October 2025

How mortgage rates have been affected by federal shutdown

The federal government shutdown and the resulting delay in the monthly employment report was the catalyst for the small movement in mortgage rates this past week. This data “would have been a key market mover for mortgage rates, offering insight into how much the Federal Reserve might adjust monetary policy in response to a cooling […]

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Lagging builder stocks face new worry from Bill Pulte’s ire

President Donald Trump and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte are fueling a deeper selloff in already struggling homebuilder stocks. A series of social media posts, from the US president over the weekend and then from the FHFA director and real estate scion Pulte on Wednesday, are helping put an S&P gauge of builders

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Pulte hints at how Fannie, Freddie may spur builder activity

Bill Pulte, the head of the oversight agency for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, signaled that he will be taking steps to follow up on President Trump’s call for them to put a new focus on home construction companies. One step will involve tracking megabuilders’ business, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Pulte indicated in an

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Foreclosures tick up in Q3, signaling borrower stress

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Optimal Blue suit alleges cartel-style mortgage fixing

A new class action lawsuit accuses Optimal Blue and 26 lenders of price fixing and inflating mortgage costs for millions of consumers.  The complaint says the industry’s biggest players violated antitrust law in sharing sensitive home loan data with competitors and subsequently raising rate spreads. Borrowers specifically scrutinize Optimal Blue’s competitive analytics and Competitive Data

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Shutdown hampers rates, rural, HECM and niche condo loans

The lingering government shutdown has increased rate uncertainty, and cut off or curtailed some specialized mortgages while mainstream business moves forward, albeit at a slower pace in some cases. “Until key reports like payrolls and the CPI return, rates are likely to remain range-bound but vulnerable to sudden shifts,” said Sam Williamson, chief economist at

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Equifax slashes VantageScore price to undercut FICO

Equifax is rolling out a new pricing strategy and incentives in response to FICO’s program announced last week as the dispute between score providers heats up.    The credit reporting agency will offer the competing Vantagescore 4.0 metric from FICO’s rival at a price of $4.50 through 2027, a cost it claims is more than 50%

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Silver lining? Some fraud victims see credit scores rise: Fed

Key insight: Identity theft victims who file extended fraud alerts often experience significant and persistent improvements in their credit profiles, becoming more creditworthy. What’s at stake: U.S. banks and credit unions that understand the behavior of identity theft victims can land better credit lines. Supporting data: Extended alert filers saw their credit scores increase by

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