The Mortgage Bankers Association sent a letter to House Financial Services Committee Chair French Hill (R-AR) and Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA) ahead of a markup on the bipartisan housing package.
Category: News and Trends
Unemployment Rate Rises; Industry Economists Weigh in on Latest Jobs Data
The delayed report released Dec. 16 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed 64,000 jobs were added in November, with the unemployment rate up slightly to 4.6%.
Perks Marketplace: A New Benefit for MBA Members
Your Mortgage Bankers Association membership gets you access to discounts and offerings on our exclusive benefits platform, Perks Marketplace.
Dealmaker: Draper & Kramer Commercial Finance Group Closes $54M for Chicago Hotel Acquisition
Draper & Kramer Commercial Finance Group, Chicago, arranged a $54 million loan on behalf of Vinayaka Hospitality for the acquisition of the Westin Michigan Avenue.
MBA: November New Home Purchase Mortgage Applications Increased 3.1%
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Builder Application Survey (BAS) data for November 2025 shows mortgage applications for new home purchases increased 3.1% from a year ago. Compared to October 2025, applications decreased by 7%. This change does not include any adjustment for typical seasonal patterns.
Fannie Mae Updates HomeStyle Renovation Program; Lowers Completion Threshold
In another win for lenders and borrowers, Fannie Mae recently updated the HomeStyle Renovation mortgage program by improving upfront disbursement flexibility, allowing lenders to release up to 50% of renovation funds at closing.
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.