Frictionless.

You probably know the term if you spend time around web design.

If it's new to you, and you aspire to a mortgage site that's not a digital relic, consider this required reading.

The fastest-growing stock brokerage in history has studied it obsessively.

In fact, Robinhood revolutionized trading thanks in large part to a frictionless user interface (UI).

That means Robinhood's app strips away almost every obstacle to customers doing what it wants them to do.

The company's design mastery has won it countless awards—and even sparked major controversy.

But while critics debate the ethics, nobody disputes the success.

That's key for tech-savvy brokers trying to build a better user experience (UX).

The same tactics Robinhood used to amass 27 million clients and a $120 billion business could help some mortgage pros close at least 20–30% more deals.

The Fed's consensus on rate cuts is now "It's Complicated."

Central bank officials are increasingly voicing concerns over further easing, given core inflation refuses to cooperate.

Yields stayed muted Wednesday as markets awaited Trump's signature to end the longest U.S. government shutdown in history. He did just that on Wednesday evening. That means the macro data floodgates should soon open, adding to rate volatility.

A few weeks ago, bank regulator Peter Routledge noted that OSFI is "seeing a gradual rise in mortgage delinquencies from historically low levels, especially in variable rate fixed payment mortgages."

The regulator characterized these cases as "signs of stress."

That inspired us to contact OSFI for colour on what sort of stress we're dealing with here. Are they talking about a few air bumps—or a fasten your seatbelts and stop serving drinks kind of turbulence?

Here's what we learned:

Optimism is growing that the longest U.S. government shutdown on record could end this week. A House vote is due Wednesday.

Meanwhile, north of the border, bond yields opened the week flatter than a prairie horizon, thanks to a sparse Canadian data calendar.

Older homeowners often view reverse mortgages as financial booby traps. Many find it too hard to know how much of their wealth will remain once the loan stops compounding.

A major wildcard in that equation is the average effective interest rate over the life of the loan. Seniors who endured the early 1980s carry a deeply imprinted fear that rates could again rip higher and deplete equity with alarming velocity.

That brings up an interesting question for those contemplating a reverse mortgage: wouldn't it be comforting never to have to worry about the interest rate again?

Bloom Finance asked this very same question.

While the American lamented surprise layoffs last week, Friday’s big story was north of the border. For the second month in a row, StatCan pulled a statistically improbable rabbit out of its hat.