December 2025

400 Capital sues over alleged fee-grab tactic in CMBS loan

A $130 million loan tied to Midtown Manhattan properties is at the center of a lawsuit that accuses a firm hired to ensure the debt is repaid of self-serving tactics. Processing Content Rialto Capital, tasked with overseeing the loan on behalf of investors, allegedly engineered a way to keep it in default so that the […]

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Lawmakers launch probe into key insurance rating firm in Florida

Three U.S. senators opened an inquiry into insurance ratings firm Demotech and whether its assessments may be exposing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — and ultimately taxpayers — to growing risks tied to climate-driven insurer failures. Processing Content In a letter sent Tuesday to Fannie Mae acting Chief Executive Officer Peter Akwaboah and Freddie Mac CEO Kenny Smith,

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FHLB borrowing share stayed range-bound in 2023 for most

Federal Home Loan Bank members’ borrowing as a share of total assets increased in stressed environments but the majority did not see excessive increases like Silvergate’s, the Government Accountability Office found. Processing Content Former warehouse lender-turned-crypto specialist, Silvergate Bank, was an outlier in increasing its ratio 33% just before the 2023 crisis which led to

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Crypto-backed mortgages test risk and reward for lenders

As the Trump administration pushes crypto further into the mainstream, some lenders are testing whether digital assets can open the door for borrowers who don’t fit the traditional mold and whether the trade-off is worth the risk. Processing Content In June, the Federal Housing Finance Agency director Bill Pulte urged Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

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Turning a House Into a Home: The Benefits You Can Actually Feel

Turning a House Into a Home: The Benefits You Can Actually Feel

There’s a lot of conversation about home prices, mortgage rates, and affordability right now – and those things are important. But if you’re thinking about buying a home, it’s worth remembering something the headlines rarely talk about: people don’t buy homes just for financial reasons. They buy them for their lives. Because while homeownership can

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Mortgage applications fall 5% despite rate decline

Mortgage applications decreased 5.0% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) weekly mortgage applications survey for the week ending Dec. 19, 2025. On an unadjusted basis, the index decreased 6% compared with the previous week. The refinance index decreased 6% from the previous week and was 110% higher than

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Mortgage applications decline for second consecutive week

Mortgage applications decline for second consecutive week

Homes in Centreville, Maryland.Nathan Howard/Bloomberg Home loan applications fell in consecutive weeks for the first time in two months, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Processing Content The MBA’s Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, dropped 5% on a seasonally-adjusted basis from one week prior for the period ending Dec. 19.

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Fannie Mae ups mortgage originations outlook

Fannie Mae revised its 2026 mortgage expectations marginally upward, with borrower interest in refinances, in particular, more likely to provide opportunities following the more muted activity of the past few years. Processing Content In its December housing outlook, the government-sponsored enterprise increased its forecasted volume for total originations next year to $2.37 trillion after a

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OCC proposing interest on escrow preemption moves

OCC proposing interest on escrow preemption moves

Jonathan Gould, who is now comptroller of the currency, during a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee confirmation hearing. Photographer:Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is looking for feedback on two proposals asserting preemption in interest on escrow accounts used in real estate lending. Processing Content One proposal from

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