Mark Begor, CEO of Equifax, dismissed concerns that mortgage lenders are looking at scores from both FICO and VantageScore to determine which score to use with mortgages delivered to the GSEs.

“Incoming data showed that inflation dropped in June, but with oil prices spiking again, that improvement seems unlikely to continue in July data, and mortgage rates are likely to remain higher as a result,” said Mike Fratantoni, a senior vice president and chief economist at the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The most frequently cited growth strategy was increasing production from the existing sales team, selected by 75% of respondents surveyed by The Mortgage Collective.

Home prices were up 3.0% on an annual basis in June, the highest annual growth rate in the past 10 months, according to Redfin.

Entry-level buyers in the South and West are seeing more affordable starter home listings and softening prices, while buyers in the Northeast face a market that keeps getting tighter.

Truist Financial, Fifth Third Bank and Regions Financial all increased residential mortgage originations on a sequential basis in the second quarter but mortgage earnings didn't follow the same trajectory.

“The highest mortgage rates in nearly a year and the record-high national median home price together are contributing to a tepid housing market that is especially difficult for first-time homebuyers,” said Lawrence Yun, chief economist at NAR.

Primary MI volume in the agency MBS market increased at a faster pace at FHA and VA in the second quarter of 2026 compared with private MI usage with the GSEs.

While other big banks posted sharp increases in originations on a quarterly basis, production at U.S. Bank was down 7.6%.

Aaron Kofsky, the acting deputy director of FHFA’s division of housing mission and goals, represented FHFA at a meeting of the Financial Stability Oversight Council Wednesday.