United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) announced it will proactively honor estimated 2026 conforming loan limits prior to the release of the official figures from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). UWM’s early conforming loan limits are $819,000 for one-unit conventional and Veterans Affairs loans (increased from $806,500); $1,048,500 for two-unit conventional loans (increased from $1,032,650); $1,268,000 for three-unit conventional loans (increased from $1,248,150); and $1,575,000 for four-unit conventional loans (increased from $1,551,250).

Pennymac Correspondent also announced it is increasing its conforming loan limits in advance of an official FHFA announcement of the maximum mortgage amounts that government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are allowed to purchase. The new loan limits for states not including Alaska and Hawaii are the same dollar thresholds as those announced by UWM.

CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM) quickly followed UWM’s and Pennymac’s lead on conforming loan limits, announcing that it is upping its agency conforming loan limits to $819,000 for one-unit conventional loans.

CCM’s parent company, CrossCountry HoldCo LLC, separately announced the expansion of its asset management arm, CrossCountry Capital, with partners including Hildene Capital Management and an Ares alternative credit fund. The move aims to expand the company’s non-qualified mortgage (non-QM) investment platform and adds complementary asset classes, including residential transition loans, construction and vertical builder financing, multifamily lending, and HELOC and second-lien strategies.

Rate followed suit on conforming loan limits a day after CrossCountry Mortgage, also adhering to the $819,000 limit, with the exception of properties in Alaska and Hawaii, which will now have a $1,228,500 limit. In a separate announcement, Rate noted that its mobile Rate App is now available entirely in Spanish, allowing users to search for homes, apply for a mortgage, track their loan status, communicate with bilingual professionals and access educational content in Spanish through the free app compatible with Android and iOS platforms.

Supreme Lending announced the launch of HOMESí, a division dedicated to advancing Latino homeownership. The Dallas-based lender noted in a press release that the initiative is designed to “simplify the mortgage experience and expand access for one of the fastest-growing homebuyer segments in the U.S.”

Union Home Mortgage (UHM) announced the acquisition of the origination assets of Sierra Pacific Mortgage Corporation (SPMC), expanding the lender’s West Coast presence. As part of the transaction, UHM is acquiring both the retail and wholesale channels of SPMC and will incorporate all existing SPMC retail branches and wholesale broker relationships into its portfolio.

Mortgage servicing fintech company Sagent announced the first-to-market implementation of its Dara Claims product by the Idaho Housing and Finance Association (IHFA). Sagent’s CEO, Geno Paluso, noted in a press release that the partnership is designed to address the home affordability crisis by providing IHFA with an automated claims process to reduce operational costs so that it can reinvent those savings in affordable housing programs.

Chicago-based Key Mortgage Services Inc. announced the launch of Key Mortgage Affinity, an initiative that aims to integrate mortgage capabilities into the existing offerings of credit unions and community banks, including loan origination, processing, underwriting, closing and borrower guidance.

Merchants Bank and Blue Sage Solutions jointly announced that the Indiana-based lender is using Blue Sage’s cloud-based digital lending technology for its newly launched jumbo correspondent lending program. Merchants Bank noted that it also plans to roll out Blue Sage’s platform across its wholesale and retail lending channels over the next several months.

ACES Quality Management announced the launch of ACES Intelligence, an artificial intelligence-powered quality control platform designed specifically for mortgage and financial services companies. Features include exception comment and executive summary creation, a loan selection criteria builder, and a tool to reduce the risk of personally identifiable information exposure.

OptifiNow announced the release of Brand onDemand, a tool designed to deliver personalized marketing materials to mortgage brokers with real-time engagement alerts and customer relationship management tracking.