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Volume 25 Issue 90

Monday, May 11, 2026

Advocacy Update: MBA Issues MAA Call to Action to Repair Senate Housing Bill

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

115,000 Jobs Added in April; Industry Economists Share Thoughts

The Bureau of Labor Statistics May 8 released employment data for April, reporting 115,000 jobs were added and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.3%.

MCT Finds Refinance Slowdown as Geopolitical Uncertainty Persists

Mortgage Capital Trading, San Diego, said April lock volume reflects a market defined by rate-driven constraints and unresolved geopolitical uncertainty.

MBA VIDEOS

MBA Asks the Expert with Dark Matter: AI and the Workforce – From Doing to Reviewing (sponsored)

MBA Digest: Turn Your Loan Data into Actionable Insights with ICE Business Intelligence (sponsored)

MBA Research Minute

MBA Eye on Washington

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TOP NATIONAL NEWS

Largest Servicers See Declines in Market Share in 1Q
Q1 2026 Earnings for Publicly Traded Mortgage, Real Estate and Homebuilder Companies
AI to Drive 330M Square Feet of New Demand Over Next Decade
REITs Have Lagged. That’s Not the Whole Story.

UPCOMING EVENTS AND NEWS

May 12: 5 Key MISMO Initiatives Impacting Today’s Lenders
Closing the Performance Gap: What Top-Tier Mortgage Lenders Do Differently, May 13
FHA Credit Watch Program: Revisiting Delinquency Trends and Remediation, May 14
State of the Market: Tech Trends Shaping the Future of Mortgage Lending, May 14

Four Characteristics of Modern Homebuyers (sponsored by ServiceLink)

The 2026 ServiceLink State of Homebuying Report uncovers who today’s homebuyers really are and how lenders can best support them.

May 11, 2026

Chart of the Week: Monthly Payroll Growth and Unemployment Rates

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Based on April’s employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there was some positive news on the job market for April, with the unemployment rate steady at 4.3%, employment growth at a solid 115,000, and wage growth picking up to 3.6% at an annual rate.

May 11, 2026

MBA’s Laura Hopkins on the New mPower Visionary Award Program

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mPower, MBA Promoting Opportunities for Women to Extend their Reach, has launched a new award program. Nominations are open for the mPower Visionary Award program, and MBA Senior Vice President Laura Hopkins sat down with MBA NewsLink to share some insights on the new recognition.

May 08, 2026

RentCafe: Rental Competitiveness Cools Slightly

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RentCafe, Santa Barbara, Calif., found the U.S. rental competitiveness score fell from 75.7 to 75.4 in the early part of 2026.

May 08, 2026

Redfin: Half of Americans Don’t Want Data Centers in Their Neighborhoods

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Redfin, Seattle, found 47% of U.S. residents oppose the construction of AI data centers in their neighborhoods. In contrast, 38% say they support it.

May 08, 2026

Report Finds Typical Homeowner Spends Nearly $24,000 Annually on Housing Beyond Mortgage

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The typical homeowner spends nearly $24,000 per year on non-mortgage housing expenses, which adds up to roughly $710,580 over a 30-year mortgage, according to a new report from Clever Real Estate, St. Louis.

May 08, 2026

AI Is Already Influencing Your Loan Decisions. Is Your Governance Keeping Up?

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Ncontracts' Rafael DeLeon says AI is already a part of your lending operations. "In many cases, it’s also inside your vendors’ systems, running quietly in the background of decisions your organization is ultimately responsible for."

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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.
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