How about those junk emails that start off with, “I’m not going to waste your time.” It already wasted my time. Is it a waste of time paying attention to what government officials say, or schedules that they give? Trelix’s Brett Parker noted, “Last year some in the industry were saying, ‘Stay alive until ‘25’ but now it could be ‘Stay in the mix until ‘26’.” Last week, no sooner did FHFA Director Bill Pulte say that 2026 could very well be the year that serious strides are made toward privatizing Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae (i.e., removing them from their 2008 conservatorship status) than a day or two later Donald Trump said that plans are underway. The “Oh, that’s just Trump being Trump” doesn’t quite fly in this case, given the Agencies role in the U.S. housing market and trillions of dollars of outstanding mortgage-backed securities. (More below.) (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s is sponsored by Calque. Calque provides a binding backup offer on your borrower’s departing residence to clear the existing mortgage balance and closing costs in 48 business hours or less. And it costs less than other buy before you sell solutions. Hear an interview with Closed Title’s Kaylin Edwards on being a young person in the industry, what it’s like working on the escrow side of things, and the latest in the title space.) Software, Products, and Services for Lenders and Brokers Join ICE today for its monthly Mortgage Monitor webinar where you’ll gain critical insights into U.S. housing and mortgage market trends. The information presented in this preeminent, widely attended monthly webinar is based on the most current data available from ICE’s vast mortgage, housing, and property data assets, including the largest servicer-contributed loan-level database in the industry. Learn how borrower demand, housing affordability, interest rates, available equity, and other factors may impact your lending strategies. Register for the complimentary webinar which will be hosted today from 2 – 3 p.m. ET.