housing wire

Rocket Companies, parent of Rocket Mortgage, has its eyes on the solar energy industry, announcing this week that it will enter the green energy game by 2022. According to the Detroit-based company, it will be leveraging the same technology, data

Home prices continue to increase as national inventory levels remain low heading into August. But relief for buyers could be coming in the next 12 months. Home prices increased 2.3% from May to June, and 17.2% year-over-year, according to the

The purchase market reigned supreme in the second quarter of 2021, and multichannel lender loanDepot reported a 31% increase in purchase mortgage transactions from the prior quarter. But the lender’s gain-on-sale margin and net income fell significantly during the second

Fannie Mae continues to reap the rewards of low mortgage rates as it posted a net income of $7.2 billion for the second quarter of 2021, up from $5 billion in the first quarter. Refinances continued to account for the

Banks moved to ease lending standards for most mortgage loan products during the second quarter, according to a loan officer opinion survey published this week by the Federal Reserve Board. The quarterly survey found that banks loosened their underwriting standards

Alanna Strei of eXp Realty in San Diego and Cornerstone Communities’ new San Diego townhouses Real estate agent Alanna Strei’s client wanted to check out “Tesoro Vista Del Sur,” 134 newly built townhouses in the Ocean View Hills area of

The Senate is banking on extending mortgage fees that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac indirectly charge to consumers to help pay for traditional infrastructure. According to legislative text publicly shared for the first time today by the U.S. Senate, renewing

Servicers’ forbearance portfolio volume fell yet again, this time dipping a single basis point to 3.47% from 3.48% last week, according to a survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association.  According to MBA’s estimate, 1.74 million homeowners are still in forbearance plans. The share

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the mortgage industry to digitize transactions that were once completely done in-person. And while technology has streamlined the industry, many housing professionals are still hesitant to exist in a digital landscape. This is partly due to

Digital title provider Doma has finally gone public, but has already had to pay out nearly $300 million to early investors who redeemed their shares. Backers said in March that they expected the SPAC merger to raise $645 million in

The use of remote online notarization is now permitted in Illinois, New Jersey and Oregon, bringing the number of states with RON legislation up to 37. Legislation is also pending in New York and New Hampshire, according to the American

The 2021 Women of Influence winners represent 100 of the most influential women in leadership in the housing economy. More than just breaking records in the housing finance space, the HousingWire 2021 Women of Influence are shattering glass ceilings and

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world rushed to digitize and transactions that once happened in person were forced online. And while the housing market continued to surge amid these changes, some people were still hesitant to do business in

Mortgage lenders are looking for ways to accelerate the digital mortgage process and deliver a one-of-a-kind experience for borrowers. ICE Mortgage Technology’s Encompass eClose allows lenders to electronically order documents, collaborate with settlement agents and partners, eSign documents with borrowers,

An Oakland homeowner says the home valuation process failed her due to the color of her skin, according to a complaint filed with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Cora Robinson, who is Black, claims that appraiser Thomas Kearney

I have been following the discussion around the competitiveness, costs and consumer benefits of U.S. Multiple Listing Services (MLS) by those trying to disparage the system. As an Irish immigrant to the United States in 1996 who became a real

As the Biden administration recently spotlighted, cybersecurity remains a high-level concern for the privacy and security of Americans. In fact, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has experienced a record number of reported complaints as of late, jumping from

In the last few months in my articles for HousingWire, I have written that monthly supply has been rising and that this increasing supply was the most critical metric for the housing market, specifically the new home sales market. According

The housing market is red hot. The Federal Housing Finance Agency house-price index rose 12% last year due to low inventories and high demand. Redfin, the popular real estate website, reports that nearly 40% of homes in the past month

Kenneth Farmer has been named regional underwriting counsel for First American Financial Corporation’s gulf coast title insurance, the company recently announced. Farmer, who has been promoted from within, will continue to serve as state counsel for First American Title’s Mississippi

Another week, another drop in forbearance volume. Servicers’ forbearance portfolio volume fell two basis points to 3.48% from 3.50% last week, according to a survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association.  Approximately 1.74 million homeowners are in forbearance plans, the MBA reported. The share of Fannie Mae and Freddie

“I feel the need…the need for speed.” – Maverick (Top Gun) With the increasing “need-for-speed” at which the lending community moves, keeping up is a constant task that never gets any easier. New entrants continue to join the market with

New home sales continued to slip in June, falling 6.6% from May to a pace of only 676,000, according to a recent study from the U.S. Census. It’s the third straight month of decreases and the first annual decline since

With the foreclosure moratorium for federally backed mortgages set to expire next week, the Biden administration is giving borrowers additional options to reduce their mortgage payments. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Department