Broker and Correspondent Products
NFTYDoor, an end-to-end digital HELOC platform, announced last week it is now operating as a fully independent company, enabling direct partnerships with wholesale brokers and private label correspondents. Brokers are already active on the new structure - submitting applications and closing loans today with no waiting period, supported by NFTYDoor's combination of AI-powered origination and real people on every loan. Key enhancements include minimum FICO reduced from 640 to 600, maximum CLTV increased from 80 to 90 percent, maximum loan amount increased from $500,000 to $750,000, borrower rates reduced by 100+ bps, increased compensation for partners, and a fully embedded no-cost warehouse line for private label partners. Available exclusively to partners contracting directly with NFTYDoor. More at nftydoor.com/home.
“Our mascot is a pig, and there’s a reason: We love a Piggyback! Our Piggyback HELOC 2nd can close simultaneously with a 1st mortgage purchase or refinance. Our Post Close Piggyback HELOC can be submitted to Symmetry within 120 days after the 1st mortgage closes. Why should you use the Symmetry Piggyback? You can break up a Jumbo loan into two loans and have the 1st mortgage follow conventional guidelines. Our HELOC can go up to 89.99 percent CLTV on a 2nd lien primary residence up to $500k line amount. We have interest-only minimum payments during the draw period (plus annual fee) with no prepayment penalty or EPO. Lastly, our Piggybacks can utilize most of the same documentation as the 1st mortgage, including an appraisal. Call your Symmetry Area Manager today to run through scenarios!”
Ready to move your mortgage business forward? Connect with Western Alliance Bank’s Specialized Mortgage Services Group and AmeriHome Mortgage, a wholly owned subsidiary of the bank, at MBA’s Secondary & Capital Markets Conference, May 17-20 in New York. Western Alliance Bank, Member FDIC, and its Specialized Mortgage Services Group have a proven legacy of over 16 years of innovative solutions and white-glove service, customized to client needs. Tailored solutions include mortgage warehouse lending, MSR financing, note financing, customized cash management tools, corporate credit cards and a whole loan trading desk focused on purchasing scratch & dent loans (send bid requests to SnD@westernalliancebank.com), all designed to optimize your operations. The Western Alliance team is excited to discuss how they can make a difference for your mortgage business. Reach out to schedule a time to learn how their experienced bankers can enhance your business.
Lender and Broker Products and Services
“What if you could scale your non-QM without hiring? ClearEdge Lending Non-Delegated gives your organization full banker margins, complete brand control, while we handle credit risk, deal desk support, and same-day scenario answers on non-delegated non-QM. No broker comp constraints. Close and fund under your name and leverage our underwriting, processing, and capital markets infrastructure without adding headcount. Non-QM flexibility. Aggressive pricing. Don’t forget to ask us about the superior pricing versus brokering loans. Let’s talk about your non-delegated strategy. Contact Matt Shaw or visit here.”
Credit risk management is changing, and fast. Static reports are no longer enough when borrower conditions can shift overnight. Lenders need insight they can act on in the moment, not after the fact. That’s where CIC Credit comes in. By delivering real-time credit data through cloud-based platforms and API integrations, CIC helps lenders stay closer to what’s actually happening across their portfolios. Instead of pulling reports and reacting later, teams can monitor activity as it evolves, flag changes early, and make more confident decisions. It’s a simpler, more direct way to manage risk in a more complex environment. For lenders looking to modernize their approach, the shift doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It starts with getting the right data in the right place at the right time. Visit www.ciccredit.com or call 615-386-2282 to learn more.
Lenders are responsible for staying up to date on hundreds, if not thousands, of fees at the federal, state, and local level. Managing changes to these fees can be difficult without the right tools in place, and disclosing inaccurate fees at closing can result in costly compliance errors and borrower distrust. If fee management is a challenge for your organization, ICE Fee Solutions helps streamline fee management and tax data procurement during loan origination and simplifies the closing process by providing a single source to manage all fees required for the Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure forms. With integrated compliance checks and near-real-time updates, you can reduce costly errors, improve borrower transparency, and keep your loans moving forward. Explore how ICE Fee Solutions can help you manage fees with confidence.
