New bills in Congress aimed at the housing market have some bipartisan support; Trump fires Democrats on NCUA board; Trump administration looks to boost mortgage activity at smaller banks.

The stock market is volatile and interest rates are rising. Dozens of mortgage company owners are pondering their options.

Nonbanks accounted for 65.2% of the residential mortgages originated in 2024. All of the top five lenders were nonbanks and they all gained market share. (Includes two data tables.)

Nonbanks are offering discounts ahead of a spring homebuying season filled with uncertainty.

Origination giant Rocket is purchasing servicing behemoth Mr. Cooper at a premium. The biggest risk for Rocket is that mortgage rates might finally decline markedly in the coming quarters. Or is that an advantage?

The federal regulators’ decision to give in to pressure by trade groups representing banks isn’t sitting well with consumer advocates.

FHFA directed the GSEs to end their SPCPs, prompting renewed concerns that the Trump administration could take further actions to limit special purpose credit programs in the mortgage market.

The amount of available home equity ticked down during the fourth quarter and lenders saw a fall in demand from homeowners for home equity loans. Still, for the full year, home equity lending increased by 10.8%. (Includes three data tables.)

The spring homebuying season might not be as strong as initially expected. Interest rates are challenging and employment trends are faltering, reducing demand for purchase mortgages.

CDFIs provided $107.04 billion of residential real estate financing in fiscal year 2023. More than 500 CDFIs consider residential financing to be their primary or secondary activity.