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Volume 25 Issue 137

Monday, July 20, 2026

MBA Advocacy Update: Warsh, Vought Hill Hearings Recap; FHFA Proposed Amendment to SCP Regulation; MBA’s VA Recommendations to Modernize Handbook; more

This week’s top legislative and policy news from the Mortgage Bankers Association.

MCT Reports Lock Volume Softens in June as Rate Incentive Fades

Total lock volume declined 2.88% on a month-over-month basis in June, according to Mortgage Capital Trading, San Diego.

Minimum-Wage Workers Outpriced for Rentals in All Major U.S. Cities

Best Interest Financial, St. Clair, Mich., and Clever Real Estate, St. Louis, released a new study finding that a single minimum-wage worker would not be able to afford the rent for a one-bedroom unit in any of the country’s 50 largest metros.

MBA VIDEOS

mPower Moments: On Building a Career Through Passion with MMLA’s Joanne Misuraca

mPower Moments: On Building a Career Through Passion with MMLA’s Joanne Misuraca

MBA Opens Doors' Deb Dubois on Reaching the 20,000-Family Milestone

MBA Opens Doors' Deb Dubois on Reaching the 20,000-Family Milestone

MBA Research Minute

MBA Research Minute

MBA Eye on Washington

MBA Eye on Washington

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TOP NATIONAL NEWS

Mortgage Rates Jump to the Highest Level of 2026
Nonbank Share of Agency Servicing Up Again in 2Q
US Single-Family Housing Starts Fall; Building Permits Lowest in 10 Months

UPCOMING EVENTS AND NEWS

UAD 3.6 Office Hours Part II, July 20
MISMO Boot Camp Online, July 20-21
July 23: State Regulators are Preparing for the Mortgage Compliance Dataset. Is your IMB Ready?

Cotality: Single-Family Rent Growth Sees Some Momentum

Cotality, Irvine, Calif., released its single-family rent index for May, finding that rent prices increased by 1.3% year-over-year.

July 17, 2026

First-Time Buyers Account for Nearly Half of Purchase Mortgages, Newrez Reports

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Homeownership remains part of the American Dream, even as the path to achieving it evolves, according to Newrez, Fort Washington, Pa.

July 20, 2026

Chart of the Week: Median First-Time Homebuyer Age

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First-time homebuyers are an incredibly important group to the housing market, particularly given the lock-in effect, which is causing many older homeowners to forego moves.

July 17, 2026

MISMO Fall Summit, Aug. 24-27

Join MISMO Aug. 24-27 in Reston, Va., for the MISMO Fall Summit. A video livestream is available.

July 17, 2026

EquityProtect: Q2 Sees New Deed Theft Laws in Three States

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EquityProtect, Reno, Nev., released its Q2 Property Protection Scorecard, finding that three states enacted dedicated deed theft laws.

July 17, 2026

MBA Path to Opportunity Scholar Profile: Maria Villanueva

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Every scholarship tells a story. Through our Lift as You Climb campaign, we’re featuring Path to Opportunity Scholarship recipients whose experiences show how access to education creates lasting opportunity and inspires others to pay it forward.

July 16, 2026

MISMO Enhances SMART Doc Implementation Guide to Support Secure, Digital Mortgage Processes

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MISMO released an updated version of the SMART Doc 1.02 Implementation Guide, a comprehensive resource that provides business, operational, and technical guidance for implementing electronic mortgage documents, including eNotes, throughout the mortgage lifecycle.

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One Voice. One Vision. One Resource. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) is the national association representing the entire real estate finance industry. For more information visit us at our website.
President and CEO: Robert Broeksmit, CMB
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Editor: Michael Tucker | 202/557-2851
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