint for Housing Opportunity plan, a five-year commitment dedicated to increasing the supply of housing. View the full article

Competitive credit could offer nine-figure cost benefits, according to a study VantageScore cited. Meanwhile, FICO added a tool to help borrowers qualify. View the full article

The contract rate on a 30-year mortgage dropped 8 basis points to 6.09% in the week ended Feb. 20, according to Mortgage Bankers Association data released Wednesday. View the full article

The Federal Housing Finance Agency said it is reviewing more than 9,000 pages of records tied to fraud tips submitted through a hotline launched last April. View the full article

The agreement between servicing technology platform Vertyx and Great Lakes Credit Union arrives as the mortgage industry sets its focus on borrower retention. View the full article

Nearly 14% of homes that went under contract last month were cancelled, up from 13.1% last year and the highest January share in records, according to Redfin. View the full article

Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook said AI could boost productivity, but warned the transition may raise unemployment and force difficult tradeoffs between inflation and jobs. View the full article

Bowman's Basel III relief may ease MSR capital but won't bring banks back; risk weights and economics still favor nonbanks, according to the Chairman of Whalen Global Advisors View the full article

Home prices edged up nationwide, but gains were modest and uneven. Major indexes agree on direction, differ on size, as 2025 posted weak growth. View the full article

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. report shows margins widened and profitability remained high even as credit quality saw some wobbles from consumer and commercial loan portfolios. View the full article

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee said the central bank should focus on getting inflation to its 2% target before making any additional cuts to short-term interest rates. View the full article

Home buyers working with the originator won't have to liquidate their digital assets to access purchase, refinance, second-home or investment loans. View the full article

Some mortgage companies are taking advantage of a loan-interest deduction that was designed to benefit community banks, a Washington State legislator alleged. View the full article

A median-income household could comfortably afford a $331,483 home with a 20% down payment in January, $30,000 more than a year ago, Zillow found. View the full article