housing wire

Lenders attempting to reach borrowers in arrears will still be limited in the use of robocalls thanks to the actions of the Supreme Court on Monday, where they upheld a federal ban on the non-emergency auto-dialed calls to cell phones.

The danger of mortgage forbearances turning into foreclosures is rising as COVID-19 infections surge in the U.S., according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. COVID-19 cases in Texas, Arizona, Florida and other sunbelt states have set record highs in

The Houston Association of Realtors said it will stop using the term “master” when describing bedrooms or bathrooms via its multiple listing service. Instead, HAR will update the phrase to say “primary bedroom” and “primary bathroom,” according to the Houston

The U.S. has failed to contain the COVID-19 virus, alone among developed economies, and will suffer the economic consequences, Goldman Sachs economists said in a report issued on Independence Day. “Over the last few weeks, the covid situation in the

The housing market continues to show positive signs of recovery, according to realtor.com’s weekly Housing Market Recovery Index, yet the effects of COVID-19 still remain a concern. The index is set to 100 for the last week of January and

With mortgage rates hitting historic lows, many consumers are eager to shop for houses. However, they face the challenge of low inventory and sellers who may be hesitant to put their homes on the market in the midst of the

When the nation’s top central bankers spoke in public this week, they didn’t sugarcoat their outlook for the U.S. economy: What could have been a V-shape recovery if the nation managed to get the COVID-19 virus under control is probably

On Wednesday, reverse mortgage lender Open Mortgage pledged to suspend its Facebook advertising for the month of July in solidarity with the Stop Hate For Profit campaign. The multi-channel mortgage lender stated in a release that it stands with the

Federal Reserve officials expressed concerns at their last meeting about additional waves of COVID-19 infections worsening the recession and triggering a new spike in unemployment, according to minutes released Wednesday. At June’s rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee, conducted via videoconference,

Lenders are growing frustrated with digital Verification of Asset (VOA) services that don’t always work — and Athens, Georgia-based FormFree is listening. Now, the company is taking the data retrieval issues behind those frustrations head-on. “There are a couple of

Keller Williams announced on Wednesday its expansion into more international markets. As of May 30, the real estate brokerage said it has 107 market centers and 5,250 agents across Europe as well as 18 market centers and 1,135 agents across

The current COVID-19 situation seemingly has provided a sudden glimpse into a future world, one in which digital has become central to every interaction, forcing organizations to further up the adoption curve almost overnight.  Hassan RashidGuest Author The ‘6D’ chain

U.S. construction spending fell 2.1% in May, though the level of homebuilding was above the year-ago level, according to a government report on Wednesday. Combined homebuilding and nonresidential construction outlays totaled $1.36 trillion at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, down

Mortgage applications fell 1.8% last week despite mortgage rates staying low, according to a report by the Mortgage Bankers Association. A seasonally adjusted index measuring purchase applications also fell 1% – marking its second week of decline after a two-month

Sundae, a residential real estate marketplace that pairs sellers of distressed property with potential buyers, has raised $16.55 million in Series A funding. QED Investors led the round, which also included participation from PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, Susa

Freddie Mac Multifamily announced Monday that it has created three additional forbearance options to assist multifamily borrowers who have been impacted by COVID-19. Those options also extend tenant protections. The options include delaying the start of the repayment period following

On Monday, Cloudvirga announced its integration with Citizens Bank’s wholesale channel, Franklin American Mortgage Company, to combine its digital mortgage processes with point of sale software and cloud-based technology. Franklin American Mortgage Company is the nation’s largest bank-owned wholesale lender.

In April, apartment retention broke records as renters had to stay put due to the pandemic. Come May, apartment operators across the country began to drop rent. Now, in the week ending June 20, executed rents – a real-time indicator

The forbearance share of mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac dropped for the third straight week, while Ginnie Mae loans were unchanged, the Mortgage Bankers Association said in a report on Monday. Mortgages backed by the so-called government-sponsored

Lenders cited the health and safety of staff as the biggest challenge they are facing in the midst of COVID-19, according to a recent survey conducted by Fannie Mae. Clarity regarding updates to loan eligibility and navigating supply chain disruptions

The demand for homes continues to rise and with low inventory, home prices are responding to the pressure. Between the date in March that the World Health Organization declared a pandemic and the week ending May 31, Redfin found that

Modern lenders need reliable tools with robust analytics to assess and mitigate risk and enhance loan quality. In addition to traditional fraud risks, COVID-19 and its complications create new opportunities for “bad actors.” Employment and income verification and property valuation

As an innovator and entrepreneur, Alex Kutsishin consulted for one of the mortgage industry’s best marketing companies, which is where he got the idea for his new venture – Sales Boomerang, the first fully automated Borrower Intelligence software that tells

Think you know how your customers feel when they work with you? Well, Total Expert gives the inside scoop on how customer interactions are actually happening, as their secret shoppers share their takeaways after they went undercover to complete mortgage