News Center — page 2
Guides, reference pages and industry updates for mortgage professionals, from the company that pioneered rapid rescoring in 1997.
Older posts — page 2
GuideWhat Is Form 4506-C? A Lender's Guide to IRS Transcripts
What IRS Form 4506-C does, how lenders use it to verify income through IVES, and the errors that most often get a request rejected.
GuideTradelines in Mortgage Underwriting: A Lender's Guide
How tradelines shape a borrower's mortgage credit scores, what underwriters look for, and when a rescore can update them before closing.
GuideWho Pays for the Mortgage Credit Report?
On most files the lender absorbs the credit report cost, and repeated bureau increases make that sting, especially on applications that never close. Borrower-paid ordering moves the cost to the borrower, handles the consent and disclosures at both ends, and lets lenders pre-qualify with a low-cost soft pull first. Here is how SmartPay works.
UpdateCredit report costs keep rising. Practical ways originators are managing them.
Credit report costs have climbed for years, and you can't control what the bureaus charge. You can control how and when those costs hit your pipeline. Practical approaches originators are using to manage the spend.
GuideWhat Is a Rapid Rescore? A Guide for Mortgage Lenders
A rapid rescore updates corrected credit data in days so a lender can requalify a borrower on the new score. How it works and who orders it.
UpdateThe New Center: How Smart Lenders Are Navigating the 2026 Credit & Market Shakeup
Rising credit costs, scoring model upheaval, trigger lead restrictions, and a fragile housing market are converging in 2026. Here is how lenders can find stable ground.
GuideHow Rising Credit Report Costs Affect Community Bank Lending
Credit report costs continue climbing for community banks, squeezing margins and forcing difficult decisions. Understanding the impact helps lenders develop strategies to maintain profitability while serving their markets effectively.
UpdateWhat Lenders Need to Know About the 2026 HMDA Reporting Changes
The only Regulation C change effective in 2026 is the asset size exemption threshold rising to $59 million. No data points were added. Here is what actually changed, who has to report, and where the widely repeated 2026 claims come from.
GuideHow Tri-Merge Reports Work: Merge Logic and the Middle Score
How a tri-merge report combines three bureau files, handles duplicates and selects the middle score, and where lenders find room to improve a score.
UpdateWhat Community Banks Need to Know About the 2026 Mortgage Compliance Reforms
The March 2026 executive order directing CFPB to reduce mortgage compliance burdens for community banks could reshape lending for smaller institutions. Learn what's changing with TRID, QM safe harbor, HMDA reporting, and ATR rules—and how to prepare your institution for implementation.
UpdateCrypto and Mortgage Qualification: What Fannie Mae's Rules Actually Say
Fannie Mae has not started accepting crypto-backed mortgages. Selling Guide B3-4.1-04 has permitted virtual currency since May 2022, once converted to U.S. dollars, and still does. Here is what the rule says and what the Better and Coinbase product actually is.
UpdateNavigating the 2026 Mortgage Compliance Landscape: What Lenders Need to Know
New FCRA restrictions on trigger leads, updated HMDA thresholds, and a shift toward effectiveness-based compliance evaluation. Here's what mortgage lenders need to know about 2026's regulatory changes.
