Some of the mortgage bellwethers began reporting second-quarter results this week. The good news is that loan production increased nicely from the first quarter.

The draft appropriations budget for the Department of Housing and Urban Development is more lenient than the Trump administration’s request, but still zeroes out fresh funding for the HOME program.

An update to the credit scoring rules at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is expected to improve renters’ mortgage eligibility.

The proposal seeks to reinstate the Community Reinvestment Act framework that existed prior to the 2023 final rule. That framework has largely been unchanged since it took effect in 1995.

President Trump and FHFA Director Bill Pulte are going after high profile targets to address mortgage fraud at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

NAR Economist Lawrence Yun is projecting 14% growth in home sales in 2026 if the interest rate on mortgages falls to 6%. However, economists at Fannie Mae and MBA in recent weeks lowered their expectations for mortgage rates decreases.

Flood of mortgage servicing sales are impacting performance; mortgage bankers and brokers aren’t hiring much these days, if at all.

The proposal would rescind the 2023 CRA final rule and replace it with the regulations that preceded it.

Issuance increased 17% from the first quarter, with growth primarily driven by expanded-credit mortgages.

The agency rescinded a 2024 policy imposing certain standards on new construction in areas with a 1% annual chance of flooding.