New Orleans, Louisiana — For 30 years, the Essence Festival of Culture has brought together people from all walks of life and from around the world to connect through conversation, shared experiences and, of course, music. The nation’s largest annual celebration of Black culture was set to end Sunday with musical performances by Janet Jackson and […]
New York — After a historically bad first half of the year, the box office is suddenly booming. “Despicable Me 4,” the Illumination Animation sequel, led the way over the holiday weekend with $75 million in ticket sales Friday through Sunday and $122.6 million since opening Wednesday, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Independence Day holiday […]
A young Frenchman who settled in Senegal a little over a year ago decided to master the local Wolof language. Now he’s teaching it to other people on social media. Allison Fernandes has the story, narrated by Michelle Joseph. details ⇒ BusinessMediaguide.Com portal received this content from this noted web source: VOANews.Com
Vatican City — Pope Francis decried the state of democracy and warned against “populists” during a short visit to Trieste in Italy’s northeast on Sunday ahead of a 12-day trip to Asia — the longest of his papacy. “Democracy is not in good health in the world today,” Francis said during a speech at the city’s […]
new york — TikTok and its bite-sized videos arrived in the United States as a global version of the Chinese app Douyin in 2018. Less than six years later, the social media platform is deeply woven into the fabric of American consumerism, having shortened the shelf life of trends and revamped how people engage with food […]
berlin — Turkish supporters making their way to the European Championship quarterfinal against the Netherlands made the same nationalistic hand gesture that got a Turkey player banned from the match. More did the gesture again in the stadium during Turkey’s national anthem before Saturday’s game. Berlin police said on X on that the gesture was “massively […]
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LONDON — A new exhibition looking at the evolution of Barbie opens in London this week as the famed Mattel doll celebrates her 65th birthday this year. “Barbie: The Exhibition,” running at the Design Museum from July 5 to February 23, features more than 250 items from the Barbie universe, including an array of dolls showing […]
KATHMANDU, Nepal — The highest camp on the world’s tallest mountain is littered with garbage that is going to take years to clean up, according to a Sherpa who led a team that worked to clear trash and dig up dead bodies frozen for years near Mount Everest’s peak. The Nepal government-funded team of soldiers and […]
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A New York jury found Vishal Garg, CEO and founder of digital mortgage lender Better.com, liable for breach of fiduciary duty and conversion in a decade-long lawsuit filed by his former partner, Raza Khan. Garg intends to appeal. The court ordered Garg to pay $5.5 million to Educational Investment & Finance Corporation (EIFC), the company […]
Attorneys for both Ginnie Mae and Texas Capital Bank (TCB) are asking a magistrate judge overseeing their case about HECM tail collateral in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas for an extension to decide on separate motions brought by both parties: one seeking a change of venue to a different court, […]
As those in or near retirement continue to proclaim a preference for aging in place, there may be challenges for people who aren’t sure about how or when they should get started on making plans. A series of home healthcare, renovation and senior care experts offer tips on ways to begin in a column published […]
Data on the intersection between housing issues and politics is clear: in 2024, housing is an issue that resonates strongly with younger voters, but high mortgage rates and high home prices may be issues for years to come. This is according to a report published this week by Politico. Recent data about attributes of the […]
Fewer prospective mortgage borrowers pulled the trigger in June, according to a new report from Mortgage Capital Trading. Mortgage rate locks decreased 7.84% in June compared to the previous month. This drop follows a brief uptick in volume at the beginning of the traditional buying season, suggesting a continuing stalemate between limited housing supply and […]
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) this week detailed its reasons for opposing a bill in the state of Florida designed “to expand projects eligible for residential Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing,” which was recently signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Florida Senate Bill SB-770 authorizes local and county authorities within the state to […]
July 20 marks the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon. An interactive exhibit at Manhattan’s Intrepid Museum reminds viewers of the enormity of that undertaking and what went into the first moon landing. Evgeny Maslov has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Videographer: Vladimir Badikov. details ⇒ BusinessMediaguide.Com portal received this […]
