The major mortgage backers, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, have recently curtailed publication of several of their longstanding public housing-market surveys and economic forecasts. This marks a sharp shift away from a history of openly sharing data that many lenders, analysts, and policymakers have relied on to gauge market sentiment and make informed decisions.
Several of the largest U.S. real estate platforms are predicting that mortgage rates will see minimal movement in 2026, maintaining a pattern of stability rather than dramatic shifts. Despite hopes for a significant drop, most forecasts suggest rates will remain anchored in the low-6% range throughout the year.
As mortgage rates have dipped recently, refinancing activity has surged — and servicers are holding onto more of those refinanced loans than at any time in the past three and a half years. According to Q3 2025 data from ICE Mortgage Technology, refinance-loan retention rose to 28%, the highest figure recorded since early 2022.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has announced that the baseline conforming loan limit (CLL) for one-unit properties will increase to $832,750 in 2026, up from $806,500 in 2025. This adjustment reflects the annual rise in U.S. home prices. The increase is mandated by the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA), which requires that the loan limits be recalculated each year based on the change in the national average home price.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has announced that the loan‑purchase cap for multifamily mortgages for each of its regulated entities — Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — will be $88 billion in 2026, marking a combined cap of $176 billion for both enterprises. This represents a significant increase from 2025, when the cap for each entity was set at $73 billion (combined $146 billion). The increase is more than 20 percent year‑over‑year.
I just had a short sale approved through Equator in about 30 days and we will probably close it in about 60 days. This is just beautiful! The seller is happy, the buyer is happy and I am happy. It was easy to execute, everybody was aware of the status at all times, when something was needed, it was posted and we jumped to get it addressed.
ail Foster
I just had a short sale approved through Equator in about 30 days and we will probably close it in about 60 days. This is just beautiful! The seller is happy, the buyer is happy and I am happy. It was easy to execute, everybody was aware of the status at all times, when something was needed, it was posted and we jumped to get it addressed.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
The Housing Sales numbers for July are out and the stock market lost 134 points today because they were miserable. The lowest monthly home sales since 1999. We aren’t moving forward, we are moving backwards. It is time for some creative thinking so that we can begin to put the housing market on firm footing.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
Rushing when assembling our loan files in addition to rushing as we submit them to underwriting is quite common these days with the major decline in interest rates but it’s important we don’t overlook the little details of importance that can lead to stupid mistakes, unnecessary conditions and cost us even more valuable time in the overall loan process.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
I am sure that most of you realize that I am not a big fan of anything. I determine to be inefficient, cumbersome, pointless or just generally a waste of time and based on previous blogs I know that everyone understands that the entire concept of HVCC among various other things, is at the very least, all of these things.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
Right now we all have much to be grateful for. Record low interest rates have brought us record numbers of refinances which are boosting business for all of us in the industry. But while business is plentiful, so also can be the frustrations that come along with it. When times are as busy as they are right now, it’s important we all think ahead and do our part to make the processes as smooth as possible from the point of loan application all the way through settlement.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
I’ve told a horror story or two about some of my customer’s experiences with lenders. The reason we have horror stories is because most people have no idea how to choose a lender. Most use origination points and interest rate as criteria for making their choice but this doesn’t reflect a lender’s ability to close a loan smoothly, with finesse and good customer service.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
If there is one thing most production staff will unanimously agree on, it would be that loan originators never collect sufficient documentation when originating a loan. Forget the compliance errors, never signing and dating the initial 1003 or even having the borrower do it, it just seems that loan officers are so busy selling the deal that they sometimes neglect to collect or even request the information that processors need to get the deal into underwriting.
sometimes neglect to collect or even request the information that processors need to get the deal into underwriting.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
In a recent meeting of the minds we determined that our closing and funding departments have been seeing an increasing number of doc correction requirements come through in regards to PUD properties. So we posed the question- What makes a PUD a real PUD? What should we refer to as our determining factor on a potential PUD property?
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
Economic times are difficult. Home sales are down. There are many sellers and few buyers. In fact, when you discuss the opportunities for home ownership, most just shake their heads and say they doubt they’ll qualify. We live in the land of opportunity and the American Dream is becoming a nightmare.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
Over the past year or so we have all implemented policies concerning the Home Valuation Code of Conduct which the agencies implemented in April, 2009 with the Federal Housing Administration following suit shortly after.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
Written By: Stacey Sprain
As an FHA originator, processor or underwriter, it’s likely that in the ongoing foreclosure market you’ll run across a HUD REO loan at some point. The purpose of this multi-part article is to provide you with some useful information to help in your endeavors.