It finally happened today: We got mortgage rates under 6% for a short time. Can we get some traction for that level? Well, one aspect of the mortgage-rate story really improved today; we had a monster day in mortgage spreads, improving overnight to push rates down over 20 basis points without much help from the […]
Mortgage rates drop below 6% following Trump’s MBS announcement 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 »
Despite several years of volatility in the housing market, the fix-and-flip sector — where investors rehabilitate, reposition, and upgrade residential properties — has shown resilience and is poised for meaningful growth in 2026. While only recently becoming recognized as a formal institutionally rated asset class, the underlying strategy is anything but new. For decades, local
Why the fix-and-flip sector is poised for a breakout in 2026 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 »
MeridianLink and Optimal Blue announced Wednesday that they’ve reached an agreement to integrate their technology platforms, with the joint solution expected to be available to customers in early 2026. Under the partnership, mortgage users of MeridianLink’s loan origination system will gain access to Optimal Blue’s real-time product, pricing and eligibility (PPE) engine. The integration is
MeridianLink, Optimal Blue partner on mortgage pricing integration Read More »
Singapore-based investment firm Temasek has closed a $150 million investment in a fund managed by real estate lending platform Roc360, the companies announced Thursday. The capital will be allocated to an investment vehicle focused on residential transition loans used to finance home renovations. Temasek, which manages a $324 billion investment portfolio, first partnered with Roc360
Roc360 REIT receives $150M investment to target renovation loans Read More »
In an industry often tethered to the patchwork systems of the past, true institutional growth requires more than a software update. It requires a foundational shift. Today, Kind Lending, the national mortgage powerhouse founded by industry icon Glenn Stearns, announced a strategic partnership with CANDID to execute exactly that: a comprehensive modernization of its operational
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 »
For the last few years, many homeowners have felt like they were holding a winning hand, a two to three percent mortgage rate that seemed too good to ever give up. And honestly, who could blame them? Those rates were historic. The average 30 year fixed mortgage rate fell below 3 percent in 2020 and
Why 2026 might finally be the year homeowners let go of their 2–3 percent rates 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 »