In January, our team at Knox Financial felt like we had the wind at our backs. Knox was approaching its first full year in business, and every month more homeowners and landlords were putting their properties onto our platform that
GSE risk-fee rush, then delay, reveals election pressure
The last two times Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac instituted an adverse-market fee to compensate for a riskier lending environment, during the run-up to the financial crisis more than a dozen years ago, lenders got plenty of warning. The announcements
Mortgage applications fall 6.5% as rates hover around 3%
Despite mortgage rates that continue to hover around 3%, mortgage applications fell 6.5% last week, according to a report from the Mortgage Bankers Associations. As the industry continued its dialogue regarding the proposed refinance fee, the refinance index fell 10%
Sales of new homes in July surpass a 13-year high
Sales of new homes rose to an annualized rate of 901,000 in July – a near 13.5 year high for the second month in a row, according to the Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. According to the
FHFA delays refinance fee start date to Dec. 1
This story has been updated with reaction from industry trade groups. The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced Tuesday it is postponing the date it will begin implementing its adverse market refinance fee to Dec. 1. The FHFA directed Fannie Mae
Why Black-owned businesses have been hit hardest by COVID-19
From retail to restaurants, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken out tens of thousands of businesses nationwide. But minority-owned companies have fared much worse than their white counterparts, largely due to limited access to capital. The number of active business owners
What can cool down housing demand? The 10-year yield above 1.94% might
The Census Bureau‘s new home sales report released Tuesday hailed another defeat to the housing bears’ doom and gloom predictions for 2020 after COVID-19 hit our economy. There may have never been another time in the history of America when the bears
Mortgage lending will beat 2019 by $1 trillion, Fannie says
Mortgage lending this year likely will total $3.4 trillion, about $1 trillion higher than 2019, as low rates boost refinancings, Fannie Mae said in a forecast. That would be the highest level of originations since 2003’s $3.8 trillion, according to
The benefits of RON go beyond the era of social distancing
HousingWire spoke with Altisource Vice President of Product Ben Hall about the increased adoption of remote online notarization (RON) and how Altisource supports lenders looking to move to full eClosings. HousingWire: The COVID-19 pandemic has fueled the conversation around wider
Sales of New-Construction Homes Rebound to Pre-Coronavirus Levels, Rising 10% in July
A surge in homebuilding before the pandemic is now driving growth in new-home sales. A shift to the suburbs and record-low mortgage rates are also contributing factors. Sales of newly-built homes climbed 10.1% year over year in July, recovering to
Record-Breaking Housing Market Continues: Prices Climb 11%, Pending Sales Up 15%
Key takeaways for the 4-week period ending August 16: Median home sale prices climbed further to a new all-time high of $316,375, an increase of 11% from 2019 and the largest year-over-year gain since early 2014. Pending home sales were
[PULSE] Accountability is more important than action, and nothing happens without action
Note: This is part four of a five-part series. Over the following weeks, Todd Duncan, sales entrepreneur and New York Times best-selling author, will showcase principles for mortgage and real estate professionals to embrace for success. Find more advice in
80% of economists see a chance of a double-dip recession
Almost 80% of economists say there’s at least a one-in-four chance of a double-dip recession, following a record 32.9% plunge in GDP in the second quarter, according to a survey released on Monday from the National Association for Business Economics.
Forbearance rate falls to 7.2%, MBA says
The U.S. forbearance rate declined for the second consecutive week, falling to the lowest level since mid-April, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The share of mortgages with agreements to suspend payments fell to 7.2% from 7.21%, MBA said in
Broad coalition of housing organizations urge Congress to start protecting renters and property owners
In a letter addressed to congressional leaders, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Treasury and the National Economic Council, a coalition of 31 housing organizations and industry trade associations urged the administration to immediately restart negotiating
There are now 4 providers with MISMO RON Compliance Certification
e-Closing platform Pavaso announced on Monday it has been awarded the Remote Online Notarization Compliance Certification through the Mortgage Industry Standard Maintenance Organization – making it the fourth company to receive the specialized certification. Originally introduced in April, the MISMO
Denver real estate agent fired for removing Black Lives Matter signs from front yards
A Denver-based real estate agent has been fired after removing Black Lives Matter signs from front yards, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday. It all started when a resident in a Denver neighborhood was walking his dog and noticed the
James Kleimann of The Real Deal joins HousingWire
James Kleimann is joining HousingWire as Mortgage Editor to help the company sharpen coverage in housing finance, while also expanding into other housing verticals like real estate, title/escrow and appraisal. Working alongside HousingWire Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler, Kleimann will
Here are the 2020 HW Insiders
Operations have become increasingly important in today’s environment, and some companies have even offered sign-on bonuses for these roles as the need for them heightens. Many of the 2020 HW Insiders are from these operations roles, and their talent was
US Housing Market Forecast 2020 & 2021: Will It Crash or Recover?
Here are the updated housing market trends—home prices, forecast, inventory, and sales. If you’re wondering what the state of the housing market 2020 will be like over the next six months, especially if you’re an investor, then here is some
For Millennials who want to buy a home right now, the Great Recession still looms large
If the Great Recession never happened, how would potential homebuyers be looking at today’s housing market? After all, the giant cohort of potential homebuyers now in their late 20s and early 30s was also the generation fresh out of college
Fed purchases of agency MBS total $892 billion
Five months after restarting a bond-buying program last used in the financial crisis, the Federal Reserve has purchased about $892 billion of agency mortgage-backed securities, according to a Fed blog post on Thursday. The asset-buying has helped to drive mortgage
Is the FHFA about to delay the refi fee?
According to reporting by the Wall Street Journal on Saturday, the Federal Housing Finance Agency has been communicating with mortgage industry groups about delaying the implementation of a fee which would add a 0.5% surcharge to refinance mortgages sold to
A coastal exodus? These Century 21 San Francisco agents don’t think so
Although many in the real estate industry say that San Franciscans are relocating to places more inland, some Century 21 agents in the San Francisco and Bay Area beg to differ. Suburban ZIP codes might be more popular these days,
