US Housing Lender Will Accept Bitcoin and Ethereum for Mortgage Qualification

Newrez, a major mortgage lender, announced plans to accept cryptocurrency assets, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USD-pegged stablecoins, for mortgage qualification starting in February 2026. This initiative targets Gen Z and Millennial first-time homebuyers, as internal data shows nearly half of them own crypto. The program is part of Newrez's Smart Series non-qualified mortgage suite, allowing borrowers to use digital holdings to verify assets or estimate income without immediately liquidating them, thus avoiding taxable events. However, the lender will apply market-adjusted valuations due to volatility, and all eligible assets must be held by US-regulated entities like compliant exchanges, excluding self-custody or DeFi holdings. Down payments and closing costs must still be paid in US dollars. This move follows a broader regulatory shift, including a June 2025 directive from the Federal Housing Finance Agency for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to consider crypto in risk modeling.

(Source：BeInCrypto)