The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has launched the Senior Mortgage Solutions Network (SMSN), a forum designed to discuss reverse mortgage topics — including  Home Equity Conversion Mortgages and proprietary reverse mortgages — as well as other senior-focused mortgage products. Longbridge Financial CEO Christopher Mayer and Jim Cory, managing director of the reverse division at Guild Mortgage, have been named co-chairs of SMSN for two-year terms.

Better and Coinbase announced the funding of the first Fannie Mae-eligible mortgage backed by bitcoin in the U.S. The first loan closed using cryptocurrency holdings as reserve assets went to a Michigan couple in their early 30s who lacked enough cash for a traditional downpayment but pledged crypto as collateral. The companies noted that the crypto-backed mortgage product, first announced in March, will be rolled out to qualified borrowers nationwide during the summer.

FICO announced that Optimal Blue has integrated FICO Score 10T into its product suite — including its product, pricing and eligibility engine and mortgage servicing rights valuation tools — allowing lenders to price and decision non-agency loans using the 10T model directly within Optimal Blue’s platform.

United Wholesale Mortgage has introduced doctor loans, a program specifically tailored to medical doctors, dentists and other healthcare professionals. Designed to help borrowers with certain medical degrees who may be burdened with student loan debt or limited downpayment savings, the loans offer flexible terms, including limited- and no-downpayment options without mortgage insurance requirements.

Real estate analytics firm CoStar Group announced it has agreed to acquire Zonda for $800 million in cash. Zonda, which specializes in new-home construction data, also operates the online new-home marketplaces NewHomeSource and Livabl.

Third-party lender Equity Prime Mortgage (EPM) announced it will begin offering full loan disclosures and documentation in six languages: English, Spanish, Mandarin, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Korean. EPM, which works exclusively with independent mortgage brokers, said the move provides a competitive advantage for brokers who serve multicultural communities.

Hometap, which specializes in home equity investment (HEI) products, announced it has expanded to five additional states — Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Montana and Tennessee — bringing its total footprint to 21 states. HEI agreements provide homeowners with a lump sum of upfront cash with no monthly payments in exchange for a percentage of the home’s future value.

Newfi announced an integration with Prudent AI for its IncomeIQ portal that’s designed to give brokers instant access to institutional-grade income analysis for non-qualified mortgage (non-QM) loans. According to Newfi, the technology can cut bank statement verifications from a typical three-day turnaround time to as little as three hours.

National mortgage subservicer LoanCare has launched CoreSync, a private-label solution that integrates borrower mortgage data into clients’ mobile applications at banks, credit unions and independent mortgage banks. A large national lender is already running the CoreSync integration, according to the company, with broader availability expected during the third quarter of 2026.

Florida-based First Federal Bank and Illinois-based Mortgage Forward have agreed to a deal for the latter to acquire the former’s third-party origination division, including QRL Financial. The companies noted that the TPO division will augment Mortgage Forward’s offerings with additional technology and expanded products as it continues to invest in digital capabilities.

Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (ICE) announced the launch of ICE Fraud Monitor, a mortgage fraud and property research platform designed to help lenders mitigate risk and expedite underwriting. Available directly within ICE’s Encompass loan origination system (LOS), the tool combines fraud-risk scoring and property data into a single dashboard.

TrustEngine announced upgrades that let loan officers generate mortgage scenarios using its proprietary borrower presentation platform MortgageCoach inside the Encompass LOS. The update removes the need to switch systems, with real‑time data flowing between the platforms.

Attom announced the launch of ResiScore, an AI-based neighborhood intelligence platform that ranks residential areas based on projected housing market performance. Building off of technology acquired through Attom’s acquisition of ResiShares in January, the new offering assigns each residential census tract a 1 to 100 percentile ranking based on expected home price appreciation over a two-year time horizon within its metro area or core-based statistical area.

Friday Harbor has added condominium and manufactured home loan capabilities to its pre-underwriting platform, allowing lenders to evaluate property-specific eligibility requirements before files reach underwriting. According to the Seattle-based company, condos and manufactured homes account for nearly 8% of mortgage originations.