Mortgage

FHFA Director Pulte criticizes credit bureau pricing

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 […]

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Trust is earned, not granted: The foundation of every successful mortgage relationship

Trust is built through relationships. It is not automatic, it is not assumed, and it is never guaranteed — it is earned. Working for a well-respected company with a long history of service does not automatically make someone a Trusted Mortgage Advisor. Trust is personal. It belongs to the relationship between the loan officer and

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NRMLA backs New Jersey bill clarifying reverse mortgage rules

The National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA) has voiced formal support for New Jersey Senate Bill 4970 — urging lawmakers to advance legislation that would clarify how reverse mortgages are treated under the state’s secondary mortgage law. In a letter sent to State Sen. Joseph Lagana, the association said the bill would exempt reverse mortgage

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HUD tightens rules for FHA appraiser roster

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued new guidance that clarifies how appraisers are added to, maintained on and removed from the FHA Appraiser Roster. Mortgagee Letter 2025-24 — effective immediately — updates FHA policy to make appraiser eligibility easier to track and more consistent with federal and state licensing records. Changes apply

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The spreadsheet trap: Why investor reporting still operates like it’s 2005

Manually updating spreadsheets. Dealing with paper jams in the printer. Remember what office life was like in 2005? If you’re feeling nostalgic, you can find many of the same practices still in place in the investor’s reporting offices of loan servicers today.  But why haven’t these offices evolved with changing technology?  It’s partly cultural, but

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Will stable mortgage rates and home prices set the table for a strong 2026?

Mortgage rate movement remains stuck in neutral as 2025 comes to an end, but the U.S. housing market has shown signs of life during a traditionally slow period. On Monday, Mortgage News Daily reported an average 30-year fixed rate of 6.19%, down 5 basis points from a week earlier. And on Tuesday, HousingWire’s Mortgage Rates

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Private lending in 2025: A market in transition

Private lending in 2025: A market in transition

Once viewed as a niche option, private lending has rapidly entered the mainstream as more borrowers discover the speed, flexibility, and accessibility of private credit financing. But as the industry attracts new borrowers, it is also evolving with their needs, particularly in the balance between short-term and long-term loans. To understand where private lending is

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The debt crisis among younger Americans: How it is shaping homeownership — and what lenders can do

The median first-time homebuyer in the U.S. in 40 years old, which is a record high. One of the main reasons is that Millennials typically delay ownership by about 7 years, and Gen Z only have a 26% homeownership rate by their late 20s, far behind previous generations.A growing financial strain These younger Americans are

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Bank statement loans: More mortgage options for self-employed buyers and homeowners as rates ease

If you’re self-employed, paid on commission, or run a business, you already know the frustration: you can have strong cash flow, great credit, and real assets—yet a traditional mortgage can still feel like a square peg in a round hole. That’s exactly why bank statement loans exist. They’re designed for borrowers whose real income is

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DSCR loans became an investor favorite in 2025

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,

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