Carrington Mortgage Services was the top bulk buyer of agency MSR in the first quarter of 2026, thanks to a large acquisition of Ginnie servicing from Pennymac. Bayview Asset Management was the top buyer in the coissuance market. (Includes three data tables.)

Inflation caused by the U.S.-Iran War means that mortgage rates aren’t likely to fall back below 6.0% this year, according to Mike Fratantoni, chief economist at the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The improvement in mortgage performance seen in early 2026 was weaker than in the first quarter of the prior two years. Much of the difference was due to an increase in loans 120+ days delinquent, with particular issues involving FHA mortgages. (Includes two data tables.)

loanDepot will launch a new white-label home equity line of credit product powered by Figure that can provide homeowners an equity payout in as little as five days.

The rise in home equity lending by nonbanks is driving increased use of artificial intelligence in the appraisal process.

A new proof-of-concept between Amazon Web Services and Rocket Close highlighted the potential to use AI to extract data from complex mortgage documents.

Automated appraisal models are contributing to disparities in property taxes between different populations, according to consumer advocates.

Purchase mortgages and refinances in the highest loan-to-value ratio category accounted for a greater share of mortgages delivered to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the first quarter of 2026. (Includes two data tables.)

Loan officers can get a leg up against the competition by learning about available downpayment assistance programs.

Better and Coinbase have partnered to allow borrowers to pledge holdings of tokenized assets to fund their downpayment, without the need to liquidate the assets.