Author: Michael Gersitz

It’s been a good week for virtual notary services, which have seen a big bump in business during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday, DocuSign announced it had acquired Austin-based startup Liveoak Technologies for $38 million in an all-stock transaction. In

iBuyer platform zavvie has announced the release of a new version of its Offer Optimizer, which is aimed at helping agents engage clients with the possible selling options. Image courtesy of zavvie. Click to enlarge. These options include instant offers

During times of crisis, communities and industries are defined by those who step up. National Association of Realtors Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Victoria Gillespie said Realtors did just that. Gillespie’s record on success speaks for itself: Under Gillespie’s leadership

Quicken Loans on Tuesday filed an S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the name Rocket Companies. Last month, we reported that the largest online mortgage lender in the U.S. had confidentially filed for its prospectus for an

Purchase applications bounced back last week to the highest level in almost a month with a 5% gain from the week prior, according to a report by the Mortgage Bankers Association. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan

Nationally, asking rents fell 0.4% in April and May, following nearly a decade of solid growth, a new report from Yardi Matrix revealed. Between January 2015 and the first quarter of 2020, before COVID-19 hit, asking rents grew a considerable

It’s that time of year again — the 2020 HousingWire Vanguard awards just opened for nominations. You might notice a slight shift – we’re opening the nominations earlier than last year. That’s because for the first time ever, we are

Zillow announced Tuesday morning that it would resume buying homes via Zillow Offers in five more markets, making 20 out of its 24 markets operational again since pausing the service due to COVID-19. Home sellers in Los Angeles; Riverside, California;

Tappable home equity, meaning the equity homeowners could borrow against while leaving a 20% buffer, rose to a record $6.5 trillion in the first quarter, Black Knight said in a report on Monday. More than 75% of homeowners with tappable

Kanye West had a busy weekend. On July 4 the rapper used Twitter to announce he was running for president, apparently with the support of Elon Musk, and on Sunday seemed to indicate he was resuming an affordable-housing project he

While risk is inherent in all stages of origination, the closing process has a distinctive consideration as lenders and title agents collaborate on sealing the deal. With so many moving parts, risk mitigation is key to ensuring a successful closing.

Lenders attempting to reach borrowers in arrears will still be limited in the use of robocalls thanks to the actions of the Supreme Court on Monday, where they upheld a federal ban on the non-emergency auto-dialed calls to cell phones.

The danger of mortgage forbearances turning into foreclosures is rising as COVID-19 infections surge in the U.S., according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. COVID-19 cases in Texas, Arizona, Florida and other sunbelt states have set record highs in

The Houston Association of Realtors said it will stop using the term “master” when describing bedrooms or bathrooms via its multiple listing service. Instead, HAR will update the phrase to say “primary bedroom” and “primary bathroom,” according to the Houston

The U.S. has failed to contain the COVID-19 virus, alone among developed economies, and will suffer the economic consequences, Goldman Sachs economists said in a report issued on Independence Day. “Over the last few weeks, the covid situation in the

Mortgage fulfillment servicer Promontory MortgagePath is looking to hire mortgage professionals for its Denver and Danbury, Connecticut locations. The eight positions currently open are fully remote during the pandemic, but will likely return to in-person at a later date. At

As cities all over the country see a surge in COVID-19 cases, many companies are re-evaluating plans to reopen their offices. On July 1, tech giant Google announced it was delaying the reopening of its U.S. offices by about two