Some homebuyers are finding relief by assuming FHA mortgages that were originated during the pandemic.

FHA issued a waiver last week allowing borrowers to make early payments under a trial payment plan.

Non-agency jumbo mortgages accounted for 15.4% of total single-family originations in 2025, compared with a 12.7% share in 2024. Meanwhile, agency high-balance activity declined somewhat. (Includes three data tables.)

Buy now, pay later spending has increased from about $2 billion in 2019 to $75 billion in 2023, according to a new report by the JPMorgan Chase Institute.

VA refinance activity more than doubled in the fourth quarter and FHA refi volume was up 55%. United Wholesale Mortgage was the top lender in both government loan programs. (Includes three data tables.)

Heads of government mortgage programs discussed current and future initiatives last week at the Mortgage Bankers Association’s servicing summit.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of the Inspector General identified 64 potential fraud schemes FHA hadn’t accounted for in its single-family risk inventory.

Staffing levels at the Department of Housing and Urban Development fell in the third quarter last year, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office.

The nonconforming market continued to gain share during the fourth quarter. In all of 2025, the nonconforming sector accounted for 20.9% of first-lien originations, up from a 16.6% share in 2024. (Includes two data tables.)

AEI researchers said large institutional investors own about 1% of single-family homes vs. 11% for small-scale investors with low interest rate GSE-backed loans.