2027 tax bracket updates
Each year, tax brackets and capital gain rates adjust based on CPI levels. See how you and your clients’ tax rates fare in 2027.
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Category: Finance
California property tax welfare exemption expanded to moderate-income housing in three counties
California’s welfare exemption partially exempts qualifying properties owned by eligible nonprofit organizations and entities from property taxes when they build or convert residential rental housing serving low-income tenants. Now, the welfare exemption is expanded in three counties to include moderate-income tenants when eligible.
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Trending mortgage rates
Where are mortgage rates now? Check out our weekly interest rate update to track the latest market rates.
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Buyer Purchasing Power Index goes negative in Q3 2026
Homebuyers reliant on mortgage financing were limited to borrowing 5% less than a year earlier in Q3 2026.
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Gamble on your home with a home equity investor!
Complex and risky home equity investments (HEIs) are gaining traction against other types of equity participation financial products.
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Using the yield spread to forecast recession and recovery in a business cycle
The yield spread indicates the likelihood of a recession or recovery one year forward.
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Jobs move real estate
Track the single most influential factor on California’s real estate market: the number of people employed.
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Homebuyers learn the risks of ARMs as FRM rates jump
ARM rates remain below FRM rates – for now.
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Buyer purchasing power levels out in Q2 2026
Buyer purchasing power fell back slightly in mid-2026, still positive over a year earlier.
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Form-of-the-Week: Escrow instructions, and beneficiary statement — Forms 401 and 415
An agent or escrow officer uses RPI Form 401 when preparing instructions to open a purchase escrow with an escrow officer, and RPI Form 415 when escrow requests mortgage information from a mortgage holder regarding their lien on a property to confirm the terms of the debt or obtain a payoff demand.
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Federal guidance pushes MLOs to weigh applicant immigration status
Federal guidance now encourages MLOs to discriminate based on immigration status. How does that impact MLO practice in California?
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Orange County housing indicators
View these Orange County regional charts for details on current activity and forecasts for its local housing market.
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Mortgage interest rate smarts
Learn how mortgage loan originators determine the interest rate to offer mortgage applicants.
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Low ARM rates fuel unacceptable mortgage risks
The average ARM rate remains below the FRM rate, enticing potential homebuyers unaware of its history.
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Mortgage complaint trends
Compliance doesn’t prevent all consumer complaints, but it goes a long way toward happier customers and borrowers — and better business for MLOs.
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The Federal Reserve’s impact on mortgage rates
Learn how the Fed is using their benchmark rate as a monetary policy tool
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Form-of-the-Week: Credit report disclosure forms for originating an SFR mortgage — Forms 302, 217, 217-1, 217-2 and 219
A mortgage loan originator (MLO) processing an SFR mortgage application pulls a credit report, advises the applicant of the credit agency’s score and any derogatory financial information which suggests adverse action on the application. Critical to approval, the applicant provides the MLO with explanations for the derogatory items so the MLO can process the application.
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Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac accept new credit score model
Lenders and MLOs now have more Enterprise-approved options for qualifying homebuyers with thin credit histories.
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Buyer Purchasing Power Index goes negative in Q3 2026
Homebuyers reliant on mortgage financing were limited to borrowing 5% less than a year earlier in Q3 2026.
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Mortgage origination volume rises in 2025 — that’s the good news
Even as California’s real estate market is stabilizing, cracks are appearing. This includes higher shares of subprime lending in 2025.
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