Lender and Broker Products, Services, and Software

Your borrower relationship shouldn’t end at the closing table. Homeowners’ financial needs continue long after they get their first mortgage, but the lender relationship often does not. That creates an opportunity for mortgage professionals to support needs throughout the homeowner lifecycle. Finance of America partnered on a white paper that explores why growth may require looking beyond purchase and refinance. Download it to learn how serving the other half of the borrower journey could strengthen customer lifetime value and create growth. Download the white paper. Finance of America | NMLS 2285

The UAD 3.6 policy is now in effect. Even if you’re filing for the UAD 3.6 Policy Exception, your go-forward strategy needs to start now. Use Class Valuation’s hybrid appraisals as your bridge. Their hybrid appraisals follow UAD 3.6 standards: trained property data collectors capture the property details UAD 3.6 requires, giving appraisers the standardized data they need to apply professional judgment and develop an independent opinion of value. On eligible files, hybrid appraisals are about 2 days faster and cost less than a UAD 3.6 traditional appraisal. More than 90 percent of GSE loans qualify. Talk with a specialist about making the switch to UAD 3.6 easier.

“Your AI governance policy is only the beginning. When AI acts inside a mortgage workflow, your team still needs clear answers: Was it authorized? What was it allowed to do? Which authority applied? And where is the proof? Crittora controls AI at the moment it acts. Crittora’s CAAB solution evaluates whether an AI action is within defined authority before it reaches a tool, API, or mortgage system. Crittora Mortgage GSE Governance aligned Packs help turn those decisions into audit-ready proof. Control AI before action. Evidence after action. Less time chasing proof at audit. Crittora is the only AI security company with 100 years of combined mortgage experience. We are FRAME certified by MISMO, and ready to help you move your governance policy to production.”

UAD 3.6 is here, and it brings a new level of complexity to underwriting the appraisal. The report is longer, with many more data points and dynamic sections, so underwriters will spend significantly more time learning the format, and finding what they need, with a higher risk of missing critical issues. Every lender and AMC also needs a new review policy to avoid investor suspenses and repurchases. To help lenders and AMCs prepare, HomeVision is offering a free trial for the next 60 days: run your first UAD 3.6 appraisal reviews through MIRA, HomeVision’s AI-powered underwriting platform, at no cost. No integration required. Upload a report and see a full review in minutes, with flagged issues and clear explanations. Each review applies the UAD 3.6 policy and security standards trusted by the largest lenders, banks, and AMCs in the industry. Start your trial at homevision.co/uad-3-6.

The first agent in the office with a fax machine got teased. The last one without one got left behind. AI tokens and digital wallets are on the same road. NAHREP has launched its own blockchain AI token initiative, federal policy is accelerating adoption, and real estate agents are moving first. When referral partners change how they do business, originators either learn the new language or get lost in translation. Join Sun West CEO Pavan Agarwal and NAHREP Executive Director Jason Riveiro on Tuesday, November 10 at 1PM ET / 10AM PT for “AI Digital Assets Are Here: Is Your Mortgage Business Ready?”, an NMP Webinar covering what AI tokens are, how Angel Wallet works, how to set up your mortgage practice on it, and what NAHREP’s move means for brokers and originators. Register here. The fax machine already knows how this ends.

“Planning for 2027? Start With How Your Business Actually Runs. Every lender is looking for ways to do more with less next year, and the best place to start is understanding what’s happening inside your own operation. At Certified Credit, we take the time to learn how your team orders, where your processes are creating extra costs and what you’re really trying to solve. Then we help you build a setup that fits, with ordering workflows designed around the way you lend, pricing structures built around your priorities and one onshore team supporting the whole file, from credit and verifications to monitoring, fraud and flood. When something needs attention, we pick up, answering more than 90 percent of calls within 30 seconds. Let’s plan for next year together. Contact our team at sales@certifiedcredit.com.”

Agents don’t need another lender. They need one in their corner. In today’s market, agents need buyers, simpler processes, and partners who help them grow. BoomTown is now better than ever for lenders. Inside Real Estate combines BoomTown’s proven buyer-generation platform with Streams Studio, our new AI-powered technology designed to make lender-agent collaboration smarter. Through enriched data, connected systems, automated workflows, and actionable insights, lenders can better support their agent relationships, uncover opportunities, and simplify communication. Add our Home & Money buyer-generation programs, and you have a powerful suite of solutions to support purchase business and strengthen partnerships. Together, these solutions help lenders support buyer generation, simplify the work, and become more valuable partners to agents. With 400,000+ real estate professionals on our platforms, Inside Real Estate understands what agents need, and helps lenders deliver it. Be the lender who brings more to the partnership. See how Inside Real Estate can help.

The next Chrisman Demo Day is November 19 and is a free perk for all Chrisman Marketplace members. If you're a technology or service provider and haven't joined the Marketplace yet, reach out to Chloe Murray at info@chrismancommentary.com to learn more.

The Chrisman Marketplace is a centralized hub for vendors and service providers across the 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.

Correspondent and Broker Products

“Qualified buyers shouldn't have to empty their savings to close. Essex Mortgage offers down payment assistance that opens doors for more buyers and gives them greater security and peace of mind. Instead of using every dollar at closing, buyers may be able to keep a financial cushion for future expenses, unexpected costs, or essentials their new home needs. For mortgage professionals, Essex Mortgage DPA can help qualified FHA buyers become confident homeowners while strengthening their stability from day one. With the right partner, that opportunity is within reach for more buyers. That's where Essex Mortgage comes in. We pride ourselves on being a dependable partner for your long-term success and confidence in the DPA space. Our program includes funding up to 101.5 percent LTV, availability in 49 states, delegated underwriting for fast-tracked closings, all with industry-leading service and consistency. Ready to put DPA to work? Connect with Essex today.”

