https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/rss en-us bivey@imfpubs.com Interest rates are down from a peak in mid-October but aren’t expected to get to a level where refis can flow. With plenty of home equity outstanding, production of home equity loans could continue rising. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/239003 Thu, 05 Nov 2026 11:42:44 -0500 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/239003-first-lien-lending-suppressed-opportunities-with-hels dhollier@imfpubs.com Critics say that the high level of the GSEs’ profits is the result of pricing based on inflated loss-risk assumptions. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238999 Thu, 05 Nov 2026 11:40:47 -0500 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238999-some-mortgage-industry-participants-balk-at-gse-profits bivey@imfpubs.com Interest rates on mortgages increased by about 90 basis points during the third quarter, including a spike in September. That made it difficult to originate mortgages. (Includes two data tables.) http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238920 Thu, 29 Oct 2026 12:21:52 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238920-originations-tumble-by-16-in-third-quarter bivey@imfpubs.com Major credit reporting bureaus insist that the tri-merge scoring process is better than a bi-merge. They said the impact on revenues from moving away from the tri-merge for GSE mortgages would be limited. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238919 Thu, 29 Oct 2026 12:19:55 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238919-credit-bureaus-defend-tri-merge-prepare-for-hit dhollier@imfpubs.com The executive order is limited in scope compared with the large list of requests from industry participants. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238918 Thu, 29 Oct 2026 12:18:57 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238918-trump-eo-underwhelms-mortgage-industry dhollier@imfpubs.com Net revenues increased at both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac even as high interest rates continue to depress new loan acquisitions. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238944 Thu, 29 Oct 2026 12:17:58 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238944-gses-doing-just-fine-as-the-mortgage-market-freezes bivey@imfpubs.com There’s the LLPA reduction for VS4, lower prices compared with FICO and a more expansive population of scored consumers. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238866 Thu, 22 Oct 2026 11:58:43 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238866-lenders-have-strong-incentives-to-use-vantagescore bivey@imfpubs.com The president is getting more assertive in using the GSEs to achieve political and policy objectives, according to Jaret Seiberg, an analyst at TD Cowen Washington Research Group. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238854 Thu, 22 Oct 2026 11:55:44 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238854-trump-admin-seeing-gses-as-useful-tool-for-affordability dhollier@imfpubs.com Freddie Mac’s Sonu Mittal and Fannie Mae’s Jake Williamson detailed the GSEs’ challenges and successes in a deeply troubled mortgage market. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238798 Fri, 16 Oct 2026 15:20:48 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238798-gses-talk-strategy bivey@imfpubs.com Growth in servicing with Ginnie Mae continues to outpace Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Most of the top-10 agency servicers increased their portfolios during the third quarter, though not Rocket Mortgage. (Includes two data tables.) http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238809 Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:58 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238809-ginnie-drives-up-agency-servicing-in-3q-rocket-shrinks jdohnert@imfpubs.com By loan count, the MBA forecasts that total mortgage originations will decline by 5.6% from 2026 to 2027. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238807 Thu, 15 Oct 2026 11:56:39 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238807-higher-rates-expected-to-drive-slower-originations-in-2027 bivey@imfpubs.com Residential mortgage originations declined in the third quarter at Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo. Even with high interest rates, servicing portfolios appear to be performing well. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238792 Thu, 15 Oct 2026 11:51:05 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238792-originations-decline-at-big-banks-in-third-quarter dhollier@imfpubs.com Fannie/Freddie executives say UAD 3.6 extensions were offered in response to industry feedback, with just 10% of current flow using the new data standards. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238805 Thu, 15 Oct 2026 11:50:14 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238805-gses-explain-grace-period-for-uad-32 dhollier@imfpubs.com FHFA Director Bill Pulte was expected to announce a shift to the bi-merge at the MBA’s conference this week. He ended up skipping the event to join President Trump on the campaign trail. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238793 Thu, 15 Oct 2026 11:47:17 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238793-no-pulte-announcement-on-tri-merge dhollier@imfpubs.com Industry participants are split on the pros and cons of allowing lenders to pull scores from just two credit reporting agencies. