Originations

Oil price shock pushes mortgage rates back above 6%

Mortgage lenders left their desks Friday with the 30-year fixed finally below 6%. When they returned Monday morning, the market was in turmoil, with the benchmark 10-year Treasury at one point up 11 basis points from the previous close. Processing Content As a result, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage moved up 2 basis points this

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How the Best Mortgage Companies choose vendors

An analysis of some of the vendors that companies in the 2026 ranking of the Best Companies Work For with have a mix of common business partners like ICE Mortgage Tech and Fannie Mae, but less well-known companies, and there’s a reason for that. Processing Content Core service and secondary market providers may offer necessary

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Lenders offer pricing promos in anticipation of a hot market

Mortgage lenders are rolling out new promotions as they compete for borrowers in a fluctuating rate environment, with both refinancing and purchase incentives becoming more common. Processing Content United Wholesale Mortgage recently introduced two offers: one providing a 75 basis point boost on conventional and government refinancings, and another offering a $600 appraisal credit for

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Trigger lead limits push lenders toward new marketing

With trigger leads exiting the scene, mortgage originators are seeking new ways to improve their consumer marketing. Industry groups and companies are stepping in to fill the gaps left as traditional training programs have disappeared with downsizing. Processing Content “The companies used to train people, but as companies downsize, those have gone by the wayside,

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Rate moves into auto lending via app

Retail mortgage lender Rate is expanding into auto lending, making car loans available with ongoing upgrades to its mobile app as it looks to offer different types of products.  Processing Content Thanks to an agreement with Westlake Financial, Chicago-based Rate will make vehicle lending available directly within its app, allowing for streamlined processing and opportunities

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Iran conflict’s impact on spring homebuying season

The early reaction to the Iran conflict, with mortgage rates rising back above 6%, might be tempering an otherwise very positive outlook regarding the spring homebuying season. Processing Content The 10-year Treasury yield, one of the benchmarks used in pricing mortgages, had finally broken through the 4% floor on Feb. 27 to a 3.96% close.

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Which markets had the highest demand for renovation loans?

Lenders may find outsized demand for renovation loans in the nation’s smaller housing markets.  Processing Content Residents in states like New Hampshire and Rhode Island applied for more remodeling and home improvement loans per capita in 2024 than those in California and Texas, according to a National Association of Home Builders analysis. The trade group,

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Underbuilding expands housing supply gap to 4 million

The housing supply gap expanded in the United States last year, driven by continued underbuilding, new industry data shows. Processing Content The gap hit an estimated 4.03 million homes, an increase from 3.8 million in 2024, according to the 2026 Housing Supply Gap Report from Realtor.com. This marked the third-largest annual deficit since 2012, behind

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HECM lenders see subdued numbers to start the year

Early-year data shows a noticeable slowdown in government-backed reverse mortgage endorsement volume, and the rise of proprietary products may be playing a role.  Processing Content Endorsements of Federal Housing Administration-backed Home Equity Conversion Mortgages dropped 20.7% between January and February to 1,821 transactions, according to the latest data from Reverse Market Insight. January’s total had

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