Holdings of first-lien residential mortgages at banks and thrifts slightly increased by 0.4% during the third quarter of 2025. But two of the four largest players in the market reduced their holdings.

Brokers are feeling optimistic about 2026, due in part to the expansion of non-qualified mortgage offerings.

The non-qualified mortgage sector has exhibited significant performance pressure over the past two years. The sector has not yet faced material losses, though.

Production of adjustable-rate mortgages declined slightly during the third quarter of 2025, but were up 40.7% through the first nine months of the year.

Joel Berner, a senior economist at Realtor.com, said renovated homes still catch buyers’ attention, but financing the cost of those improvements at today’s rates is less appealing to price-sensitive shoppers.

As short-term rental lending grows, a valuation management company launched a form to make the appraisal process more accurate.

Homeowners said in a recent Hometap survey that traditional home equity solutions do not fit their needs and they are looking for more flexible finance options.

The CFPB adjusted the appraisal exemption threshold; Velocity Financial agreed to sell UPB of non-performing loans and entered a third-party servicing mandate.

The non-agency mortgage-backed security market in 2026 is expected to grow with predictions of record issuance volumes.

Nearly 70% of all homebuyers in 2025 didn’t shop with multiple lenders for their mortgage, an increase from 62% in 2024.