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Optimal Blue’s Mike Vough on borrowers staying rate anchored into 2026

Borrowers are still anchored to ultra-low, pandemic-era mortgage rates, a mindset that is influencing both purchase and refinance trends as the market heads into 2026. That’s according to Mike Vough, Optimal Blue‘s senior vice president of corporate strategy, who highlighted the company’s latest Market Advantage report in a conversation this week with HousingWire at the…

New-home purchase mortgage demand has edged slightly higher in 2026

Mortgage applications for new-home purchases increased 0.9% in February compared to a year earlier, even as volume slipped from January, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s Builder Application Survey released Thursday. Applications for new-home purchase loans were down 1% from January 2026 without adjusting for typical seasonal patterns, MBA said in press release. “New…