A Federal Housing Finance Agency report suggests it should have more authority over companies that work with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The RIA technology platform builds on its acquisition of AI-powered liability-optimization fintech Sora Finance last year.

In an interview at ICE Mortgage Technology’s annual conference, Bob Broeksmit also expressed skepticism of market dominance among just a few large lenders.

RATE 2026-J1 has a seasoned probability of default of 6.4% and 1.3% on the ‘AAA’ and ‘B’ rating stress levels, respectively.

The private investment firm Oksenholt Capital Management holds over 1 million shares of the government-sponsored enterprises’ stock, but said that’s a small portion of its total portfolio.

Products, Services, and Software for Brokers and Lenders The average person makes more than 35,000 decisions a day. Most are inconsequential: coffee or tea, paper or plastic. For mortgage capital markets teams, whose decisions shape pricing, execution quality, and risk exposure, the stakes are much higher. Fortunately, a new independent analysis from MarketWise Advisors shows Optimal Blue helps lenders make those decisions more accurately and efficiently. Lenders using Optimal Blue report an average net financial benefit of $1,006 per loan. The study also found nearly 45 percent greater operational capacity and a median 1,193 percent ROI for PPE clients, with results consistent across hundreds of customers spanning banks, credit unions, and IMBs. Turns out some decisions add up faster than others. Read the findings. Independent mortgage bankers may be leaving money on the table, but a smarter accounts payable process can help reclaim it. Western Alliance Bank’s commercial credit card program automates AP, spending, and travel and expense management, saving time, increasing accuracy, and even generating revenue share. Robust reporting and fast reconciliation also free up staff hours for higher-value tasks. As Chris Martin, director of treasury management sales for Western Alliance Bank’s Specialized Mortgage Services Group, explains in this article, reevaluating legacy workflows can improve visibility and reduce operational friction. The Western Alliance team brings 16+ years of experience in the mortgage sector, offering warehouse lending, MSR financing, note financing, customized cash management tools and a whole loan trading desk focused on purchasing scratch & dent loans (send bid requests to SnD@westernalliancebank.com). With tailored solutions, advanced analytics and strong fraud protection, Western Alliance Bank, Member FDIC, helps IMBs improve margins and operate more efficiently.

It was a fairly uneventful day for mortgage rates, but also a fairly decent one. The underlying bond market made modest gains even without meaningful cues from oil prices. Lately, oil price volatility has been the most visible motivation for bonds and, thus, interest rates. After cresting 6.40% last week, the MND 30yr fixed rate index is back below 6.30% today, albeit just barely (6.29% for top tier 30yr fixed rates at the average lender). Looking ahead, tomorrow afternoon brings the latest Fed announcement. The market has conclusively decided there will be no rate cut. Even if the opposite were true, there would be no implication for mortgage rates (because the Fed doesn’t dictate mortgage rates). Nonetheless, Fed days can still cause volatility in rates, for better or worse. In tomorrow’s case, any impact from the Fed should be smaller than it otherwise would have been due to the market’s preoccupation with geopolitical influences.

Sleepy Pre-Fed Day, But Slightly Stronger

Bonds did something they haven’t done in almost 3 weeks today. They closed at stronger levels for the second consecutive day. The last time that happened was February 27th at the end of the impressive month-long rally. While today was stronger, it wasn’t exactly impressive (or event that interesting). The most notable development was the fact that bonds rallied despite slightly higher oil prices. This is the opposite dynamic from certain moments last week where bonds underperformed a 1:1 correlation with oil. 

Econ Data / Events

NY Fed manufacturing

-0.2 vs 3.2 f’cast, 7.1 prev

Market Movement Recap

08:27 AM initially weaker overnight, then steadily stronger. MBS up 3 ticks (.09) and 10yr down 1bp at 4.21

12:32 PM Near best levels. MBS up 5 ticks (.16) and 10yr down 3bps at 4.19

02:48 PM Off best levels. MBS up 3 ticks (.09) and 10yr down 1.9bps at 4.20

Until the end of the Iran war, bond traders are keeping oil prices on their screens and comparing oil price movement against bond market movement as the first task on the daily checklist. In so doing, we see a bit of outperformance on the part of bonds this morning. While there is solid directional correlation (i.e. yields and oil were moving in the same directions at the same times), bond yields are lower today while oil is still a bit higher. Surprisingly, today’s highest minute of volume happened with the 8:15am ADP data which showed its biggest drop in months. That said, there was not a big reaction in yields. The easiest conclusion for now is that bonds are taking some solace in an absence of big, new surges in oil prices as well as some supportive cues from the 4.30% bounce seen last Friday.

Trump’s mortgage deregulation order drew cautious praise from lenders but alarm from consumer groups, who warn it could recreate pre-2008 financial crisis conditions.