In another win for both lenders and borrowers, Fannie Mae recently updated the HomeStyle Renovation mortgage program by lowering the completion threshold to 50%.
Category: News and Trends
Advocacy Update: MBA Calls on FHFA to Replace Tri-Merge with Single Report for Lower Risk Borrowers
On Friday evening, MBA sent a letter to Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte asking his agency to direct Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to allow lenders the option to use a single credit report from one national credit repository for borrowers if the initial report shows a credit score of at least 700, rather than requiring a tri-merge report from every borrower.
Industry Briefs, Dec. 16, 2025
Industry news from Rocktop Technologies, Bron, Equifax, ACES Quality Management, First American Data & Analytics, MeridianLink, FirstClose and Stewart Lender Services.
Advocacy Update: Executive Order on National AI Regulation Standard; Fed Cuts Rates Again; More
This week’s top legislative and policy news from the Mortgage Bankers Association.
NewsLink Q&A With KBRA: 2026 U.S. CMBS Outlook
MBA NewsLink recently interviewed Kroll Bond Rating Agency’s Larry Kay and Aryansh Agrawal about their 2026 commercial mortgage-backed securities outlook.
ATTOM: Home Flipping ROI, Activity Drop
ATTOM, Irvine, Calif., released its analysis of home flipping in the third quarter, finding that 72,217 single-family homes and condos were flipped in the period. That accounts for 6.8% of home sales.
Realtor.com Predicts Top Housing Markets for 2026
Realtor.com, Santa Clara, Calif., has released a forecast breaking down the hottest markets for 2026, almost all in the Northeast and Midwest.
MBA Committees and Councils
Share your unique perspective and lend your voice to the collective power of the mortgage banking community by serving on an MBA committee, council or working group.
Chart of the Week: Potential Trajectories of Multifamily Completions
Developers have been building many apartment units over the past several years. We expect the pace of development to slow in the years ahead, given declining fundamentals including falling rents, rising vacancies, and increasing delinquencies in the multifamily sector.
Clever Offers: 40% of Home Buyers, Sellers Fear Real Estate Market Crash in 2026
40% of Americans planning to buy or sell a home in 2026 say they worry about a potential real estate market crash, while 98% expect challenges when buying or selling next year, according to Clever Offers, St. Louis.