The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on Friday announced that it is seeking a settlement with Chicago-based Townstone Financial that would resolve a case over what the bureau calls “discriminatory lending practices and redlining African American neighborhoods in Chicago.” The
What is a real estate broker vs. an agent? We explain the key differences
Vetted by HousingWire | Our editors independently review the products we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Whether you’re looking to start a career in real estate, already have one or are involved in
Rep. Barbara Lee expresses interest in leading HUD if Harris becomes president
Rep. Barbara Lee (D), a member of the U.S. House of Representatives who serves California’s 12th Congressional district in the Oakland area, has signaled that she is interested in the role of secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and
Sonu Mittal on Freddie Mac’s newest moves to lower lender, borrower costs
In the newest episode of the HousingWire Daily podcast, host Sarah Wheeler sits down with Freddie Mac’s Sonu Mittal — the agency’s senior vice president and head of single-family acquisitions — to explore its recently announced alternative to loan repurchases,
MISMO tech VP on what the reverse mortgage working group brings to the table
The Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization (MISMO), a subsidiary of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), has been developing a series of uniform technology standards that will ideally allow for the somewhat siloed reverse mortgage industry to more easily collaborate with
FirstTeam’s Michele Harrington talks innovative recruitment strategies for brokerages
In this week’s episode of the Power House podcast, host Diego Sanchez sits down with FirstTeam Real Estate CEO Michele Harrington for a provocative conversation about female empowerment, leadership in the real estate industry and recruitment strategies. This interview has
Why did mortgage rates rise after the negative jobs report?
Update: Since publishing this story, mortgage spreads have improved from yesterday, so some lenders may have better pricing today. Today’s jobs report showed the lowest job-growth data for the year at 12,000. You would think this would cause the 10-year
NRMLA asks HUD to extend reporting timetable for cybersecurity incidents
The National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA) said this week that it has submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requesting that the agency, at minimum, align its cybersecurity reporting requirements with those of Ginnie
Optimal Blue’s Joe Tyrrell on deciding where to use gen AI
Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler sat down with Optimal Blue CEO Joe Tyrrell to talk about how the company decides where to deploy generative AI and why return on investment (ROI) for customers is paramount. Before arriving at Optimal Blue
Introducing the 2024 HousingWire Tech Trendsetters!
HousingWire is excited to announce the honorees of this year’s Tech Trendsetters award. The Tech Trendsetters are made up of the top product and technology leaders who have been essential in bringing innovative tech solutions to market for mortgage and
Real estate mailers: The ultimate guide for 2024
Real estate mailers aren’t dead — far from it. With so many agents focused on digital marketing, mailers can help you stand out from the crowd to attract new leads, increase brand awareness, generate more referrals, and ultimately close more
Is mortgage demand really picking up?
Are we seeing the start of a market shift in mortgage demand? Notably, mortgage rates have been gradually declining, and we’ve observed back-to-back positive weeks in purchase application data for the first time since mid-March. While I typically prefer to
Why are home prices at all-time highs with more inventory?
Both existing housing inventory and home prices have been rising together year over year, which might seem odd at first glance since existing home sales are trending near all-time lows. However, I can clear up any confusion on this topic.
FHFA grants conditional approval for Freddie Mac second mortgage pilot
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) on Friday announced that it has given conditional approval for Freddie Mac to begin purchasing closed-end second mortgages through a pilot program. The pilot program includes several limitations to the types of loans the
HUD offers new disaster relief in Hawaii following Biden executive order
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Friday announced a new round of disaster relief in the state of Hawaii that is targeted for the island of Kauai following severe storms, flooding and landslides that took place
Could aging in place be ‘a poor long-term decision?’
In survey after survey in which Americans are asked about their preferred living situations in retirement, recent data is clear — they want to age in place in their current homes and remain in the familiar environs of their house
Montana aims to remind seniors about its ‘reverse annuity mortgage’
The Montana Board of Housing is aiming to remind the state’s seniors about a government-administered program that is specifically designed to help older adults access their home’s equity — and it should be very familiar to members of the reverse
Smaller metro areas are seeing sharp home-price increases: SmartAsset
While major cities are often the bellwethers when it comes to home-price trends, a SmartAsset analysis of Zillow data released Thursday shows that some secondary and tertiary U.S. metro areas are leading the way for home-price appreciation. SmartAsset, a personal
Right-to-list agreements now banned in 30 states
Since making headlines for the first time roughly 18 months ago, right-to-list agreements — also known as Non-Title Recorded Agreements for Personal Service (NTRAPS) — have been banned in 30 states, according to an announcement from the American Land Title
HUD joins other federal agencies to update climate resiliency plans
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced on Friday that it has joined more than 20 other federal agencies to update its climate adaptation plan in furtherance of the White House’s national climate resilience framework. As the
Senior-held home equity falls to $12.84 trillion in Q4 2023
Homeowners 62 and older saw their collective home equity levels drop in the fourth quarter of 2023 by roughly $119 billion to $12.84 trillion, the third quarterly fall in the last year. This is according to the Reverse Mortgage Market
Opinion: Why aren’t more commercial brokerages seeking affiliated arrangements?
Let’s face it: joint ventures (JVs) and affiliated business arrangements (ABAs) are all the rage in the residential real estate space right now. And why not? In times of depressed revenue, it makes sense to seek any and all reasonable
Senior-held home equity falls to $12.84 trillion in Q4 2023
Homeowners 62 and older saw their collective home equity levels drop in the fourth quarter of 2023 by roughly $119 billion to $12.84 trillion, the third quarterly fall in the last year. This is according to the Reverse Mortgage Market
Is your real estate database a dumpster fire or lead gen machine?
Study after study has shown that nurturing your database should yield you at least a 10% return. This means that when you have 100 people in your database, and they’re hearing from you regularly with something of value, at least