Finding, growing and sustaining mortgage business in 2026 and beyond

Key takeaways from Cotality and NAMB’s latest industry webinar

Mortgage brokers are facing a complex mix of economic pressure, affordability constraints, and evolving industry regulations. Cotality™ recently partnered with the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) to host a webinar exploring these forces and identifying new ways brokers can uncover opportunity in a slower market to stay competitive.

The event brought together three perspectives: economic insights from Molly Boesel, Sr. Principal Economist at Cotality, an update on evolving appraisal data standards from Lyle Radke, Senior Director, Single-Family Collateral Risk at Fannie Mae, and strategies for identifying borrower opportunities using property data from Terri Davis, VP, Product Management at Cotality.

The housing market remains tight, but opportunity still exists

Boesel kicked things off with an overview of the economic and housing trends that will influence mortgage activity throughout 2026. The housing market continues to face familiar headwinds: affordability constraints, limited inventory, and elevated mortgage rates.  

A major factor that continues to keep housing supply low is the “lock-in effect,” where homeowners with historically low rates are reluctant to sell and take on a higher-rate loan. This dynamic is keeping inventory tight and contributing to higher home prices, which makes it difficult for many buyers to enter the market.

However, there are also signals of opportunity. U.S. homeowners currently hold substantial equity, with average LTV ratios hovering around 45%, creating potential opportunities around home equity lending and cash-out strategies.

Against this backdrop of inventory and affordability contraints, traditional lead sources may produce fewer results. Identifying borrowers who are positioned to transact, whether through equity, life events or market shifts, will become increasingly important to stay competitive.

UAD 3.6: What brokers should know

The webinar also featured insights from Lyle Radke of Fannie Mae, who provided an overview of the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) 3.6 update.

While the transition will primarily affect appraisers, lenders, and technology providers preparing for November rollout, it represents a broader modernization effort aimed at improving data consistency, transparency and analytics across mortgage transactions.

These changes signal an industry that is moving toward more structured property data and more efficient communication across the mortgage ecosystem.  

Moving beyond trigger leads

Terri Davis with  Cotality discussed the challenge that many brokers face today: how to generate new business given low transaction volumes and increasing competition. Davis explained how deeper property and homeowner insights can help brokers uncover opportunities earlier in the borrower journey.

Traditional lead generation often begins after a borrower submits an application or triggers a credit inquiry — where multiple lenders may already be competing for the same borrower. Instead, brokers can take a more proactive approach by identifying homeowners who may soon refinance, move or tap their equity.

Property and ownership data can reveal signals such as home equity positions, estimated property values, loan characteristics, and other property-related insights, helping brokers identify potential borrowers earlier in their journey.  

Tools delivered through Cotality’s Araya™ platform, including Precision Marketing and Property List, allow brokers to analyze their databases and local markets to target homeowners who are more likely to be “in market.”

Relationships to win

To succeed in 2026, brokers need to strengthen their real estate agent relationships. Transaction-level insights can help brokers understand which agents are most active in their markets and where the best partnership opportunities exist, for more effective collaboration.

Solutions like OneHomeowner™ provide a way to stay top of mind with clients by offering a personalized homeowner portal with information on home value, equity, maintenance and more.  

Winning in the next phase of the market

The mortgage market continues to evolve, and brokers who stay informed, adopt more predictive prospecting strategies and strengthen borrower relationships will be best positioned.

Watch the full webinar to get a deeper analysis of the economic outlook, the broader implications of UAD 3.6 and practical strategies brokers can use to target borrowers who are ready to make a move.

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