“Rob, I hate it when mom and dad fight. Will this Pulte/Bessent, FHFA/Treasury tussle impact mortgage rates?” Probably not; it hasn’t so far. Director Pulte is certainly in the news. Occupancy isn’t a partisan issue, right?! FHFA Director Pulte, who continues to point out potential fraud by Fed. Governor Lisa Cook (who a Federal judge ruled yesterday could stay in her post), has two close relatives who have declared the same owner-occupied status on two homes in two different states! Don’t blame me: read about it in CNBC and Reuters. “Mark and Julie Pulte, the father and stepmother of Bill Pulte, President Donald Trump’s appointee as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, since 2020 have claimed so-called ‘homestead exemptions’ for residences in wealthy neighborhoods in both Michigan and Florida…” What about news closer to regular lending? Chase launched some publicity with a limited-time “mortgage rate refinance sale.” The Chase promotion is on rate-and-term and cash-out refinances through Sunday, Sept. 21. Customers must lock in their refinancing rate during this period to earn the discount. How much of a discount? According to Chase, “Discounts will vary by mortgage product and location.” (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s are sponsored by Indecomm. Streamlining operations with the genius blend of automation, AI, and services. Achieve practical digital transformation and real operational impact with Indecomm’s purpose-built mortgage solutions. Hear an interview with MCT’s Phil Rasori on shifting coverage in response to policy and economic changes, to the expansion of ARM and non-QM products, the growing role of AI in hedging and analytics, evolving tech freeing up staff for strategic work, and the rising demands placed on modern capital markets departments.)
