Mortgage Rates This Week: Warsh’s Jackson Hole Speech, Jobs Week & Home Appreciation
2026 Mortgage Rate Forecast: Midyear Update
Six months ago, I published my 2026 mortgage rate predictions, and if you’d told me back in December that the biggest driver of rates this year would be a war halfway around the world, I would’ve said that’s not usually how this works. But here we are at the midyear mark, and that’s exactly what happened. Let’s recap what actually unfolded in the first half of 2026 and then get into the updated forecasts for the rest of the year. [Read more…]
Fed Day: Warsh’s First Decision and What It Means for Your Mortgage Rate
Today the Federal Reserve held its first rate decision under new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh.
The FOMC voted 12–0 to hold the federal funds rate steady at 3.50–3.75%, and the real story turned out to be exactly where we expected: not the number, as it was widely anticipated there would be no change to rates, but how Warsh ran the meeting and what he said afterward.
The Mortgage Porter Weekly | Iran Deal & Rates, Fed Chair Warsh & Cash-Out Refi
In this week’s Mortgage Porter Weekly, we cover the latest inflation data from May, rising unemployment claims, a potential breakthrough in the Iran conflict and what it could mean for mortgage rates, this week’s economic calendar, Fed Chair Warsh’s first rate announcement, and the morning MBS update. We also spotlight using a cash-out refinance for debt management — and share a quick favor to ask of you.
Does the Fed Control Mortgage Rates? What Buyers and Homeowners Need to Know
Eight times a year, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meets and announces whether the Fed Funds Rate will change. Every time it happens, homeowners and buyers see the headlines and wonder the same thing: does what the Fed just did affect my mortgage rate?
The short answer is: not directly. And understanding why is one of the most useful things a homeowner or home buyer can know about how mortgage rates actually work.
