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Jeff TuckerZillow Senior Economist This is the fourth installment of our economist Q&A series, as we work to answer the top 2021 housing market questions. Every Tuesday in December, HousingWire interviewed a top economist in the HW+ Slack channel. The

After falling to the lowest rate in Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey’s near 50-year-history last week, the average U.S. mortgage rate for a 30-year fixed loan remained at a survey-low 2.67% this week. Last week’s announcement of a 2.67%

The clock has effectively run out for FHFA Director Calabria to release Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from their 12-year captivity under conservatorship following the great financial crisis. The incoming Biden administration has an opportunity now to reshape the housing

EasyKnock has rolled out another sale-leaseback product for homeowners. With this initiative, homeowners can sell their home and remain living there rental payment-free until they find their new abode. EasyKnock said that this service enables the homeowner to leverage their

In October, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors made a controversial move to issue a final rule with proposed prudential standards for nonbank mortgage servicers – standards that, if enacted, have some stakeholders worried. The proposed rule addressed capital, liquidity,

While the United States may not have been prepared to combat a deadly virus, a quick and robust response from the Federal Reserve, along with changing consumer preferences, created a perfect storm that resulted in a record year for the

RentPath announced Wednesday that it has terminated an agreement to be acquired by CoStar Group following the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) decision to sue to block the transaction. The FTC had argued that the $588 million acquisition would be harm

Rodman Schley was selected to become the next president of the Appraisal Institute (AI) beginning Jan. 1, succeeding appraiser Jefferson Sherman, according to the trade organization. Schley, a senior managing director at BBG in Colorado, served as vice president of

2020 served as a real litmus test for mortgage technology and fintech. Between having to transition whole teams to work from home — in some cases over just a weekend — to dealing with crushing origination volume, companies could clearly

U.S. pending home sales slid for the third consecutive month in November, dropping 2.6% from October, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors. However, year-over-year contract signings were still up by 16.4%. “The latest monthly decline is

The number of mortgages in active forbearance rose by 20,000 last week, according to a Friday report from Black Knight. Though the raw number increased, the number of mortgages in active forbearance remained at 5.3%, unchanged from the week prior.

Frank Nothaft Executive and Chief Economist at CoreLogic This is the third installment of our economist Q&A series. Every Tuesday in December, HousingWire has interviewed a top economist in the HW+ Slack channel. The 2021 housing market forecasts have focused on

The shift to AI-powered technology is rapidly taking over the mortgage industry with leaders turning to machine learning to increase efficiency amid COVID-19. With the move toward a remote workforce and the real estate market booming, this technology is an

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced Monday it is requesting input on the appraisal policies, practices and processes of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, especially as it relates to the GSEs’ appraisal modernization efforts. The Request for Input (RFI)

President Donald Trump on Sunday officially signed the second COVID-19 relief and government stimulus bill, after a back-and-forth with Congress on the amount of money that will be sent directly to consumers. The $2.3 trillion bill gives $600 in direct

Although I had pockets of joy in 2020, these moments were subsumed in a haze of stress, uncertainty and fear for our country. And, at times, I have found it difficult to keep these emotions from clouding my economic thinking.

Real estate agents across the U.S. have been busy as a result of the pent-up demand from homebuyers due to COVID-19. From facing uncertainty in March from COVID-19-related shutdowns, to seeing home sales skyrocket through the summer into fall, it