Author name: Ricky Vasquez

Mortgage rates are breaking higher — and things can get worse with Iran conflict

The Iran conflict finally pushed the 10-year yield above a key level on Friday morning and if this move sticks and the conflict escalates further, mortgage rates are at risk of heading much higher during the spring season, something that wasn’t the case even a few weeks ago. Even some doves at the Federal Reserve […]

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FinCEN anti-money laundering rule struck down in court

A federal judge in Texas has vacated the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s (FinCEN) nationwide anti-money laundering rule requiring title insurance companies to report details of millions of residential real estate transactions. U.S. District Judge Jeremy Kernodle of the Eastern District of Texas decided Thursday that FinCEN exceeded its statutory authority with the rule, which took

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Austin housing reforms could influence Michigan legislation

Michigan housing advocates are pointing to Austin, Texas, as they try to build support for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “grand bargain” housing affordability agenda in the state Legislature. Advocates say a multi-year set of zoning, permitting and code reforms in Austin helped drive a surge in homebuilding – and that the resulting increase in supply coincided

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Daiwa House deal adds Washington foothold as Trumark buys JK Monarch

Daiwa House deal adds Washington foothold as Trumark buys JK Monarch

Before Daiwa House Industry unveils its 8th Medium-Term Management Plan this May, the globally integrated real estate giant has already achieved – and possibly surpassed – the goals of its previous 10-year U.S. expansion plan. With Trumark Homes’ acquisition of Washington-based JK Monarch, Daiwa House’s U.S. homebuilding platform now spans cohesively across the country’s busiest

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Palantir, Moder partner with Freedom Mortgage on AI ops

Palantir Technologies and Moder partnered to build an AI-powered mortgage operations platform and Freedom Mortgage was its first customer, the companies announced Thursday. Processing Content The cobuilt platform uses Palantir’s Ontology, a modeling layer that connects data to operational actions, to provide an agentic AI framework to integrate with existing systems of record. The platform

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ARMs offer buyers largest discount in nearly 4 years

While the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage recently dipped below 6%, adjustable-rate mortgages are offering homebuyers their biggest discount in nearly four years. Processing Content The average homebuyer would save $150 per month by using an ARM instead of a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, according to a new report from Redfin that analyzed 30-year rates compared with 7/6

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Borrower hesitation in high-cost regions

Affordability pressures continue to reshape purchase demand, particularly in coastal and climate-exposed markets. Borrower hesitation in high-cost regions no longer stems from rate volatility alone, as insurance premiums, property taxes, and total cost-of-ownership calculations now drive measurable pauses in decision-making. Processing Content Lenders operating in high-cost metros report longer decision cycles, increased prequalification fallout, and

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Risk management gaps that expose mortgage lenders

Mortgage lenders operate in an environment defined by regulatory scrutiny, cybersecurity threats, and capital pressure. Yet many institutions still underestimate the risk management gaps that expose mortgage lenders to enforcement actions, litigation, and reputational harm. These gaps rarely stem from a single failure. Processing Content Instead, they emerge from overlooked controls, fragmented oversight, and outdated

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