Today’s Homeowners Can’t Afford to Sell
The housing bears have ratcheted up their rhetoric lately, calling for an impeding crash. It’s not a crazy notion with home prices clearly unaffordable and… Read More »Today’s Homeowners Can’t Afford to Sell
The latest real estate and mortgage industry news, digested. Look beyond the headlines to better understand what’s really happening.
I’ve been covering the mortgage industry since 2006, at a time when scores of banks and lenders were closing their doors after some very big boom years.
In fact, you can see my ongoing list of mortgage layoffs and closures if you’re curious just how many companies didn’t survive that period.
Fortunately, the climate has improved considerably since then, despite a big uptick in mortgage rates lately.
This too has led to companies merging or folding entirely, though this time around due to a lack of volume as opposed to an increase in loan defaults.
I strive to write compelling mortgage news stories, whether it’s the top lenders for a given year, a novel mortgage product, new loan limits, or a big policy change.
You can see all my latest mortgage news posts below.
The housing bears have ratcheted up their rhetoric lately, calling for an impeding crash. It’s not a crazy notion with home prices clearly unaffordable and… Read More »Today’s Homeowners Can’t Afford to Sell
Better Mortgage has launched a new product called “Equity Unlocker” to help Amazon employees purchase homes. The innovative loan program allows borrowers to pledge vested… Read More »Better’s ‘Equity Unlocker’ Allows Amazon Employees to Buy Homes with Company Stock
If you’re curious who the top VA loan lenders were last year, wonder no longer. The biggest was Veterans United Home Loans. The Columbia, Missouri-based… Read More »Top VA Loan Lenders in 2022: Veterans United #1 Thanks to Large Home Purchase Share
In an effort to make mortgage costs a little more bearable, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is lowering the VA funding fee. This… Read More »VA Funding Fee Being Reduced for Home Purchases and Cash Out Refis
It feels like déjà vu. Mortgage rates are going up again. What gives? I thought they peaked. Not so fast. The Fed warned us time… Read More »Why Are Mortgage Rates Going Up Again?
There’s been a lot of buzz lately regarding another 2008 housing crisis unfolding in 2023. I’m hearing the phrases underwater mortgage and foreclosure again after… Read More »Why the “It’s the 2008 Housing Crisis All Over Again” Argument Falls Short
The Fed has played a major role in consumer mortgage rates over the past decade and change. Back in 2008, they began purchasing hundreds of… Read More »How the Fed Could Benefit from Lower Mortgage Rates
It used to be that a 720 FICO score was all you needed to ensure you qualified for the lowest rate on a mortgage. At… Read More »Why You May Want a 780+ FICO Score When Applying for a Mortgage
A new survey from U.S. News & World Report found that nearly half of homeowners with adjustable-rate mortgages regret the decision. This is based on… Read More »Nearly Half of Homeowners Regret Their Adjustable-Rate Mortgage
Despite long being the #1 mortgage lender in the country, Wells Fargo has announced plans to shrink its mortgage business. The San Francisco-based bank said… Read More »Wells Fargo to Exit Correspondent, Shrink Mortgage Business, Focus on Bank Clients and Minority Borrowers