Consumer attitudes have changed significantly since the onset of the pandemic, and companies that are dealing with outdated perspectives — anything before March — are going to find it hard to connect. That’s why we’ve invited Mike Eshelman, head of consumer finance
Making every loan a green loan
In August, a group of distinguished climate scientists from the United Kingdom released a report indicating that over 28 trillion tons of ice had melted and disappeared from the earth’s surface since 1994. This is important because it reinforced predictions
Federal regulators finalize appraisal and capital liquidity rules
The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency finalized two rules on Tuesday that were initiated in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. These
Home-price index gains the most since 2018
The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller index of home prices in 20 U.S. cities gained 3.9% in July from a year ago, the biggest advance since 2018, as rock-bottom mortgage rates made it possible for people to bid higher for properties. The
Startup profile: Arturo
Taken from the September issue of HousingWire Magazine, Arturo is an artificial intelligence property analytics company looking to improve decision making. The company launched in 2018 and has already expanded to the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with expansion
Consumer confidence posts biggest surge in 17 years
Consumer confidence, a key measure in gauging whether people are willing to make big-ticket purchases like homes, surged the most in more than 17 years during September, surpassing the expectations of economists. The gauge rose to 101.8, the highest level
San Francisco Bay Area Real Estate Market Overview 2020
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 populated cities in
Refi Sugar High: How to balance your lending diet
As the Fed pulls out all the stops to stimulate economic activity, mortgage rates have reached record lows. In light of rampant uncertainty and economic hardship, homeowners are leaping at the opportunity to save thousands in annual payments, and the
Brokerage uses VR to get consumers inside houses that haven’t been built yet
Urban District Realty, a Washington, D.C.-based brokerage, announced last week the launch of its custom real estate listing system, PROJETO. This system uses virtual reality technology which allows clients to be put in a virtual representation of a property that
New home sales hot but not bubbly
The recent new home sales data is at levels last seen in 2006, with monthly supply back down to the low levels seen the last time new home sales data was really strong. For the first time in more than
California expands oversight of consumer protection watchdog
With the official passage of the California Consumer Protection law on Friday, California’s Department of Business Oversight will be renamed the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation and given expanded powers. The state legislature says the move will increase
Mnuchin’s oversight panel endorses Calabria’s GSE plan
A year ago, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mark Calabria released the Trump administration’s so-called blueprint to re-privatize mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with the biggest stock offering in history. Calabria has stuck
Cannae, Senator send letter boosting CoreLogic bid
Cannae Holdings and Senator Investment Group sent a letter to CoreLogic shareholders on Friday urging them to vote for nine new board members to support their unsolicited buyout bid. “One need look no further than the 40+% rise in the
As UWM attempts to build an empire, brokers and rivals weigh in on Mat Ishbia’s $16B plan
A year ago, long before anyone talked about a coronavirus, Rocket Companies‘ stock performance, or the curious acronym S-P-A-C, Mat Ishbia had set his plan in motion. Ishbia’s company, United Wholesale Mortgage, had by that point climbed the ranks to
10 Cute Homes For Sale Under the National Median Price of $328.4K
When you think about a cute home, you might imagine a small and cozy cabin perched on the side of a river, or maybe you picture a modern condo with a quaint patio overlooking the city. We view cute homes
Fidelity National Financial expands its digital options to help prevent wire fraud
Fidelity National Financial, a provider of title insurance and settlement services to the real estate and mortgage industries, is working to prevent wire fraud in today’s growing digital environment. Mortgage demand remains at a record high, and much of the country’s
People movers: Sagent, Homespire Mortgage, Title Partners
Fintech company Sagent announced it hired veteran technology leader Uday Devalla as its new chief technology officer. Devalla brings a wealth of industry experience to his new position, leading engineering, digital transformation, information security, and regtech strategy in housing for
OJO Labs rolls out agent referral network
OJO Labs has launched the OJO Select Network, an agent referral program that matches top performing agents with ready homebuyers or sellers based on an understanding of the agent’s skill set and the consumer’s needs. Select Network gives agents access
Fed’s Brainard for Treasury Secretary?
Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard, who started her public career in the 1990s as an economic advisor to President Bill Clinton, is the leading candidate for Treasury secretary if former Vice President Joe Biden usurps President Donald Trump in the
UWM rolls out “game-changing” mobile app for brokers
Just days after announcing that United Wholesale Mortgage would be going public in the fourth quarter at a $16.1 billion valuation, CEO Mat Ishbia today unveiled a new tech tool that he claims will bring “game-changing flexibility” to brokers. The
Home Point Financial launches community foundation with initial $1 million grant
Home Point Financial announced on Friday the launch of its charitable community foundation with an initial pledge of $1 million dedicated to funding 50 new minority and female-owned brokerages. In the midst of the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts National
Revamping qualified mortgages: A clearer message?
The federal Ability to Repay Rule has always been a study in contradiction. Back in 2014, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued the rule to instill strict underwriting standards for mortgage loans, but also hoped not to hamper the availability
Porch adds five new board members ahead of public debut
Real estate tech company Porch announced Wednesday that it has brought on five new members to its board of directors ahead of becoming publicly traded. The company added: Javier Saade, founder and managing partner of Impact Master Holdings as well
New-Construction Home Listings Drop 4% in August, Reversing Course From July’s Rebound
The new-homes market is recovering—with sales on the rise—but hurdles including a lumber shortage are still hampering builders. New listings of newly-built homes dropped 4.1% year over year to a seasonally-adjusted rate of 74,000 in August, reversing course after a