How long does a mortgage LOS upgrade really take? MeridianLink® Mortgage answers that question, plus what to prioritize and how to avoid missteps, in a live webinar on Wednesday, May 6 at 11AM PT (2PM ET). Register here. The decisions you make about upgrading your mortgage technology and which solutions you choose will shape your business for years. Wait too long or settle for a stagnant system and you’ll
“Stay Ahead of the MERS Annual Review Deadline with Clayton. If your organization serviced 1,000 or more MERS loans as of March 31st, you are required to complete an Annual Review with a qualified third-party vendor by December 31st. Missing this deadline can result in steep fines or even suspension from the MERS system. Clayton Servicing Oversight is your trusted partner for this compliance process. With deep expertise and proven experience, our team ensures your review is conducted efficiently, accurately and in full compliance with MERS requirements. We help you avoid risk while giving you confidence that your operations are protected. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Engage with Clayton now and get the help you need before the year-end deadline.”
Mortgage lenders know they need automation and AI, but most are doing it wrong. JazzX can help. Most mortgage automation and AI tools today focus on individual tasks, not the full loan process. Basic tools may eliminate small inefficiencies, but they rarely lower cost per loan or accelerate credit decisions at scale. JazzX AI delivers true end-to-end intelligent automation with digital assistants that work alongside your existing LOS, streamlining operations across the loan lifecycle to lower costs, accelerate decisions, and improve quality without adding headcount. Want to learn more? Book a demo with the JazzX team.
Less back-and-forth. More first-time-right verifications. Truework replaces manual verification waterfalls with a single automated platform, so underwriters, LOs, and ops can cut down the document chasing, conflicting numbers, and last-minute corrections. Lenders see up to 50 percent cost savings on verifications, with faster turn times, higher accuracy, and stronger R&W relief. Trusted by top lenders in the U.S., Truework gives your team verification results they can rely on. Learn more.
If Your CRM Isn’t Enhancing Relationships in 2026, What Is It Doing? Technology was never meant to replace the loan officer. It should make great originators better. In 2026, relationship technology should do more than store contacts and automate touches. It should help lenders stay present, identify opportunities, and strengthen referral relationships. Usherpa’s 2025 benchmarks, with customer and business partner engagement around 48 percent, suggest borrowers and partners still respond to relevant communication. That is not automation replacing human connection; it is technology enhancing it. In a market where repeat business matters, the conversation shifts from whether to use these tools to whether they are leveraged. Lenders relying on static CRMs may be solving yesterday’s problem. If technology is not helping loan officers deepen relationships and work smarter, it may be time to ask whether the right technology is in place.
If you think AI seems like a flood for lenders, you’re not alone. All their vendors are adding AI to existing systems, there’s a whole crop of new AI-native systems, and AI itself is moving so fast, it’s reinventing what’s possible in the tech stack every few months. Not to worry: tomorrow’s Chrisman Podcast has answers. Robbie and Tim Von Kaenel run down how to help lenders navigate all of this. Spoiler alert: it’s not just more software. You’ll want to listen to this one, and please let us know what you think.
The Chrisman Marketplace is a centralized hub for vendors and service providers across the mortgage industry to be viewed by lenders in a very cost-effective manner. We’re adding new providers daily, so check back often to see what’s new. To reserve your place or learn more, contact us at info@chrismancommentary.com.
STRATMOR’s Consumer Direct Workshop
Consumer Direct isn’t getting any easier. Between tighter margins, more informed borrowers, and relentless competition, lenders are being forced to rethink what actually drives performance. That’s exactly the focus of STRATMOR’s upcoming Consumer Direct Workshop, where consumer direct mortgage leaders and STRATMOR experts will share what’s working right now, from marketing and conversion to borrower engagement and call center effectiveness. This virtual workshop is for lenders only and will take place May 19-20, 2026. Split into two, 90-minute sessions, it’s a candid, data-driven workshop (and one of STRATMOR’s most popular events), with plenty of practical takeaways for lenders looking to sharpen their edge in today’s market. Learn more and register now: https://www.stratmorgroup.com/
Disasters Continue, and Servicers and Investors Act
Hurricanes, stronger and weaker. In 2025 there was just one named storm, Hurricane Imelda, which came in as a “moderate” hurricane or around a Category 1, 2 or 3 storm, with eight storms maxing out as tropical storms and only four events scaling all the way up to major hurricanes. This appears to be part of a trend: Over the 30-year period from 1970 to 1999, about 45 percent of named storms were moderate intensity hurricanes. From 2000 to 2025, just 33 percent of storms ended up as Category 1, 2 or 3 hurricanes, with both the weakest and the strongest storms gaining share. Given that hurricanes are fueled by ocean heat and fed by certain atmospheric conditions to facilitate intensification, concerns are that the conditions supporting a “moderate” hurricane are becoming more uncommon, meaning those storms will either be supercharged or dispelled. (Who says that I only read the National Enquirer?)
