Mortgage Insights

Plain-English guidance on rates, home buying, and refinancing from the The Lending Stars team.

Housing Industry News

Home equity emerges as a generational growth strategy for originators

Apr 25, 2026 · 7:00 AM HW Media Content Studio HousingWire

With refinance activity constrained and purchase volume under pressure, lenders are being forced to rethink their sustainable growth plans. The answer is…

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Housing Industry News

Pritzker’s honor: Illinois housing reform fight intensifies

Apr 24, 2026 · 9:17 PM Richard Lawson HousingWire

The fight over Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s sweeping housing reform agenda is intensifying as both sides harden their positions. Supporters and detractors…

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Housing Industry News

PulteGroup targets margin stability through an upward mix shift

Apr 24, 2026 · 8:59 PM Tyler Williams HousingWire

Confronting heavier incentives, price cuts, tepid demand and margin pressure, PulteGroup opened the year with a mix-shift pivot that leans more heavily on…

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Housing Industry News

Meritage Q1 2026 shows why incentives are the new battlefield

Apr 24, 2026 · 8:32 PM John McManus HousingWire

The mid-spring earnings cycle has produced a common-language reality check for America’s public homebuilders: the operating backdrop worsened faster than…

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Housing Industry News

First-time homebuyer’s shrinking presence — what it means for real estate agents

Apr 24, 2026 · 8:04 PM Jonathan Delozier HousingWire

The share of first-time homebuyers has fallen to 21% of all transactions — the lowest level since the National Association of Realtors (NAR) began tracking…

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Housing Industry News

First-time homebuyers’ shrinking presence — what it means for real estate agents

Apr 24, 2026 · 8:04 PM Jonathan Delozier HousingWire

The share of first-time homebuyers has fallen to 21% of all transactions — the lowest level since the National Association of Realtors (NAR) began tracking…

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Housing Industry News

NYC launches new unit to combat deed theft

Apr 24, 2026 · 7:41 PM HousingWire Automation HousingWire

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has created the Office of Deed Theft Prevention , a new unit housed in the Department of Finance to coordinate citywide…

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Mortgage Rate News

Rates End Week Close Enough to Recent Lows

Apr 24, 2026 · 7:31 PM Matthew Graham Mortgage News Daily

With zero change versus Thursday's latest levels, the 30yr fixed mortgage rate index maintained a 0.03% range for the entire week (and 0.04% going back to…

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Housing Industry News

SoFi rolls out end-to-end digital HELOC experience, advisory council

Apr 24, 2026 · 7:14 PM Sarah Wolak HousingWire

SoFi Technologies this week unveiled a new fully digital home equity line of credit ( HELOC ) experience, expanding its push into mortgages as more…

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Housing Industry News

Powell is done. Will Warsh help with mortgage rates?

Apr 24, 2026 · 6:56 PM Logan Mohtashami HousingWire

Jerome Powell’s tenure as Federal Reserve chair is coming to an end as the Department of Justice (DOJ) has ended its investigation of alleged cost overruns…

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