housing wire

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) on Friday finalized proposed changes to the enterprise regulatory capital framework. The amendments replace the fixed prescribed leverage buffer amount — currently 1.5% of an enterprise’s adjusted total assets — with a dynamic buffer

United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) just sued two more broker shops that allegedly violated its controversial broker agreement by sending loans to rivals Rocket Mortgage and Fairway Independent Mortgage. The Pontiac-based wholesale lender filed two lawsuits on Wednesday in Michigan federal

CFPB Director Rohit Chopra The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced Wednesday that it may propose a rule to regulate the use of automated valuation models (AVMs) by lenders and appraisers. The government watchdog is concerned that automated valuation models

Offerpad CEO Brian Bair Get out the streamers and kazoos and start preparing the hors d’oeuvres – an iBuying company has reported a year’s worth of profitability. Offerpad Solutions generated $6.5 million for the year 2021, company CEO, chairman and

An appraiser who wrote a racist email to a researcher has received a response — but not likely the one he wanted. In an emailed tirade, appraiser Dave LaVigne lambasted appraisal bias researcher Elizabeth Korver-Glenn for her research on appraisal

HousingWire recently spoke with Amanda Phillips, ACES Quality Management’s EVP of Compliance, about the current compliance landscape with CFPB updates and how lenders can ensure they’re compliant with fair lending and fair servicing.   HousingWire: How does Fair Lending affect

Discount brokerage REX Homes (Real Estate Exchange, Inc.) filed a motion on Thursday in federal district court in Seattle challenging the legality of the National Association of Realtors’ claims that REX pushes false advertising, which the trade group alleged in

CoStar continues to grow and make money, and if you don’t like it – tough. “Like any company we have people who decide the demands of the environment are not for them and that’s fine,” said Andy Florance, CoStar’s CEO,

Mortgage applications decreased 13.1% for the week ending Feb. 18 to the lowest level since December 2019, as mortgage rates eclipsed the 4% mark. The Mortgage Bankers Association‘s seasonally adjusted refi index fell 15.6% from the previous week, bringing its

The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city price index posted a 18.6% year-over-year gain in December, up marginally from 18.3% the previous month. The index increased 1.5% from November 2021. The national home price index showed similar helium, with an 18.8% growth rate between

Federal finance and housing regulators today issued a statement to assure lenders they are on the same page when it comes to special purpose credit programs. The missive from the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of

With rising interest rates and compressed margins, many lenders are looking totheir servicing business to grow revenue. However, working with borrowers exitingforbearance programs adds another layer to an already complex process whichcould raise costs. Lenders who want to thread the

It is possible to continue to increase your volume this year despite current challenges. We know that refinance volume is declining, Agency business will shrink and get more expensive and an increasing number of borrowers will not qualify under Agency

Some mortgage rate indices topped 4% on Thursday, blowing past predictions that rates might reach those levels by the end of 2022. Economists had predicted rates would rise as the overall economy stabilized. The latest mortgage rate survey from Freddie

Maryland has over a dozen Eastern European stores that sell products like caviar, pumpernickel bread and salo, a Ukrainian-style bacon. Apart from selling produce that is popular in former Soviet countries, these stores represent a marketing opportunity for Alex Naumovych,

The VA loan is an important financing tool for VA-eligible borrowers to achieve their homeownership dream. In 2021 one in two VA borrowers was a first-time homebuyer (FTHB).  Last year, mortgage interest rates reached record lows. The average VA FTHB’s interest rate was 2.90% and the quarterly FTHB VA purchase loan volume stayed elevated. In

Mr. Cooper, one of the nation’s top servicers, and Sagent, a loan servicing software developer, announced on Friday that they will join forces to create a cloud-native servicing platform. The definitive agreement reached by both parties stipulates that Mr. Cooper

Forecasts take on a new meaning this year as we enter our second year of economic forecasting in a COVID-19 world. This 2022 forecast event brought together some of the top economists and researchers in the housing space, equipping attendees

Zillow CEO Rich Barton. When Zillow stunned the housing world last November by announcing a wind down of its iBuying program – and beginning the process of laying off a quarter of its workforce – the question became what’s next.

Back in August, Christian Wallace spoke effusively about her future at Better.com. The digital lender generated so much money through mortgage refinancing that it bankrolled a formidable real estate division. And Wallace, a former Sotheby’s agent and Opendoor manager, was

Reverse mortgage software solutions and loan origination system (LOS) provider ReverseVision announced on Thursday morning that it has been acquired by a division of Toronto-based Constellation Software, a holding company that bought another mortgage LOS in 2019. Staff at San

Just like other “Big Four” member Old Republic last week, First American Financial announced record-breaking earnings during its fourth quarter earnings call on Thursday. The company’s total revenue for 2021 was up 30% from 2020 to a record of $9.2

United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) is making good on its threat to take legal action against partnering broker shops that also send business to Rocket Mortgage and Fairway Independent Mortgage, a violation of the wholesaler’s controversial broker agreement. UWM filed a

The appraisal space has seen its share of challenges and changes in the past two years. Facing the difficult combination of record-breaking volume and a shortage of appraisers, many mortgage and appraisal professionals have turned to appraisal technology solutions. HousingWire