The mortgage industry’s critical defect rate rose sharply in the first quarter as compliance-related issues increased and lenders saw a resurgence in refinance activity, according to ACES Quality Management‘s quarterly Mortgage QC Industry Trends Report, released Tuesday. The overall critical defect rate increased from 1.38% in the fourth quarter of 2025 to 1.71% in the […]

The bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act (ROAD) represents the most significant housing legislation in years. Congress has done its job. Now the hard part begins. Unless it is implemented quickly and effectively, this important legislation risks joining a long list of well-intentioned laws that never fully deliver on their promise. We can’t afford

Over more than four decades of mortgage lending, I have worked with thousands of borrowers who had real income that traditional mortgage programs could not verify. Business owners. Real estate investors. 1099 earners. Retirees with assets. Borrowers who were told they did not qualify — not because they could not afford the loan, but because