FEMA still exists, and its announcements set policy and procedure changes through our industry. We have DR-4899-MS, DR-4898-TN, DR-4906-WA, and DR-4909-HI.
On April 10, 2026, with Amendment No. 3 to DR-4899 FEMA declared that federal disaster aid with individual assistance has been made available to thirty-six counties in Mississippi to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by a severe winter storm from January 23, 2026, to January 27, 2026. See AmeriHome Mortgage’s 20260406-CL Disaster Announcement for inspection requirements.
On 4/10/2026, with DR-4898, FEMA declared federal disaster aid with individual assistance to twenty-nine Tennessee counties affected by a severe winter storm from 1/22/2026, to 1/27/2026. See AmeriHome Mortgage’s 20260405-CL Disaster Announcement for inspection requirements.
On 4/7/2026, with DR-4906, FEMA declared federal disaster aid with individual assistance to ten Washington counties. View AmeriHome Mortgage’s 20260404-CL Disaster Announcement for inspection requirements.
On 4/7/2026, with DR-4909, FEMA declared federal disaster aid with individual assistance to three counties in Hawaii from 3/10/2026, to 3/24/2026. See AmeriHome Mortgage’s 20260407-CL Disaster Announcement for inspection requirements.
Onity Mortgage posted a Disaster Announcement regarding FEMA’s declaration, for Mississippi DR-4899, Tennessee DR-4898, Washington DR-4906, and updated miscellaneous entries with monitoring end dates on/or before October 13, 2025, that were removed.
Onity Mortgage posted a Disaster Announcement regarding FEMA’s declaration for Hawaii, DR-4909, and updated miscellaneous entries with monitoring end dates on/or before October 17, 2025, were removed.
Capital Markets
The main driver of sentiment is clearly the stalled diplomacy over reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices have surged as tensions between the U.S. and Iran raise the risk of prolonged supply disruptions and broader global economic strain. Accordingly, U.S. Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities of most types pulled back (rates rose) for the second consecutive day yesterday; the long bond outperformed, while shorter duration securities led the weakness.
Data, as has been the case lately, painted a mixed but generally steady picture of the economy: consumer confidence unexpectedly improved in April, supported by stronger perceptions of the labor market and income prospects, even as housing data showed signs of cooling, with home price growth slowing and federal price measures coming in flat month over month. Treasury’s $44 billion 7-year note auction saw weaker demand than usual, meaning investors required a higher yield to buy the debt, a sign of softer appetite. When demand at these auctions is lukewarm, borrowing costs rise and bond prices fall, which can ripple through broader financial markets.
The Federal Reserve is expected to hold rates steady at the conclusion of its two-day meeting today, while continuing to “monitor evolving conditions.” Markets have settled into a relatively stable view of U.S. monetary policy, with minimal rate cuts priced through 2026 and a broad expectation that the next move by the Federal Reserve will eventually be easing, not tightening. Moderate economic growth, stable unemployment, and inflation expected to gradually return to target as temporary pressures from energy and trade policies fade are all causes for cautious optimism. Still, geopolitical developments could trigger broader supply shocks that could both raise inflation and slow growth.
While the potential arrival of Kevin Warsh could marginally shift the internal policy debate, any move toward easing would likely require clearer signs of economic weakening, leaving the Fed on hold at least through the summer. The key question is whether higher energy costs translate into sustained inflation pressures or simply act as a drag on consumption; for now, markets appear to be betting on resilience in growth and only limited inflation pass-through, even as oil prices continue to drive short-term rate movements.
Today’s economic calendar kicked off with mortgage applications from MBA, which slipped 1.6 percent last week as a modest uptick in 30-year mortgage rates to 6.37 percent weighed on activity. Refinances fell 4 percent week-over-week, though remain well above year-ago levels. In contrast, purchase demand showed resilience, rising modestly week over week and posting strong annual gains, suggesting underlying housing demand remains intact despite higher borrowing costs. We’ve also received February and March Housing Starts (1.36 million and 1.50 million) and Building Permits (1.54 million, 1.37 million), March Durable Orders (0.8 percent, well above expectations), and March advance indicators. Later today brings February and March New Home Sales (prior 587k), the increasingly relevant weekly crude oil inventories, and the aforementioned April FOMC Decision. We begin Fed decision day with Agency MBS prices slightly worse than yesterday, the 2-year yielding 3.87, and the 10-year yielding 4.37 after closing yesterday at 4.35 percent.
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