February 2026

Spreads play the superhero as mortgage rates move below 6% again

After a weekend of crazy headlines and a stock sell-off on Monday morning, bond yields are close to hitting 4% again, but mortgage rates are back under 6% once again, which is the multiyear low in recent history. The biggest reason rates are under 6% isn’t just that the 2025 labor market produced the lowest […]

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VoicePilot lets CAR members draft forms by voice

The California Association of Realtors (CAR) is teaming up with Ethica AI to provide members with access to VoicePilot through CAR’s subsidiary Real Estate Business Services (REBS), according to an announcement on Monday.  Ethica AI describes VoicePilot as an AI driven voice and workflow platform that helps real estate agents manage transactions, communications and client

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HUD reverse mortgage changes remain unclear

Nearly two months after three federal housing agencies wrapped up an extended public comment period about the future of two federal reverse mortgage programs, industry stakeholders are waiting to learn what they’ll do next. In October, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Ginnie Mae announced a

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Compass launches referral program for listing agents’ buyer leads

Compass, the brokerage owned by Compass International Holdings, has launched a new program it says will help agents generate passive income while retaining control over how they manage their business. On Friday, the brokerage launched its Listing Agent Lead and Referral Program.  Under this program, every Compass real estate agent maintains their contact information on

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Karen Petrou, founder of Federal Financial Analytics, dies

WASHINGTON — Karen Petrou, co-founder and managing partner of Federal Financial Analytics and a luminary of financial policy, died Saturday afternoon of liver cancer after a brief illness. She was 73. Processing Content Petrou wielded an outsized presence in Washington economic and regulatory circles, cultivated over the course of decades in the industry and through

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Rate will consider crypto, stablecoins in underwriting

Retail giant Rate is embracing cryptocurrency and stablecoins for prospective home buyers, who accumulated wealth in the digital assets.  Processing Content The Chicago-based lender is rolling out RateFi, a product allowing buyers to access purchase, refinance, second-home and investment property loans, without liquidating their crypto or stablecoin. The offering is Rate’s first step in a

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State bill could end tax break for large digital lenders

A proposed Washington State bill that aims to replenish lost wildfire prevention funding could end up removing a tax break currently benefiting large digital lenders.  Processing Content Rep. Shaun Scott, a Democrat from the Seattle area, introduced state house bill 2089 to redefine existing regulations and limit the types of companies that could take advantage

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Homebuying power hits highest level in nearly 4 years

Homebuying power hits highest level in nearly 4 years

Sam Hall/Bloomberg Homebuying power is at its highest level in nearly four years, as lower mortgage rates and slowed demand has improved affordability, a new industry report found. Processing Content A median-income household in the United States could comfortably afford a $331,483 home with a 20% down payment in January, $30,000 more than a year

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Servicers offer support as nonagency gets more competitive

The wide-ranging nonagency mortgage market is giving traditional lenders more reasons to consider branching out into it, according to servicers supporting these strategies. Processing Content “Certain types of nonowner-occupied GSE loans that are agency deliverable now trade better in the nonagency space,” said Michael Yanniello, chief operating officer, head of portfolio oversight and operations, Onity

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