After nearly 40 million people became unemployed by May because of COVID-19, the housing industry, borrowers and the Federal Reserve quickly realized that without ample aid, things could quickly turn sour. However, servicers leveraged the lessons learned from the last
Thoma Bravo acquires RealPage for $10.2 billion
Private equity investment firm Thoma Bravo will acquire proptech company RealPage in a transaction valued at approximately $10.2 billion, including net debt, according to a release. The transaction, which was unanimously approved by the RealPage board of directors, is expected
How the latest stimulus impacts renters and homeowners
A second round of stimulus checks will be sent directly to citizens beginning next week, according to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The $900 billion stimulus package negotiated by Congress over the weekend will include $600 individual stimulus checks for those making under
ALTA shakes up leadership team with staff promotions
Headed into 2021, the American Land Title Association announced the promotion of six of its staff members to new leadership positions. “I am incredibly proud of this team and thrilled to have the opportunity to work with such a talented
Long term recession impacts on affordable housing
The economic hardships wrought by the coronavirus pandemic will be long-term, and millions of renters and homeowners alike could take a serious hit in the upcoming months, affordable housing experts said on a recent webinar hosted by Freddie Mac. Despite
UWM’s IPO is now scheduled for January
United Wholesale Mortgage’s (UWM) much-anticipated Wall Street debut is expected to take place on Jan. 22, 2021, the company told HousingWire late Thursday. UWM, the nation’s second-largest mortgage originator by volume, is going public through a merger with a publicly-traded
Tech money is magnifying Austin’s affordability crisis
With a number of tech companies relocating to or expanding their footprint in Austin, Texas, current residents and local first-time homebuyers are getting squeezed by rising home prices. And it’s a trend that is only going to get worse, as
Structured Finance Association backs transition to SOFR
With LIBOR slated to be phased out at the end of 2021, industry trade group Structured Finance Association sent a letter this week to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state’s legislative leaders asking them to support Secured Overnight
Can you buy a home with plans to rent on Airbnb?
Renting your home out on Airbnb can be a smart way to make some extra cash. In fact, it might even make homeownership more affordable. According to a study from Earnest, the average Airbnb host makes about $924 per month.
The shifting role of the notary in mortgage title
Remote online notarization is spreading like wildfire across the U.S. as COVID-19 and stay-at-home orders forced many companies and mortgage notaries to look for alternative methods to continue operating amid the socially distanced environment in 2020. But what is in
FHFA proposes liquidity requirements for GSEs
The Federal Housing Finance Agency is looking to finalize a rule that would require Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to hold higher levels of liquidity to protect against any sudden shortfalls, creating a further $10 billion cushion for the publicly
The next coronavirus front: evictions and foreclosures
The coronavirus is raging. Eleven million workers are unemployed. And at the end of this month — absent immediate and urgent action by Congress and the administration — millions of American families will be put into eviction and foreclosure proceedings
Mortgage rates hit another record low at 2.67%
The average U.S. mortgage rate for a 30-year fixed loan fell four basis point this week to 2.67% – the lowest rate in the Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey’s near 50-year history. This week’s mortgage rate broke the previous record set
2021 housing market outlook: No signs of slowing
2020 has been a remarkably strong year for the housing market. Sales volume has remained elevated compared to last year since about mid-June, home values are growing more quickly than they have in 15 years and homes are typically selling a full
Single-family housing starts reach highest level since 2007
Single-family housing starts continued their seven-month climb in November, coming in to the highest level since 2007, according to the Census Bureau. Housing starts rose 1.2% in November compared to October and are up 12.8% year over year to a
Keller Williams-owned app Smarter Agent to shut down
Keller Williams-owned Smarter Agent, a Philadelphia-based startup that allows agents to create their own branded apps, will be shutting down its dedicated app. Inman News first reported that Smarter Agent would be shutting down. Keller Williams declined to provide HousingWire
Three brokers go to war with United Wholesale Mortgage
United Wholesale Mortgage is facing a potentially ugly court battle from a few of its own constituents. Three mortgage brokers in California claim that UWM pulled the rug out from beneath them in March when it changed the commission structure
2021 will be the year of the tech-enabled agent
2020 was a year that forced a number of industries to modernize and adopt technologies that had been otherwise underutilized. For the housing economy in particular, tech helped to solve many of the challenges that COVID presented and allowed the
FHFA extends GSEs’ affordable housing goals through 2021
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced on Wednesday that its single-family and multifamily affordable housing goals for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will remain unchanged from those set in 2018-2020. However, unlike previous goals set for a three-year period, the FHFA announced the benchmarks
The K-shaped economic recovery’s impact on borrowers
Uday DevallaCTO at Sagent Lending The 2020 economy is full of curious contrasts. Millions of Americans sought COVID mortgage relief like forbearances while millions more capitalized on refis and flocked to suburbs to buy new or bigger homes at record
Fed will keep interest rates low until economy recovers
The Federal Reserve left its overnight lending rate unchanged on Wednesday, and said it expects to keep interest rates low until labor market conditions and inflation hit the Federal Open Market Committee‘s standards of maximum employment and inflation moderately exceeding 2% for
As prices rise, builder confidence falls from record highs
After three successive months of record highs, the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo Housing Market Index measuring builder confidence fell four points to 86 in December. Though the index fell from it’s 35-year series high, it is still the fourth month
NEXA Mortgage sued over broker’s alleged data theft
In a lawsuit filed last week, a mortgage brokerage claimed that one of its former loan officers stole a database containing client names and information and brought it with him to a new job at NEXA Mortgage. Smart Mortgage, which
Mortgage Tech Demo Day: Insellerate
Insellerate Customer Experience Platform Manage more loan applications, and close them faster with automated document collection. Insellerate helps lenders close more loans through better borrower engagement. The mortgage industry’s most innovative Customer Experience platform. We deliver dynamic technology, strategy, and
