Editor’s Note: The Mortgage Mix is RISMedia’s biweekly highlight reel of need-to-know mortgage-industry happenings. Watch for it every other Friday afternoon.
– During the back half of July, mortgage rates have climbed to their highest levels since August 2025, with the 30 year fixed rate hovering above 6.5%. Despite this rise, attributed to renewed escalation in the Iran conflict and resulting economic impact, applications have also risen as of July 24, with refinance activity having also picked up the week of July 17.
– The Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) found early stage mortgage delinquencies were low in June 2026, with new Federal Housing Agency (FHA) defaults posting their largest annual decline in over four years. Late stage delinquencies also declined to a six month low, and overall default activity declined. That said, overall mortgage delinquencies rose modestly, as did forecloses.
– Berkshire Hathaway has completed its $6.8 million acquisition of construction firm Taylor Morrison, announced earlier this year. The consolidation of the homebuilding sector represented by this acquisition is expected to impact the origination environment, including brokers and builder partners “financing relationships survive integration,” according to Mortgage Professional America.
– A LendingTree study into down payments (via mortgage purchase inquiries) across large metro areas shows that Millennials make up the largest percentage of mortgage shoppers (44.8% of shoppers, with a median down payment of $65,000), followed by Gen X (24.3% of shoppers with $56,250 median down payment), Gen Z (19% of shoppers, $41,250 down payment) and finally Baby Boomers (11.8% of shoppers, $65,000 down payment)
– Randian Capital, a minority shareholder (of 250,000 shares) with LoanDepot, is pushing for the mortgage company to consider a sale. The investor specifically pointed to Rocket Mortgage’s acquisition of Mr. Cooper as proof that there would be interest in acquiring the servicer. The letter stated that LoanDepot’s currently unpaid principal balance of more than $120 billion (as of Q1 2026) “may command a premium value in a strategic transaction.” The investor also requested that the company reconsider its strategies and its leadership, noting top executive Anthony Hsieh specifically. “While the mortgage industry has faced significant macroeconomic headwinds, those factors alone do not explain LoanDepot’s prolonged underperformance,” the investor wrote. “Many competitors have adapted their cost structures and strategic positioning. LoanDepot has yet to demonstrate a sustainable path.”
– Commercial lender KKR is considering a sale of its mortgage real estate investment trust, KKR Real Estate Finance Trust, following the company’s reported net loss during its Q2 2026 earnings.
– Florida resident Kimberly Williams has pleaded guilty in a mortgage fraud case, with mortgage consultant Kenneth Blair named as a co-conspirator. Williams was found to have created fraudulent pay stubs in order to deceive banks into issuing Fannie or Freddie backed mortgages to unqualified borrowers.
– Discussing recent reporting by ATTOM that found foreclosures were up in the first half of 2026, Donna Schmidt, president and CEO of mortgage consultant DLS Servicing, pointed to particular issues with FHA and Veterans Affairs (VA) loans, specifically new loss mitigation rules implemented at the FHA in October 2024 that sees defaulting borrowers enter trials periods, and the cancellation of the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) program that left VA borrowers with narrower options.
