The National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) is urging the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to end its “life of loan” mortgage insurance rule and let borrowers cancel premiums once they’ve paid down their loan to 78% of their home’s value. NAMB believes the policy is outdated and unfair. Current rules mean that many FHA borrowers […]
NAMB urges FHA to end lifetime mortgage insurance rule Read More »
Mortgage trade groups are closely monitoring a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would raise fees on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) mortgages to help fund other veterans’ benefits. The Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of 2025 (H.R. 6047) — introduced in November by Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Mich.) and
House bill would raise VA mortgage fees to fund veterans’ benefits Read More »
Mortgage rates briefly fell below 6% on Friday for the first time in nearly three years — driven by President Donald Trump’s proposed $200 billion push in the secondary market. If they stay that low, they are expected to spur refinance activity. Historically, a 22–basis-point decline in the 30-year fixed mortgage rate, such as the
Sharp decline in mortgage rates revives hopes of a refi surge, LOs say Read More »
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac quietly increased their purchases of mortgage-backed securities (MBS) in 2025, helping push mortgage spreads lower toward the year’s end. Most analysts, however, were not expecting further meaningful tightening in the near term — at least until this week. That changed Thursday after President Donald Trump posted on social media that
Trump directs GSEs to purchase $200B in mortgage bonds in 2025 Read More »
President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is directing representatives at the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) to purchase $200 billion in mortgage-backed securities (MBS), a move he said is intended to bring mortgage rates down. “Because I chose not to sell Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in my First Term, a truly great decision, and against
Trump directs GSEs to buy $200B in MBS to push mortgage rates lower Read More »
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he is moving to ban large institutional investors from buying single-family homes, framing the proposal as a way to improve housing affordability. “I am immediately taking steps to ban large institutional investors from buying more single-family homes, and I will be calling on Congress to codify it. People live
Trump wants ban on large institutional investors buying homes Read More »
The mortgage industry recorded a modest increase in the number of producing loan officers in 2025 — the first annual rise since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to preliminary data from mortgage technology platform RETR. The number of LOs who originated at least one mortgage in 2025 reached 221,161, up slightly from 220,449 in 2024. “That’s
Producing LOs grow their ranks in 2025: RETR Read More »
Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), took to the social media platform X on Monday to seemingly call out credit bureaus for their pricing. “I do not understand what the credit bureaus are doing with their pricing — they are inviting a lot of scrutiny that is only intensifying by
FHFA Director Pulte criticizes credit bureau pricing Read More »
For real estate investors sidelined by traditional income documentation requirements, debt-service-coverage ratio (DSCR) loans are becoming easier to access and are more widely available as lenders refine underwriting and gain confidence in the product’s performance. Like other seemingly “nontraditional” loans, lenders took some time to dip their toes into in the DSCR market. Marc Halpern,
DSCR loans became an investor favorite in 2025 Read More »
Mortgage rates started the year slightly above 7% but are heading into the holiday season near the 6.2% level. Looking ahead to 2026, lenders and industry experts expect some relief, though not a dramatic shift. On Monday, Mortgage News Daily reported that 30-year conventional fixed rates averaged 6.24%, down 2 basis points (bps) over the
Mortgage rates cool in 2025, but 2026 relief likely limited Read More »