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238743 Thu, 08 Oct 2026 11:58:00 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238743-will-the-tri-merge-finally-end bivey@imfpubs.com Large lenders are flocking to deploy VantageScore 4.0, but others are being more cautious due to shifting GSE guidelines. There’s also uncertainty for investors in MBS and MSRs. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238736 Thu, 08 Oct 2026 11:57:02 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238736-mortgage-industry-faces-uncertainty-with-vs4-adoption jdohnert@imfpubs.com Lenders are offering rate discounts, rate buydowns and lower costs for insurance to help buyers find affordable housing options. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238746 Thu, 08 Oct 2026 11:56:04 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238746-lenders-sellers-get-creative-in-higher-rate-environment sclark@imfpubs.com Some industry attorneys are skeptical whether mortgages can be fully AI originated, while still meeting compliance obligations. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238609 Thu, 08 Oct 2026 11:55:06 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238609-ai-loan-officers dhollier@imfpubs.com The sharp decline in home price appreciation makes it possible that lenders’ early-bird loan limits for 2027 will come in above the 2026 conforming loan limits. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238749 Thu, 08 Oct 2026 11:53:12 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238749-pmis-await-updated-conforming-loan-limits jdohnert@imfpubs.com The company plans to put a greater focus on wholesale originations and home equity lines of credit. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238745 Thu, 08 Oct 2026 11:50:16 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238745-founder-returns-to-better-after-board-proxy-fight jdohnert@imfpubs.com A study by the Mortgage Bankers Association found that lenders aren’t adopting AI as quickly as other financial services companies. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238677 Fri, 02 Oct 2026 11:37:36 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238677-mortgage-lenders-slow-to-scale-ai bivey@imfpubs.com Home equity lending is being fueled by accumulation of equity and elevated interest rates, which have diminished demand for refis. (Includes three data tables.) http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238684 Thu, 01 Oct 2026 11:50:25 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238684-originations-of-home-equity-loans-rise-20-in-2q dhollier@imfpubs.com Critics argue that applying the same LLPA pricing grids to VS4 and Classic FICO will camouflage, but not eliminate, the added credit risk associated with the typically higher VS4 score. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238669 Thu, 01 Oct 2026 11:49:26 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238669-pulte-abandons-dual-llpa-grids-for-credit-scores bivey@imfpubs.com Nonbank mortgage originations increased by 30.3% on an annual basis in the first half of 2026 while bank production was up 22.2%. (Includes two data tables.) http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238670 Thu, 01 Oct 2026 11:46:31 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238670-origination-share-up-for-nonbanks-large-lenders-in-2026 dhollier@imfpubs.com There will soon be five separate credit scores applicable to mortgages, with varied ranges and outputs. (Includes data table.) http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238683 Thu, 01 Oct 2026 11:42:38 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238683-how-to-compare-a-bumper-crop-of-credit-scores bivey@imfpubs.com Economists at both Fannie Mae and the MBA project that mortgage rates will average 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Rates started the quarter well above that level with no indications that they’re coming down. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238682 Thu, 01 Oct 2026 11:41:41 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238682-interest-rates-on-mortgages-blowing-past-projections bivey@imfpubs.com Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of Realtors, pegs 7% interest rate as “the new normal.” http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238623 Thu, 24 Sep 2026 11:59:16 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238623-lenders-brace-for-interest-rates-even-higher-for-longer dhollier@imfpubs.com Lenders expect confusion if the GSEs haven’t implemented FICO 10T before FHA allows for use of the score in January. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238611 Thu, 24 Sep 2026 11:57:19 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238611-fha-leapfrogs-gse-credit-score-timeline jdohnert@imfpubs.com Rising interest rates and a slowdown in originations this year have led to a number of layoffs in the mortgage sector. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238622 Thu, 24 Sep 2026 11:55:23 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238622-mortgage-employment-declines-as-lenders-struggle jdohnert@imfpubs.com Homebuilders are continuing to turn to incentives, such as buydowns, to attract more buyers in a competitive real estate market. http://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238616 Thu, 24 Sep 2026 11:52:29 -0400 https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/238616-homebuilders-challenged-by-affordability-rebounding-resale-market