Search
The Mortgage Scoop
Subscribe
Login
Upgrade
Home
Newsletter
About
Advertise
Tip Line
Upgrade
The Mortgage Scoop
Oliver Buchannon
James Kleimann
What $1.5B From Oaktree Actually Cost Ishbia

What $1.5B From Oaktree Actually Cost Ishbia

Inside the deal terms, why big broker shops are taking Pylon's calls, & the Zillow Home Loans numbers that should worry every LO w/ an MSA.

Aug 7, 2026

•

7 min read

Ishbia Raises $2B & Kills the Dividend 🥵

Ishbia Raises $2B & Kills the Dividend 🥵

UWM rebuilds its balance sheet with a historic $2B recap while Valon makes its boldest bid yet to unseat ICE in mortgage servicing.

Aug 5, 2026

•

5 min read

Goodbye, Vishal 👋  & Chase is Coming for 850 LOs

Goodbye, Vishal 👋 & Chase is Coming for 850 LOs

Garg is ousted as Better CEO. We unpack what's next for the company & run the numbers behind Jamie Dimon's splashy $750B housing pledge.

Aug 3, 2026

•

6 min read

ICE Blinks on SDK Billing

ICE Blinks on SDK Billing

Plus: eye-popping VantageScore files, Chris Gallo's sentencing math, loanDepot's return to wholesale & more

Jul 31, 2026

•

5 min read

Then Morgan Stanley Took Him to the U.S. Open 🎾

Then Morgan Stanley Took Him to the U.S. Open 🎾

Inside the strange economics of private-bank jumbo lending.

Jul 29, 2026

•

4 min read

The DIY LOS Era Is Here

The DIY LOS Era Is Here

Top lenders & small shops alike are building origination systems they hope to sell. Plus, UWM previews its Rocket defense, foreclosures hit highest level since '20 & more.

Jul 27, 2026

•

5 min read

Analysis: These Lenders Own the Strongest Realtor Relationships

Analysis: These Lenders Own the Strongest Realtor Relationships

RETR’s new index reveals which mortgage companies build durable Realtor relationships. Plus, PrimeLending loses $$$ in Q2, a debate over the cheapest mortgage system on earth & more

Jul 24, 2026

•

5 min read

A VantageScore 710 & a FICO 660 Walk Into a Bar 🍺

A VantageScore 710 & a FICO 660 Walk Into a Bar 🍺

Equifax says nobody thinks of it as gaming. Plus: three lenders dominate GSE repurchases & our $1.1M Brooklyn co-op offer falls short.

Jul 22, 2026

•

5 min read

Who’s Ready for ICE’s Encompass Deadline?

Who’s Ready for ICE’s Encompass Deadline?

Lenders have less than six months to untangle old plugins, undocumented workflows & applications nobody remembers building.

Jul 20, 2026

•

6 min read

Union Home Mortgage Strikes Again

Union Home Mortgage Strikes Again

Bill Cosgrove lands AmeriTrust, borrowers make peace with higher rates & The Mortgage Scoop prepares to get a mortgage.

Jul 17, 2026

•

5 min read

The UAD 3.6 Deadline is Coming. Most lenders Aren't Prepared

The UAD 3.6 Deadline is Coming. Most lenders Aren't Prepared

The appraisal overhaul could mean longer turn times, higher fees & a brutal capacity crunch. Plus: VantageScore in the wild, Keller Williams’ mortgage-centric acquisition & banks’ Q2 production surge.

Jul 15, 2026

•

7 min read

The Unexpected Winners of UWM’s Ultimatum

The Unexpected Winners of UWM’s Ultimatum

UWM’s broker ultimatum may have lowered rates for borrowers who never used UWM or Rocket. Plus, the shrinking mortgage rate-collusion case against Optimal Blue, MSR transaction trends, the non-QM leaderboard & more

Jul 13, 2026

•

5 min read

A Fed-Up $30M Producer & The Death of Channels

A Fed-Up $30M Producer & The Death of Channels

A candid conversation with a frustrated LO who's ready to exit, housing bill hits the Trump wall, Michael Strauss fallout continues & more scoops from around the industry.

