As some borrowers exit forbearance and consider selling their homes, they could use some guidance to ensure they’re making the right decision. Using Xome’s Xpert Seller Program, servicers can help borrowers determine the best marketing strategy list and sell their
Blend is now worth $4.6B. Now what?
Blend Labs‘ life as a public company is off to a promising start. Late last week, Blend sold 20 million shares of Class A stock at $18 apiece, raising $360 million. Shares closed trading at $20.90, giving Blend a valuation
Ex-Zillow execs promise revolution in lending
Seventy million dollars in seed funding is a colossal investment for an unproven tech startup, even one that promises to fully disrupt a relatively low-margin, traditional industry like mortgage lending. But this is no ordinary mortgage startup. Venture capital investors
Homebuilders descend on D.C. as confidence drops
Homebuilder confidence for newly built single-family homes dropped one point to 80 in July, per the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo Housing Market Index released today. It’s the lowest level since August 2020. High building material prices
North American Title Insurance announces flurry of moves
Margaret Redman has been named director of national commercial services and senior regional underwriting counsel for North American Title Insurance Co. as the firm’s parent company begins the process of rebranding in preparation for an independent public offering. Redman, who
OJO Labs expands into Canada’s “tight” housing market
Real estate platform OJO Labs is expanding into Canada, the company announced this week. Canadian customers can now work directly with the OJO concierge team to connect with local agents and mortgage professionals from Royal Bank of Canada, said Natalka
eXp and Kind plan mortgage JV by October
The second big mortgage joint venture announcement this week is a meeting of the Glenns. Glenn Sanford’s eXp World Holdings announced Thursday a mortgage joint venture with Glenn Stearns’s Kind Lending, called Success Lending. The declaration comes 48 hours after
Create the Ultimate Backyard Retreat to Keep Your Kids Engaged this Summer
It’s no secret that kids of all ages love summer vacation – the warm weather and change in routine bring adventure and imagination into their days. As parents, however, it’s common to be concerned that your child isn’t being challenged
Morty announces $25 million Series B funding
Online mortgage marketplace Morty announced the close of a $25 million Series B financing round, pushing the total company valuation to $150 million. Morty’s marketplace has processed more than $500 million in loans in the past 12 months, and saw
Mortgage credit drops to lowest level since September
Mortgage credit availability dipped 8.5% in June to 118.8 — indicating that lending standards are tightening, per the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Mortgage Credit Availability Index. It’s the lowest MCAI level — which uses 100 as a benchmark — since September
Homebuilders urge Congress to address inventory crisis
Hampered by labor shortages, rising material costs and government regulation, homebuilders are looking to Congress for ways to decrease the estimated “under-building gap” of 5.5 million homes and help with housing affordability. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is joining the National
Freddie Mac now forecasts $3.9T in originations in 2021
The low mortgage rates that propelled the housing market throughout the COVID-19 pandemic will rise later in the year, but they’ll do so gradually, Freddie Mac said Thursday in its quarterly outlook. That will give more homeowners a final opportunity
Making the dream of homeownership a reality for underserved communities
The journey to homeownership can be rewarding, but also challenging. For some aspiring homeowners in underserved communities, the process may be even harder to navigate. Residents in these communities may be less likely to possess generational wealth to put toward
Purchases of second homes declined in June
For the first time in a year, the number of buyers who locked in mortgage rates to purchase a second home fell in June. Per a recent Redfin study, second home mortgages saw a year-over-year decrease of 11.1%. Home prices
Shareholder suit accuses Rocket of deceptive disclosures
A shareholder sued Rocket Mortgage, the Detroit-based mortgage behemoth, for allegedly making misleading disclosures to conceal adverse market conditions. The class action-seeking lawsuit, which was filed in the Eastern District Of Michigan’s Southern Division, alleges that Rocket was aware of
How to Prepare Your Home for Drought
If you live in an area where the risk for drought is high, you’ll want to start preparing your home – and yourself – for a drought. To help you get started, we’ve gathered information to help you assess your
Mortgage rates dip slightly to 2.88%
The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell two basis points from the week prior to 2.88%, according to mortgage rates data released Thursday by Freddie Mac‘s PMMS. According to Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, the decline provides modest relief to
Mortgage applications jump 16%
After several consecutive weeks of drops, mortgage applications jumped 16% for the week ending July 9, 2021, according to the latest report from the Mortgage Bankers Association. The prior week‘s report showed a 1.8% drop in applications to the lowest level
Baltimore Real Estate Market Trends & Investment Overview 2021
Is Baltimore going to be a sizzling real estate market for investors over the next twelve months? According to NeighborhoodScout’s data, Baltimore’s appreciation rate has been at or slightly above the national average over the last twelve months, at 6.00
For the housing market, look at bonds over MBS
This is the first time I am writing about mortgage backed securities (MBS) because I hardly ever consider this aspect of the housing market in my work. But since now even Federal Reserve members are discussing the pros and cons
Is NAR ready to rumble with DOJ?
Lisa Dunn was on her way to the American Automobile Association headquarters in Mission Viejo, California when her phone started blowing up. It was July 1, and the U.S. Department of Justice had just fired off a press release saying
How fine-tuning MSR valuations can help lenders improve decision-making
Over the course of the last year, the mortgage industry has seen increases in origination volumes and decreases in released servicing bids. This has caused servicing portfolios to grow to represent the largest single asset on many lenders’ balance sheets,
Redfin: Bidding wars drop slightly in June
Competition between would-be homebuyers is still high, but an increase in homes hitting the market in June brought some relief from bidding wars. Per a recent Redfin study, 65% of home offers written by company agents in June faced competition,
Compass is Guaranteed Rate’s latest dance partner
Guaranteed Rate has found another dance partner. And Compass is borrowing from the playbook of its most visible direct competitor. Guaranteed Rate, the Chicago-based mortgage lender, and Compass, the New York City-headquartered residential real estate brokerage, “entered into a definitive
