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Newfi Lending expands DSCR program to accept crypto reserves

Cryptocurrency, Mortgage, Non-QM, Origination, Real Estate Investing, Underwriting /

Newfi Lending, a national mortgage lender focused on non-QM originations, announced Tuesday that it’s expanding its debt-service-coverage ratio (DSCR) loan program to allow larger loan amounts, financing for rural properties and the use of qualifying cryptocurrency assets to meet reserve requirements without liquidation. The updates are aimed at real estate investors who hold digital assets […]

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House bill would raise VA mortgage fees to fund veterans’ benefits

Community Home Lenders of America, House of Representatives, HWmember, LendingLife, Mortgage, Origination, Regulatory, VA Loan, Veterans /

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

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Sharp decline in mortgage rates revives hopes of a refi surge, LOs say

HWmember, LendingLife, Loan Officer, Mortgage, Mortgage Rates, Origination, Refinancing /

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

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MeridianLink, Optimal Blue partner on mortgage pricing integration

HWmember, MeridianLink, Mortgage, Optimal Blue, Origination, Partnerships, Technology /

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

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Trump wants ban on large institutional investors buying homes

Donald Trump, HWmember, Institutional investors, LendingLife, Mortgage, Origination, Politics, Real Estate, Single-Family Rentals, Trump administration /

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

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Finance of America tops HMBS market with 30% share

Finance of America, HMBS, HWmember, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, New View Advisors, Origination, PHH Mortgage Corp, Reverse /

Finance of America (FOA) maintained its position as the top issuer of Home Equity Conversion Mortgage-backed Securities (HMBS) in 2025, underscoring significant changes in the reverse mortgage securitization market over the past decade. FOA issued $1.87 billion in HMBS last year, capturing roughly 30% of total market share, according to league tables compiled by New

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Producing LOs grow their ranks in 2025: RETR

Credit Union, HWmember, IMBs, LendingLife, Loan Officer, Mortgage, Mortgage and Housing Layoffs, Origination /

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

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

Contributors, HWmember, Loan Officer, Mortgage, Opinion, Origination /

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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DSCR loans became an investor favorite in 2025

Fairway Home Mortgage, HWmember, LendingLife, LoanLogics, Mortgage, Non-QM, Origination, Real Estate Investing, Rental Properties, Secondary market /

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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Mortgage applications fall 5% despite rate decline

HWmember, Mike Fratantoni, Mortgage, Mortgage applications, Mortgage Bankers Association, Mortgage Rates, Origination, Purchase Applications /

Mortgage applications decreased 5.0% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) weekly mortgage applications survey for the week ending Dec. 19, 2025. On an unadjusted basis, the index decreased 6% compared with the previous week. The refinance index decreased 6% from the previous week and was 110% higher than

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