Jul 10, 2026

•

6 min read

The $3.26 Charge That Could Blow Up My Mortgage Plans

The $3.26 Charge That Could Blow Up My Mortgage Plans

Plus: Greg Sher puts a recruiter on blast — both sides talk to The Scoop — & NewRez's legacy retail biz moves to Synergy One

Jul 9, 2026

•

5 min read

Vendor Wars: MortgageFlex

Vendor Wars: MortgageFlex

Mortgage Flex is betting that a life-of-loan platform on a single tech stack can compete with the big boys in LOS, servicing & beyond.

Jul 6, 2026

•

7 min read

CCM’s $2.1M Clawback Gets Put on Ice

CCM’s $2.1M Clawback Gets Put on Ice

Lender must wait to collect until after Chris Gallo's criminal trial concludes. Plus, Argentina tries to create a mortgage market, Trump is sour on ROAD to Housing Act, GSEs release credit data & more

Jul 2, 2026

•

6 min read

Goodbye, IRRRL

Goodbye, IRRRL

A House-passed veterans benefits bill could make VA streamlines waaaaay more expensive. Plus: Nima’s lender LARP, UWM’s beaten-down stock, Kevin Warsh’s Fed playbook, PennyMac turns on VantageScore & more.

Jun 29, 2026

•

6 min read

Lies, Damned Lies & Mortgage Studies

Lies, Damned Lies & Mortgage Studies

Bankrate says borrowers are overpaying by $65B a year(!). We dig in. Plus: a new GSE construction-loan push, VC tech bros discover mortgage is hard, & where a pair of $100M+ producers are going.

Jun 26, 2026

•

7 min read

'He Did It Again': Another Mortgage Shop Tied to Michael Strauss Has Collapsed

'He Did It Again': Another Mortgage Shop Tied to Michael Strauss Has Collapsed

Investor Funding Corp. is gone & employees say they weren’t paid. Plus, Trump won’t sign landmark housing bill & Freedom goes after ex-exec over LOS tech

Jun 24, 2026

•

6 min read

AI Sold His House for $90K Over Ask. Is the LO Next?

AI Sold His House for $90K Over Ask. Is the LO Next?

We dig into the AI 'replacement theory' in mortgage, Pulte hunts for a plane, Ishbia's net worth slides, PennyMac trims in TN & a top exec is out at NMB...

Jun 22, 2026

•

7 min read

Inside PennyMac's AI Glow-up & How to Protect Your Book From the Heavies

Inside PennyMac's AI Glow-up & How to Protect Your Book From the Heavies

A new chair with no dot on the dot plot, a $1T servicer betting on voice AI, and the data on who's keeping past clients & .

Jun 17, 2026

•

6 min read

Meet Penny, the Autonomous Loan Officer

Meet Penny, the Autonomous Loan Officer

A new VC-backed tech startup named Copperlane hopes to shake up the mortgage space. Plus: UWM, EMC & Tim Potempa sued, Movement's ops shakeup, mortgage talk at the strip club & more.

Jun 15, 2026

•

6 min read

Figure Is Coming for Hard Money & DSCR

Figure Is Coming for Hard Money & DSCR

Insiders dish on Figure's $717M Kiavi deal, a new CFPB boss, new non-QM guidelines & the dumbest-smartest mortgage fraud you'll read about this year.

Jun 12, 2026

•

5 min read

Gorilla Poop, Glitter Bombs & a Big Win for Guild

Gorilla Poop, Glitter Bombs & a Big Win for Guild

Cali appeals court revives Guild's claims against CCM in ‘poaching’ case. Plus, we take you inside the deal for Kiavi, share a scary & low-tech way for an IMB to get hacked & much more

Jun 10, 2026

•

6 min read

Not Everyone at APM is Feeling the Synergy

Not Everyone at APM is Feeling the Synergy

An unexpected retention battle emerges, Two Harbors' Wu Tang Clan ultimatum for UWM & more

Jun 8, 2026

•

6 min read

Load more

3x a week

Free Mondays. Paid editions Wednesday & Friday

No fluff

Sourced reporting, not press release rewrites. No pay-to-play. Ever

Insider access

Premium members get stories nobody else has

Read by the best

Execs, LOs, investors, techies & regulators

✦    ✦    ✦

If it's being whispered
in the halls, it's here first.

Join the top mortgage execs, LOs, techies and investors
who read The Scoop to stay ahead.

Free to read  ·  No spam  ·  Unsubscribe anytime


Want more? Upgrade to Insider

The Mortgage Scoop

Newsletter

About

Tip Line

Upgrade

Advertise

© 2025 The Mortgage Scoop