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Looming risk for mortgage credit and MBS investors from “Lender Choice”

Looming risk for mortgage credit and MBS investors from “Lender Choice”

Contributors, Credit Score, HWmember, Mortgage, Opinion, Origination /

Since 1996 when Freddie Mac introduced the industry to the first automated underwriting system (AUS) for GSE-eligible mortgages, a borrower’s credit score has served as one of the most important predictors of mortgage delinquency.  For many years thereafter, FICO score was the sole provider of scores to both GSEs’ AUS scorecards.  The arrival of VantageScore […]

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Foreign investors keep U.S. real estate moving

Canada, Contributors, HWmember, Investment Properties, Investors, Mortgage Rates, Non-QM, Opinion, Real Estate /

While many of the latest conversations around the U.S. real estate market have focused on affordability and interest rates, one segment continues to move forward: foreign investors. While domestic buyers remain more cautious, investors from abroad are driving much of the transaction volume in many U.S. markets. One reason is that foreign buyers view risk,

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Does lead diversion help buyers, or does it undermine agent accountability?

Agent, Contributors, Homes.com, HWmember, Opinion, Real Estate, Real Estate Listings /

It’s a story of frustration that many buyers and agents can relate to. Buyers repeatedly reaching out to listing agents to see properties, only to receive no response. Calls go unanswered, questions linger and access to homes stalled. That frustration is real and deserves acknowledgment. Consumers should expect timely communication and professional conduct. Where the

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Real estate broker trust account violations, DRE enforcement and compliance best practices

Brokerage, Compliance, Contributors, HWmember, Real Estate, Regulatory Compliance /

Your state’s Department of Real Estate (DRE) will absolutely look at intent — but even the best intentions don’t excuse a violation. As a broker, if you don’t have a system in place for handling trust funds, and if that system can’t prove compliance to the penny, you’re exposed, whether you meant harm or not. In

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A blueprint for making housing more affordable 

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

As we kick off the New Year, affordability remains one of the biggest challenges facing the mortgage industry and the broader housing market. It continues to shape conversations among lenders, policymakers, and consumers alike. Affordability is not a rate problem Ask most people what’s wrong with housing affordability, and the answer comes quickly: rates are

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Navigating recovery: Counseling and coaching options for homeowners after natural disasters

Contributors, Homeownership, HWmember, Mortgage, Natural Disaster, Opinion /

Natural disasters can upend lives in an instant, leaving homeowners to cope with emotional trauma and financial uncertainty. Mortgage lenders and housing professionals play a critical role in helping clients rebuild. By connecting survivors to counseling and financial coaching services, you can make recovery faster, safer, and more sustainable. Why recovery counseling matters The emotional

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Fair housing is more than a compliance issue: It’s an opportunity to modernize the process.

Contributors, Fair Lending, Housing Market, HWmember, Opinion /

Fair housing is often discussed in broad terms but is perhaps not always clearly defined. At its core, Fair Housing (capital F and H) refers to an interwoven framework of federal, state, and local policies rooted in the Fair Housing Act that prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, gender, familial

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Why real estate agent confidence is a leading indicator for 2026

Agent, Contributors, HWmember, Real Estate, Real Estate Agents, Real Estate Branding, real estate brokerage, Real Estate Marketing, real estate teams, Real Estate Technology, Residential Real Estate /

The housing market continues to test patience: inventory remains constrained in many regions, buyer and seller activity is starting to normalize and interest rates still shape consumer hesitation (but that may be changing!) By conventional measures, momentum feels limited. Yet beneath those conditions, a different signal is emerging; one that may prove more predictive than

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How MLK’s Fight for Homeownership Equality Changed My Life

Black Homeownership, Chicago, Contributors, Fair Housing, Home Equity, Homeownership, HWmember, Minority Homeownership, Mortgage, Regulatory /

As we prepare to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it’s important to pause and reflect not only on Dr. King’s national legacy, but also on the work he did in my hometown of Chicago that continues to shape lives, opportunities and generational progress today. Dr. King’s Chicago campaign and the fight for fair housing

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The $2–4% mortgage trap is freezing housing: Defeasance may be the way out

Contributors, Housing Crisis, Housing Market, Housing Market Data, HWmember, Mortgage, Opinion, Real Estate /

For the past several years, the U.S. housing market has faced an unusual constraint: not a lack of  buyers, but a lack of sellers willing — or able — to move. Millions of homeowners remain “rate-locked,” holding mortgages originated in 2020–2022 at  interest rates between 2% and 4% (Federal Housing Finance Agency; Freddie Mac Primary 

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