Guide
What to review before renewing commercial liability
Limits, additional insureds, class codes, and the claims that actually blow through a $1 million GL policy.
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Wellesley Insights
News that affects your coverage and capital.
Guides for insurance, annuities, and commercial financing — plus the headlines that move premiums, payments, and deal terms.
Guides
Evergreen reading for coverage, income, and capital.
Named products, written so you can act — then a conversation if you want Wellesley Collective to review the file.
Guide
Bridge loan vs. permanent CRE financing
When speed is the product, when a 10-year mortgage is the product, and what a clean exit looks like.
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BOP vs. separate general liability and property
When a packaged business owners policy is enough, and when a contractor or manufacturer has already outgrown it.
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What a lender reviews on an SBA 7(a) or 504 file
Use of proceeds, occupancy, cash flow, and the documents that keep an SBA file moving after SBSS scoring went away.
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What to review before a homeowners insurance renewal
Rebuild cost, roof, water, deductibles, and the flood gap that a standard HO-3 never fills.
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Working capital vs. a business line of credit
A lump sum for a defined gap, or a reusable facility you draw and repay. Which one matches the cash-flow problem.
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When a work vehicle needs commercial auto, not a personal policy
Title, use, deliveries, and hired/non-owned coverage — the points where a personal auto policy usually stops.
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Term life vs. whole life and universal life
A cheap 20-year death benefit, a policy that lasts a lifetime, or a flexible UL/IUL design. Which job you are actually hiring.
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Fixed, indexed, and income annuities — which is which
MYGAs, fixed indexed annuities, SPIAs, and DIAs. What each contract actually does, and what it is not.
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Today’s market headlines
From the Fed, CNBC, HousingWire, and Insurance Journal.
Checking feeds…
Headlines open on the original publisher. This is news, not a quote or a commitment to lend.
Wellesley briefings
What the news means for our clients.
What this week’s numbers mean for premiums, payments, and credit.
Rates & Economy · August 17, 2026
The Fed is holding. Borrowing costs are not standing still.
July CPI eased to 3.4% and traders pulled back on a September hike. Mortgage and commercial loan pricing still follow Treasuries more than the policy rate.
Read briefingFor Homeowners · August 17, 2026
Home insurance costs are still climbing — and coverage is harder to keep.
NAIC-based reporting shows multi-year premium jumps well above inflation, with more non-renewals in weather-exposed markets.
Read briefingFor Business Owners · August 17, 2026
Commercial and multifamily lending rose 16% in the second quarter.
MBA originations data points to a thaw in CRE finance, including a notable rebound in office lending and stronger CMBS volume.
Read briefingInsurance · August 17, 2026
Flood is still not in a standard homeowners policy.
FEMA continues to remind buyers and owners that flood is a separate policy — and many homes outside mapped high-risk zones still flood.
Read briefing2026 archive
January through August.
The developments that moved rates, premiums, housing, and business credit this year.
January 2026
Rates & Economy · January 28, 2026
The Fed’s first 2026 decision: rates stay put.
The FOMC opened the year by holding the federal funds rate at 3.50%–3.75% after three cuts in late 2025.
For Homeowners · January 9, 2026
Fannie and Freddie were directed to buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds.
A January directive for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy mortgage-backed securities briefly pulled 30-year rates lower.
February 2026
For Homeowners · February 2026
Mortgage rates tagged a 2026 low — then started to climb.
The 30-year fixed briefly touched the high-5s to low-6s in February before inflation and geopolitics pushed rates back up.
Rates & Economy · February 18, 2026
Fed minutes: cheaper MBS, but no refinance boom.
January FOMC minutes, released in February, said MBS yields fell after the Fannie/Freddie news — but most borrowers still could not refinance.
March 2026
For Business Owners · March 1, 2026
SBA ended SBSS scoring for 7(a) small loans.
New 7(a) small-loan underwriting rules became mandatory March 1 after SBA sunset the FICO SBSS score in January.
Rates & Economy · March 18, 2026
March Fed: still on hold, still calling for one cut.
The March FOMC held at 3.50%–3.75% and kept a median forecast of one rate cut for 2026.
April 2026
Rates & Economy · April 29, 2026
April’s Fed hold came with the most dissent since 1992.
In what was likely Chair Powell’s last meeting, the FOMC held rates again — with the highest level of dissent since 1992.
Commercial Property · April 22, 2026
The FDIC put commercial real estate back on the risk list.
The FDIC’s 2026 Risk Review flagged CRE, business lending, and funding risk after a difficult 2025 for banks.
May 2026
For Business Owners · May 5, 2026
CFPB narrowed the small-business lending data rule.
A revised Section 1071 rule raised the reporting threshold to 1,000 small-business loans a year and delayed reporting until 2028.
For Homeowners · May 26, 2026
House prices were still rising — just more slowly.
FHFA said U.S. house prices rose 1.7% from the first quarter of 2025 to the first quarter of 2026.
June 2026
Rates & Economy · June 17, 2026
Kevin Warsh’s first rate vote: another hold.
The June 16–17 FOMC was the first rate decision overseen by Chairman Kevin Warsh. The funds rate stayed at 3.50%–3.75%.
For Homeowners · June 17, 2026
Inflation and the Iran conflict pushed mortgage rates back up.
May CPI at 4.2% and energy prices tied to the Middle East conflict kept 30-year rates in the mid-6s after the February low.
July 2026
Rates & Economy · July 14, 2026
Warsh told Congress the Fed has “no tolerance” for high inflation.
In his first Humphrey-Hawkins testimony, Chairman Warsh struck a hawkish tone even as June CPI cooled to 3.5%.
Rates & Economy · July 29, 2026
July 29: the Fed holds again, with three votes for a hike.
Nine members held at 3.50%–3.75%. Three preferred a quarter-point increase. Markets began pricing hikes, not cuts.
August 2026
For Homeowners · August 6, 2026
Home insurance costs are still climbing — and coverage is harder to keep.
NAIC-based reporting showed multi-year premium jumps well above inflation, with more non-renewals in weather-exposed markets.
For Business Owners · August 6, 2026
Commercial and multifamily lending rose 16% in the second quarter.
MBA originations data pointed to a thaw in CRE finance, including a rebound in office lending and stronger CMBS volume.