Hedging, Warehouse, BBYS, HELOC Products; Mortgage Apps Jump; Inflation Data Tame; FHA Delinquencies

In our world, no one expects lender and/or vendor mergers and acquisitions to diminish in 2026, and in today’s Mortgage Matters at 2PM ET, presented by Lenders One, Garth Graham, Senior Partner at STRATMOR Group, will break down key M&A trends, recap the pivotal developments of 2025, and share insights on what lenders can expect in 2026. (Garth leads the firm’s M&A practice and advises many of the industry’s top independent and bank-owned mortgage lenders.) We’ve all seen the M&A that is going on in banks. Cashless banks? People get confused and society is going to the dogs when it’s full of caffeine-free coffee, gluten-free bread, and alcohol-free beer. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s are sponsored by Figure. Take advantage of Figure’s technology and products like its fixed HELOC, DSCR loan, piggyback loan, and direct debt paydown, helping you serve more of your existing network and expand into new markets. Hear an interview with Key Mortgage Services' Jen Poniatowski on how lenders should adjust borrower expectations in a falling rate environment, buyer leverage is shifting as inventory rises, and economic uncertainty is shaping first-time buyer confidence and product choice.) Products, Services, and Software for Brokers and Lenders It's 2026, and AI is expected to undergo rapid evolution this year. That’s why lenders should gear up for the new year with tools that will evolve too. Floify’s Dynamic AI brings next-generation intelligence directly into your POS, functioning as a skilled digital assistant that manages document recognition, data cleanup, extraction, and automatic verification. Borrowers upload a document once (such as a paystub or W-2) and see verified data flow through their application without repeated steps or frustrating password resets, resulting in a smoother path to pre-approval. Lenders get cleaner files, fewer abandoned applications, and lower processing costs. And because Dynamic AI is embedded inside Floify’s platform, you gain all the benefits of advanced AI without adding new systems or rebuilding workflows. Yes, AI will move fast during 2026, but with Dynamic AI you’ll be ready to keep pace. Experience tomorrow’s workflow: request a future-ready demo.