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The Pulse Aug 1

Quiet Saturday, 30-year at 6.78%, and a week worth re-reading

No prints, no filings, no rate catalyst — so here is the housekeeping list from a week that moved twenty-three basis points against your borrowers.

Saturday, August 1, 2026 30-yr 6.780%10-yr Treasury 4.680%

Today is genuinely quiet. The only mortgage content published since midnight is a run of Scotsman Guide analysis columns and a Mortgage Daily rate recap — no economic release, no agency filing, no lender news, nothing that changes a quote. Bankrate's national 30-year sits at 6.78%, two basis points above yesterday, which is noise rather than a move. That makes this a good morning to do the reading you skipped Tuesday through Friday, and a bad morning to send anything urgent. If you only have ten minutes, skip to the last two paragraphs.

The week itself was not quiet, and it went one direction. The Fed held for a fifth straight meeting Wednesday on a 9-3 vote, with Hammack, Logan and Kashkari dissenting in favor of a quarter-point hike. The long end sold off anyway, then sold off again Friday when those three published separate statements making their case, with crude above $84 pushing the same way. The national 30-year traveled 6.75% to 6.66% to 6.76% to 6.78% across four sessions and finished the week up eight basis points and the month up twenty-three. The one thing that has not changed is the calendar: no FOMC until September 15-16, and that meeting carries a Summary of Economic Projections. Between now and then the data does the work — jobless claims and the Freddie Mac survey on August 6, the jobs report and unemployment on August 7, CPI in the August 10-15 window.

Things you may have missed this week. First, the MBA's HMDA analysis, reported by HousingWire, found proprietary reverse mortgages jumped 118% in 2025 to a 22% share of the reverse market while HECM volume stayed roughly flat — if you have written off reverse as a HECM product with a bad reputation, the private side is where the growth actually is, and the borrower profile is not the one most LOs picture. Second, Treasury has a final rule scheduled to publish in the Federal Register on August 3 amending its own Title VI regulations to eliminate disparate-impact liability under that statute. Read the scope carefully before you draw conclusions: Title VI governs programs receiving federal financial assistance, and this action does not by itself alter obligations under ECOA and Regulation B or the Fair Housing Act, which are the authorities that actually govern your originations. Third, HousingWire's read of the price-cut data found more than 40% of listings nationally now carry a reduction, but with the effect sharply concentrated by metro — a national figure that will mislead you if you quote it without checking your own market. Fourth, Zillow, Compass and MRED are in front of a federal judge over one-day IDX display timing and portal access, which is worth knowing because your agent partners are already arguing about it.

Two items from the last 72 hours still on the board. The FDIC and OCC issued a joint proposed rulemaking Friday revising the Community Reinvestment Act framework — raising the asset thresholds that determine examination scope and narrowing what earns community-development credit, with the Federal Reserve not a party to the proposal. It is a proposal with a comment period, so nothing changes operationally yet, but three banking agencies operating from unaligned CRA rules is a condition worth tracking. And earlier in the week a federal judge dismissed the RESPA claims against Zillow in the Flex referrals case, finding the plaintiffs lacked standing because they had not paid the referral fees at issue — a standing ruling rather than a merits ruling on referral structures, which is the distinction that matters if anyone tells you the question is settled.

One deadline is close enough to act on. Fannie Mae's artificial intelligence and machine-learning governance requirements take effect Thursday, August 6, and approved seller/servicers are expected to have documented policies covering how the technology is used across origination and servicing. If your shop has been using AI tooling informally — note-taking, summarization, borrower correspondence drafting — the documentation is the deliverable, not the tooling.

spend twenty minutes writing down where AI actually touches your origination process, including the informal uses nobody has approved, and send that list to whoever owns compliance at your shop before Thursday.

What this brief is built on

1
HousingWire — Mortgage5d ago

MBA’s HMDA analysis finds proprietary reverse mortgages jumped 118% in 2025

HMDA data in MBA analysis shows the proprietary reverse mortgage share rose to 22% in 2025, while HECM growth stayed mostly flat.

2
Federal Register — U.S. Treasury Documentsjust now

Rescinding Portions of Department of the Treasury Title VI Regulations To Conform More Closely With the Statutory Text and To Implement an Executive Order

By this rule, the Department of the Treasury ("Department") amends its regulations implementing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ("Title VI") to eliminate disparate-impact liability. These amendments align the Department's regulations with Title VI's original public meaning, avoid constitutional concerns,…

3
Scotsman Guide1d ago

Credit scoring shift giving lenders new choices — and new risks

For decades, FICO was the only credit scoring model that mattered in mortgage lending. Lenders built their workflows around it, mortgage insurance companies priced to it and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), required it. That era is ending. Now, GSE mandates, a more competitive…

4
Scotsman Guide1d ago

The homeowners of 2023 are the hidden face of foreclosure risk

Borrowers who entered the market in 2023 may have little equity, higher costs and fewer tools to avoid default The post The homeowners of 2023 are the hidden face of foreclosure risk appeared first on Scotsman Guide .

5
HousingWire — Real Estate1d ago

AI’s housing impact is strong — but highly localized

While more than 40% of listings nationally are seeing price cuts, some AI hubs — particularly San Francisco — continue to prove resilient.

6
HousingWire — Real Estate1d ago

Who decides where listings show up, Zillow, Compass or the MLS?

Zillow, MRED and Compass argue over one-day IDX display timing and portal access as a federal judge considers an injunction.

7
Mortgage Daily1d ago

The Mortgage Insurance That Never Goes Away

Conventional PMI can be cancelled. FHA mortgage insurance usually cannot. Here's what that difference costs over ten years — and when FHA still wins. The post The Mortgage Insurance That Never Goes Away first appeared on Mortgage Daily .

8
Scotsman Guide1d ago

How to use equity products to get closer to your customers

The most successful mortgage brokers and loan officers never take their borrowers’ loyalty for granted. They constantly engage with them and expand their products to meet their changing needs. This prevents competitors — or even the people servicing their loans — from attracting or recapturing the borrowers that…

9
Scotsman Guide1d ago

Stable rates creating new openings in distressed sales

As mortgage volatility eases, distressed homeowners may engage sooner, rewarding originators with the right products and relationships The post Stable rates creating new openings in distressed sales appeared first on Scotsman Guide .

10
Scotsman Guide1d ago

The mortgage industry’s operational reboot is underway

As costs rise and margins tighten, lenders are turning to AI and outsourcing to rebuild profitability from the inside out The post The mortgage industry’s operational reboot is underway appeared first on Scotsman Guide .