US lender Rate unveils mortgage program recognizing crypto holdings

The nationwide RateFi product allows borrowers to count crypto holdings toward mortgage underwriting requirements without selling their assets.

US mortgage lender Rate has launched a nationwide program that allows qualified borrowers to use verified cryptocurrency holdings to help meet underwriting requirements without liquidating their assets, marking a formal step toward integrating digital assets into traditional home financing.

The product, called RateFi, operates within the lender’s existing non-qualified mortgage framework and permits borrowers to count verified crypto assets as qualifying reserves and, in some cases, as an income source.

Kate Amor, EVP and head of enterprise products at Rate, told Cointelegraph that for underwriting purposes, RateFi assesses digital asset holdings through a proprietary valuation framework that factors in market price, liquidity and asset-specific volatility. The approach enables certain crypto assets to count toward borrower qualification without being liquidated, while still applying traditional mortgage risk standards.

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