Apply Online
Schedule a Call

February 2026

Mixed-density housing keeps expanding as affordability reaches a breaking point

Affordable housing, Contributors, Housing Market, HWmember, Opinion /

Housing affordability – and its impact on Americans’ quality of life – is becoming a market- and generation-defining issue. Higher interest rates, constrained inventory, rising land costs, and slower wage growth have combined to push homeownership further out of reach for many, especially first-time buyers, middle-income households, and those seeking new construction. At the same […]

Mixed-density housing keeps expanding as affordability reaches a breaking point Read More »

Court says Equifax VOIE terms must be rewritten

Law and legal issues, Originations /

A federal judge, accusing Equifax of gamesmanship in an antitrust suit, has ordered the company to revise agreements with customers of its electronic verification of income and employment business, The Work Number.  Processing Content U.S. District Judge John F. Murphy published his order Tuesday, dealing a blow to the credit reporting agency fighting a lawsuit

Court says Equifax VOIE terms must be rewritten Read More »

Bank capital relief may not quickly shift mortgage market dynamics

Banking, basel III, Federal Reserve, HWmember, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, LendingLife, Mortgage, Mortgage Servicing, MSRs, Regulatory, Regulatory Compliance /

Regulatory changes to how banks treat mortgage assets — anticipated this week by Federal Reserve Vice Chair Michelle Bowman — may have an impact on the mortgage market over time, analysts said. “The near-term impact on the mortgage market is likely to be somewhat limited,” Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW) analysts wrote in a report

Bank capital relief may not quickly shift mortgage market dynamics Read More »

Kentucky bill would freeze property taxes for senior homeowners

Affordability, Aging in Place, HWmember, Kentucky, Mortgage, Property Tax, Reverse /

A proposed constitutional amendment that would freeze property tax assessments for 65-and-older residents in Kentucky has cleared a state Senate committee — one of several efforts to limit rising tax bills for elderly homeowners. Senate Bill 51, sponsored by state Sen. Mike Nemes (R-Shepherdsville), would lock in the assessed value of a senior’s primary residence

Kentucky bill would freeze property taxes for senior homeowners Read More »

CEA analysis weighs CFPB’s economic impact

CFPB, Compliance, Consumer Protection, Dodd-Frank, Financial crisis, HWmember, Legal, Mortgage, Mortgage Rates, Politics, Regulatory, Regulatory Compliance /

A new report from the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) estimates that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has imposed $237 billion to $369 billion in cumulative costs on U.S. consumers since its creation in 2011, largely through higher borrowing costs. For 2024 alone, the report estimates $24 billion to $38 billion in costs. The

CEA analysis weighs CFPB’s economic impact Read More »

Housing starts rise to five-month high in broad increase

Housing Inventory, Housing markets, Originations /

New residential construction in the US rose to a five-month high in December, as homebuilders boosted production to take advantage of lower borrowing costs. Processing Content Housing starts increased 6.2% to an annual pace of 1.4 million homes in December, according to figures released Wednesday by the government, which were delayed by fall’s federal shutdown.

Housing starts rise to five-month high in broad increase Read More »

Fed’s Bowman says Basel proposal still on track for end of Q1

Federal Reserve, Minimum capital requirements, Politics and policy, Regulation and compliance, Risk-based capital /

Key Insight: Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman is racing ahead to publish Basel III for commentary before the end of the first quarter. She’s previously highlighted that changes will be introduced to the framework to encourage bank participation in mortgages. Expert Quote: “I’ve said for a number of months now that we

Fed’s Bowman says Basel proposal still on track for end of Q1 Read More »

Recapture rate is up as loan performance splits: MBA Servicing

Economic news, Servicing /

Rising refinance recapture and a widening split in borrower performance are redefining the servicing outlook, speakers at a Mortgage Bankers Association conference in Dallas said Wednesday. Processing Content The latter, which has stemmed from what’s been referred to as a K-shaped economy, is “a tale of a few stories or maybe substories,” Joel Kan, deputy

Recapture rate is up as loan performance splits: MBA Servicing Read More »

Bank turns to nonbank to run mortgage production

MARKETING TO BORROWERS, Mortgage technology, Originations /

At a time when government officials and politicians are grappling with finding ways to increase bank participation in mortgage lending, a Pennsylvania depository is teaming with a nonbank to deliver the function to its customers. Processing Content Firstrust Bank, based in Conshohocken outside Philadelphia, has entered a strategic partnership with MortgageCountry in nearby Blue Bell,

Bank turns to nonbank to run mortgage production Read More »