The numbers are in: Compass lost $270 million in 2020, and the residential real estate brokerage generated $3.7 billion in revenue. Those figures are from a statement Compass filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday afternoon, in which
A slowdown in exits pushes forbearance volume up
After one month of steady declines, servicers’ forbearance portfolio volume rose one basis point last week to 5.23%, according to data released Monday by the Mortgage Bankers Association. The trade group pointed to a slowdown in exits coupled with an uptick
Don’t sleep on non-QM products
With low interest rates and a booming refinance market, it is natural that loan officers and brokers are focused on agency loans and also a thriving purchase market. However, with a futures rate curve that has recently been increasing, only
Expect purchase application data to be negative in 2H 2021
Logan Mohtashami HousingWire Lead Analyst When economic data that is typically sticky has a waterfall dive followed by a quick parabolic recovery, forecasting a trend can be tricky. The MBA purchase application data changed during our year of COVID-19. In
3 underrated mortgage products to consider
The 30-year mortgage is easily the most popular and talked-about mortgage product out there. After all, in January 2021, 30-year loans accounted for a whopping three-quarters of all mortgage originations in the country. But make no mistake: They’re not your
The great fintech acceleration
We all have our own prominent COVID-19 memory from 2020. Mine was on Sunday, March 15. I sat at home that morning typing out an employee memo that effective immediately all team members would be expected to work from home
What the forbearance extension means for homeowners
In this HousingWire Daily episode, HW+ Managing Editor Brena Nath covers the recent COVID-19 forbearance extensions. In February, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that it had extended COVID-19 foreclosure and forbearance moratoriums for FHA and USDA loans to June 30,
How borrower education can make housing more attainable
Today’s U.S. housing market is leaving many prospective homebuyers priced out. Homes, on average, have become less affordable, and the ones that are affordable are in short supply. As a result, 55% of future homebuyers believe that homeownership is out
Zestimate to double as Zillow’s iBuying offer
Zillow is putting their money where their Zestimate is, at least to a point. The “Zestimate,” Zillow’s catchy (and soapy) name for estimated home values, will sometimes be used as the initial offer Zillow plans to pay to purchase a
Finicity launches verification service approved by GSEs
Finicity, an open-banking solutions provider that was acquired by Mastercard in October, announced that it is dipping further into the mortgage space. Finicity’s latest product, dubbed its “mortgage verification service,” will allow prospective borrowers to provide certain permissions that allow
Blend’s Nikolaos Pavlou to speak at Spring Summit
Nikolaos Pavlou, product marketing manager at Blend, will sit down with other housing luminaries to discuss what mortgage tech is solving now at HousingWire’s Spring Summit on March 4. Pavlou will be joined by Finicity’s Senior Vice President of Product
Pending home sales drop, but there’s a silver lining
It’s like the Yogi Berra quote – nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded. For the fifth consecutive month, U.S. pending home sales dipped – this time, down 2.8% in January from December, according to a report from the National Association
Rocket Mortgage made $9.5B in profits in 2020
Rocket Companies, the parent company of Rocket Mortgage, cleared another $2.48 billion in profits during the fourth quarter, giving the nation’s biggest mortgage lender a total of $9.5 billion in profits for 2020. Rocket originated $107.2 billion in mortgages, with
FHFA extends forbearance period to 18 months
Borrowers with mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may be eligible for an additional forbearance extension of up to six months, the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced Thursday. On Feb. 9, the FHFA extended forbearance plans an additional three months past beyond their initial
Shellpoint’s Debbie Thayer to speak at Spring Summit
Debbie Thayer, executive vice president of default administration at Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing, will speak on a panel titled Servicing Challenges During a Pandemic Period at HousingWire’s Spring Summit on March 4. Thayer will be joined on the panel by Courtney Thompson to
Mortgage rates climb higher to 2.97%
The average mortgage rate for a 30-year fixed loan is now just 3 basis points away from 3%, after a 16 basis point jump last week pushed mortgage rates to 2.97%, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. The average mortgage rate
Notarize offers free notarizations to fight racist title language
Digital notary startup Notarize is now offering free notarizations in an effort to eliminate racial covenants in title insurance documents. The issue came to light after real estate brokerage Windermere Real Estate earlier this month publicized the existence of title documents
How 2020 exposed a greater need for collaboration between real estate agents and LOs
HousingWire recently spoke with Propertybase CEO Vance Loiselle about real estate tech and how the past year has accelerated the need for digital collaboration tools across the entire customer journey. HousingWire: What role has the increase in technology played for both
States Title raises $150M for home closing tech
Title insurance upstart States Title announced this week $150 million in debt financing from HSCM Bermuda, which will go towards developing a more modern home closing experience. CEO Max Simkoff said the financing will held them “wipe the system clean” and
5 first-time homebuyer mistakes to avoid
The first-time homebuyer process is a lengthy one, and if you’re not careful, there’s a lot that can throw you off-track. From low appraisals to surprise credit checks, a number of hurdles could slow your purchase or even derail it
Flagstar’s Courtney Thompson to speak at Spring Summit
Courtney Thompson, senior vice president of default mortgage at Flagstar Bank, will speak on a panel titled Servicing Challenges in a Pandemic Period at HousingWire’s Spring Summit on March 4. Thompson leads Flagstar’s default mortgage operations team, delivering industry-leading transparency into the
Blend CEO Nima Ghamsari to speak at Spring Summit
Tech giant Blend‘s CEO and Co-founder Nima Ghamsari will join other housing luminaries at HousingWire’s Spring Summit March 4 to discuss mortgage disruption and what’s coming down the road for those in housing. Even in the midst of a banner
United Wholesale Mortgage moves to dismiss broker lawsuit
United Wholesale Mortgage has filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by three independent mortgage brokers last year whom the lender accused of “churning.” The Pontiac, Michigan-based wholesale mortgage lender filed a motion this week saying that the three
Embracing the future of mortgage servicing
This year has brought plenty of disruption to mortgage servicing, from regulatory and economic uncertainties, to a long-term shift toward remote work environments. Meanwhile, the past decade has seen an explosion of digital solutions in mortgage origination, and servicing will