/INDUSTRY UPDATES
What changed, and what it means for a file.
Agency and regulator changes, read from the primary source and written up plainly. Guidelines move often and adoption varies by lender, so treat anything here as a reason to ask rather than an answer for your scenario.
Renting out the house you are leaving? Fannie Mae counts market rent, not the lease
Fannie Mae moved its rental income rules on September 2. For the home you are moving out of, a signed lease does not count. Market rent does.
Conventional, FHA, VA & USDAThe appraisal format changes November 2, and the submission date is what counts
An appraisal done in October but uploaded in November comes back rejected. The deadline keys off the upload, not the inspection, and it can move a closing.
Conventional, FHA, VA & USDAVantageScore 4.0 is open to every approved lender now
The limited rollout ended on September 9. One real limit remains, and it is the one worth knowing before you promise a borrower anything.
Conventional, FHA, VA & USDAFreddie Mac rewrites how assets convert into qualifying income
Bulletin 2026-10 reworks Guide Section 5307.1. The same balance now supports more qualifying income, and investment properties become eligible.
Jumbo & asset depletion