“Your borrowers have equity. Make sure they come to you when they’re ready to access it.

Our New Bayview HELOC gives you a powerful way to meet your borrowers’ home equity needs while keeping the relationship where it belongs: with you. Through our delegated correspondent offering, you can expand what you offer, retain more borrowers, earn premium, and create opportunities for future referrals. Own the relationship. Retain the borrower. Earn premium. Generate referrals. Keep the relationship. Keep the opportunity. Contact your Bayview sales coverage today to learn more.”

Curinos Data From October

According to Curinos proprietary application index, October 2026 funded mortgage volume decreased 36 percent Y-o-Y and decreased 13 percent M-o-M. In the Retail channel, funded volume decreased 40 percent Y-o-Y and decreased 15 percent M-o-M. The average 30-year conforming retail funded rate in October 2026 was 6.93, 35bps higher than September 2026 and 65bps higher than the same month last year. Purchase rates were 37bps higher M-o-M and 65bps higher Y-o-Y, while Refinance rates were 26bps higher M-o-M and 71bps higher Y-o-Y. Curinos sources a statistically significant data set directly from lenders to produce these benchmark figures and drill into this data further here.

Setting the Record Straight on Credit

There has been a lot of “noise,” for lack of a better term, in social media about “credit modernization.” Obviously the rates and prices borrowers see are a direct reflection of what investors are seeing, and yesterday a seasoned, respected capital markets vet sent me thoughts on what their company is seeing in the primary and secondary markets.

“Lenders need to be aware of their choices. If a lender signs the FICO preferred agreement they are not locked in to be exclusive with FICO. They can still pull a Vantage score and use that score with any investor who will accept them. Nearly every investor today is saying they also want the Classic FICO if you are using the Vantage.

“I am not aware of a single investor anywhere that will accept only a Vantage score although it will be a matter of time until this happens. If a lender only orders a Vantage score, then they are harming the 20 percent or more of borrowers who would have had a higher classic FICO. The GSEs are being forced by current FHFA Director Pulte to price Vantage scores the exact same as classic FICO, even though it is widely known by the entire industry that a 720 Vantage score has a higher probability of default than a 720 Classic FICO.

“For the next many months, the GSEs (Fannie and Freddie) may be the only investors taking only a Vantage score. I expect most if not all private investors will have a different price for Vantage loans to account for the estimated 10-20+ point score inflation of Vantage vs FICO.

“But your readers should be aware of a potential industry dilemma. First, lenders will want to run all three scores when 10T comes out in January for HUD loans, and then cherry pick the best score to give the most benefit to borrowers. Second, investors will have huge pressure to pick the lowest of the three scores presented. They cannot ‘unsee’ that there is a lower score in file and the data will show that a loan with a high Vantage and a low FICO will perform worse than a loan with the same Vantage but a medium or high FICO.

“If lenders game the system but then rerun credit with only the higher scores, private investors will quickly build in a ‘gaming adjustment’ for those lenders. I think that the ‘future state’ is most lenders pick only Vantage or 10T. Vantage will be able to keep their price low since they don’t need to generate any profit, and FiCO will have to charge a score fee since this is their only income. The market will then decide if the 10T is more predictive and if by enough to justify paying a higher price.” Thank you!

Capital Markets

Capital markets staff always seem to be combatting extensions or renegotiations, neither of which make money for lenders. U.S. Treasuries and, to a lesser extent, Agency MBS rallied on Thursday as escalating volatility in AI-related equities triggered a broad flight to safety, despite stronger-than-expected economic data, including low initial jobless claims, robust productivity growth, and declining unit labor costs. The resulting demand for safe-haven assets pushed Treasury yields to their lowest levels since mid-September, with the 10-year yield extending its decline by more than 50-basis points(!) from its October 7 peak, as equity market weakness continued to weigh on investor sentiment. Mortgage prepayments slowed in October, with Fannie Mae and Ginnie Mae speeds declining 9.2 percent and 14.8 percent month-over-month, respectively, as elevated mortgage rates continued to suppress purchase and refinancing activity. Although 30-year mortgage rates have declined for three consecutive weeks to 7.18 percent, they remain significantly above year-ago levels, suggesting prepayments will remain subdued into the seasonally slower year-end, though refinancing declines may begin to moderate. With only approximately 0.5 percent of mortgages currently offering sufficient refinancing incentives, there is potentially attractive risk-reward in servicing-heavy originators such as RKT and RITM.

Today’s economic calendar kicked off with October Nonfarm Payrolls (+165k versus 65k expectations and a prior reading of 29k, and back-month revisions +84k) and the Unemployment Rate (4.1 percent versus expected unchanged at 4.2 percent). Despite a relatively tight labor market, wage growth has slowed to 3.1 percent year-over-year as surging employer healthcare costs increasingly crowd out salary increases. Later today brings Preliminary November University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment, and September Consumer Credit. With the U.S. equity selloff appearing to be easing, and after the strong jobs data, we begin the day with Agency MBS prices worse from Thursday’s close by roughly .250, the 2-year yielding 4.53, and the 10-year yielding 4.90 after closing yesterday at 4.84 percent.