Redfin, Seattle, released a new study finding that 23.8% of Gen Z or millennials who recently bought a home used some form of family money to help fund their down payment.
Category: News and Trends
MISMO Publishes Updated eVault Standards and SMART Doc Validation Rules
MISMO, the real estate finance industry’s standards organization, published revisions to the eVault Standards and SMART Doc Validation Rules. This standard increases interoperability and trust between partners trading eNotes.
Chart of the Week: Selected Indexes of Housing Costs
The elevated cost burden of purchasing a new home since interest rates rose precipitously in 2022, has continued through mid-2025.
Servicing Quote of the Week
“Our organizations stand ready to partner with the GSEs to resolve these questions quickly. Strong and fast collaboration between GSEs and industry stakeholders will be necessary to realize the vision of true competition for credit scores and lower costs for consumers.”
–The Mortgage Bankers Association, American Bankers Association, Housing Policy Council and Structured Finance Association joint statement on the FHFA recent announcement on credit scores
The Hidden Risk Lurking Between Closing and Servicing Transfer
Blue Sage Solutions’ David Aach discusses a critical but often overlooked phase between the celebratory handshake and the loan’s transfer to a permanent servicer: interim servicing.
Cotality: Taxes, Insurance Appear to Drive Some Increase in Serious Delinquencies
Cotality, Irvine, Calif., released a new report analyzing the effects of property taxes and insurance in states seeing upticks in serious mortgage delinquencies.
ALTA: Title Insurance Premium Volume Increases
Title insurance premium volume increased 15.6% between first-quarter 2024 and first-quarter 2025, the American Land Title Association reported.
Remodeling Market Sentiment Dips
Most remodelers continue to express positive sentiment, but some report slowing activity, the NAHB/Westlake Royal Remodeling Market Index found.
Chart of the Week: Average Wage Growth for Job Stayers Vs. Switchers
Given the current economic uncertainty, a lot of attention is being paid to the health of the labor market. Overall, it is fair to say that the job market is still healthy but continues to weaken. Based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Situation report, job growth came in at 147,000 in June, matching the average pace for the past year. The unemployment rate remained steady at 4.1%, but the participation rate dropped again, as workers continued to leave the workforce.
Joint Trades Press Statement on FHFA Announcement on Credit Scores
The Mortgage Bankers Association, American Bankers Association, Housing Policy Council and Structured Finance Association released a joint statement on the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) recent announcement on credit scores.