On Nov. 12, 2015, traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange witnessed the Dow suffer its worst one-day loss in six weeks, plunging 254 points. That afternoon, in Washington, D.C., members of the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open
The digital mortgage platform empowering the rise of community lenders
From the beginning, co-founder and CEO John Paasonen has been clear about digital mortgage platform Maxwell’s mission: to make mortgages simpler and more accessible. Since channeling his frustrations with the mortgage borrowing process into co-founding Maxwell in 2015, Paasonen has
Fannie and Freddie CEOs talk 2021 challenges, controversial 50 bps refi fee
The leaders of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac sat down with Mortgage Bankers Association Chair-elect Kristy Fercho on Tuesday at the MBA Annual conference to discuss how the GSEs have managed the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis. Freddie Mac’s David Brickman and
As mortgage rates climb, applications fall six basis points
For the second week in a row, mortgage applications faltered slightly, falling 0.6% from the week prior, according to a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association. Purchase applications also took a hit last week, falling 2% from the week prior, however,
September single-family housing starts reached highest level since 2007
Single-family housing starts soared in September, a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows, despite an overall rate that was dragged down by a decline in multifamily starts. Privately owned housing starts in September rose to an annual rate
San Francisco Bay Area Real Estate Market Overview
Data by C.A.R. This article has been updated to reflect recent changes in the San Francisco housing market. San Francisco consistently ranks among the most expensive real estate markets in the world, and it is one of the most densely
How Jonathan Corr’s passion for automation fueled Ellie Mae’s people-centric culture
Jonathan Corr served as president and chief executive officer at Ellie Mae before announcing his retirement in September after the company was acquired by Intercontinental Exchange. Joe Tyrrell, Ellie Mae’s chief operating officer, succeeded Corr as president of ICE. HousingWire sat down
NAR boosts awareness of fair housing issues with newest ad campaign
The National Association of Realtors has launched a new ad campaign, an extension of its “That’s Who We R” effort, working with creative advertising agency Havas Chicago to create an omnichannel campaign to drive awareness of fair housing issues. NAR
Knock Home Swap solution enters the Florida market
Knock Home Swap has expanded into Orlando, Florida and Tampa, Florida, its first markets in the Sunshine State. Home Swap is offered exclusively through local real estate professionals who have been trained as Knock Certified Agents. In these markets Home
FHFA proposes rule on new products and activities from GSEs
The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced at this year’s Mortgage Bankers Association Annual event that it is proposing a new rule for activities and products from the government-sponsored enterprises. The proposed rule replaces an interim rule from 2009 and would
Mortgage forbearance rate falls to lowest level since mid-April at 5.92%
The U.S. forbearance rate measuring the share of mortgages with suspended payments fell to 5.92% last week, the lowest since mid-April, according to the Mortgage Banker Association. The rate dropped from 6.32% in the prior week, MBA said in a report
Financial wellness resources offered to NAR members through partnership with Morgan Stanley
Investment guidance and financial wellness resources are now available to all 1.4 million members of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), through a partnership with Morgan Stanley. According to NAR, this guidance will be uniquely designed to fit the needs
Sacramento Real Estate Market And Investment Overview
This article has been updated to get an overview of the Sacramento housing market. Tight supply and strong demand are boosting home prices in the Sacramento housing market making it strongly skewed to sellers. Due to the short supply of
What could drive mortgage rates in 2021?
I’ve seen a number of articles lately predicting that mortgage rates will rise in 2021, a couple even from other HousingWire contributors. The rationale for these predictions have been erudite, multifactorial and complex. I am, on the other hand, a
Builder confidence breaks previous 35-year record high
The National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo Housing Market Index rose two points to 85 in October – the highest score the series has ever recorded since its inception 35 years ago and the second month in its history the score broke
Crawl Space Maintenance: Insulation, Ventilation, and Encapsulation
Crawl spaces are often out of sight and, consequently, out of mind, making them easy to neglect. But without proper maintenance your crawl space is susceptible to moisture, heat loss, pests, and a host of other complications. These common problems
TransUnion announces partnership with FinLocker to give consumers and lenders more access to data
Credit reporting agency TransUnion announced on Monday that it was making an equity investment in FinLocker’s $20 million Series A round, inking a partnership agreement designed to give consumers more control and access to their credit data while letting lenders
Austin Real Estate Market: Trends And Updated Forecast
We will discuss the latest Austin real estate market trends and forecast for 2021. The Austin housing market has seen a spike in home sales in the last few months. The latest report from the Austin Board of Realtors showcases the market’s
People movers: Amherst, Notarize, Zillow Group
The Amherst Group, a real estate investment, development and operating firm, announced another executive-level appointment, hiring Gillian Sutton Cho as chief operating officer of investment management. In her new position, she is responsible for all investor-facing services and operations, and
Homes in high-risk wildfire areas are more affordable
Wildfires continue to rip through the west coast, but that doesn’t mean homebuyers won’t purchase in high-risk areas. More than 4.5 million homes are located in areas at high risk of wildfire across the states of Washington, Oregon and California,
The Pandemic’s Impact on Consumer Shopping Behavior in Mortgage & Real Estate
Our job as mortgage professionals is to help consumers when and how they need us. This is especially important in the current crisis as the behaviors of both consumers and those in the housing industry are changing. Join Jornaya’s Head
Appraisal coalition pledges to combat bias and discrimination
The Appraisal Institute, American Society of Appraisers, American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, and the Massachusetts Board of Real Estate Appraisers announced a concerted effort to combat unconscious bias and discrimination in a release on Friday. The coalition
Some notaries are saying no to RON
California has distinguished itself as the state that may never accept remote online notarization (RON). The state has no legislation permitting RON, and has even gone so far as to write to Congress opposing proposed bills that would make RON
Guild Mortgage is going public – Let’s look at the numbers
Add lender-servicer Guild Mortgage to the ranks of the nonbank mortgage lenders going public. According to an amended S-1 submitted to the Securities and Exchanges Commission on Thursday, Guild, through parent firm Guild Holdings, is expected to price its initial