Phnom Penh — Buddhist monks in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh chanted blessings and threw flowers on Thursday to welcome 14 trafficked artifacts repatriated from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The Angkorian artworks, which included a 10th century goddess sandstone statute and a large Buddha head from the 7th century, were stolen by […]
As Ukraine’s war against Russia’s invasion drags on, Ukrainians are fighting to preserve their history. They say Russia is deliberately attacking cultural monuments in a bid to erase the country’s history and identity as a separate nation. For VOA, Anna Chernikova reports from Kyiv. VOA footage by Eugene Shynkar, Vladyslav Smilianets. details ⇒ BusinessMediaguide.Com portal […]
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Wednesday announced that it has released five new language translations for 19 separate single-family mortgage documents used for Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured mortgage servicing. The new translations — which are available in Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese — are accessible from FHA’s language access webpage […]
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Wednesday announced that the warrants of Finance of America, traded under the ticker symbol “FOA.WS,” will be delisted from the exchange due to being out of compliance with the exchange’s continued listing standard. The class A common shares traded under the “FOA” ticker symbol, however, will continue to […]
Mortgage applications declined by 2.6% on a seasonally adjusted basis during the week ending June 28, according to data released Wednesday by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). The trade group cited upward movement in mortgage rates as the key reason why. According to HousingWire’s Mortgage Rates Center, the average rate for 30-year conventional loans was […]
As humans, we love projecting our emotions on non-human things like animals, objects and weather events. I’m told the psychological term for this is anthropomorphism, which is difficult to say three times super fast. We especially seem to label human-like characteristics for things that we can’t fully understand or have no means of explaining – […]
Arles, France — One of the world’s most renowned photo festivals, in the French town of Arles, returned this week with a timely ode to diversity at a moment when France is turning towards the far right. The Rencontres festival, which runs until Sept. 29, is spread across 27 venues in the ancient cobbled streets of […]
NEW YORK — In the winter of 1789, around the time George Washington was elected the country’s first president, a Boston-based printer quietly launched another American institution. William Hill Brown’s The Power of Sympathy, published anonymously by Isaiah Thomas & Company, is widely cited as something momentous: the first American novel. Around 100 pages long, Brown’s […]
NEW YORK — Robert Towne, the Oscar-winning screenplay writer of “Shampoo,” “The Last Detail” and other acclaimed films whose work on “Chinatown” became a model of the art form and helped define the jaded allure of his native Los Angeles, has died. He was 89. Towne died Monday surrounded by family at his home in Los […]
Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler sat down with Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra for a podcast this week and the talk turned to technology and tech companies. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Listen to the whole episode here. Sarah Wheeler: Let’s talk about technology’s role in making these things […]
After the reverse mortgage industry’s key performance metrics rallied in May, June fared slightly worse than previously telegraphed by case number assignments. Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) endorsements fell by 14.4% in June to 2,105, while HECM case numbers for May dropped 7.9% to 3,214. This is according to data compiled by Reverse Market Insight […]
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) last month issued an enforcement order against former Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) servicing contractor NOVAD Management Consulting and subcontractor Sutherland Global for what the bureau called “illegal activities that harmed older homeowners and caused them to fear losing their homes.” An attorney said the decision could have broad […]
Patrice Ficklin, who has served at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) since the agency’s founding in 2011, will depart for Fannie Mae to serve as the government-sponsored enterprise’s fair lending officer. The news was first reported by American Banker. Ficklin has been a mainstay at the CFPB, overseeing the launch of the bureau’s fair […]
A new report by IDIQ®, a financial intelligence company, details top consumer credit concerns provided by mortgage, real estate, and lending professionals as well as borrowers themselves. The research included surveys of more than 100 mortgage and real estate professionals, more than 200 prospective borrowers, and a study of proprietary data of more than 20,000 […]
Chicago-based Guaranteed Rate, one of the country’s largest mortgage lenders, has rebranded to Rate. The company made the announcement Monday on social media. “Today, we’re rebranding as Rate,” the company posted on LinkedIn. “Just like our streamlined name, we’re committed to making the mortgage process smoother, faster and smarter, using AI to empower both customers […]
97% of consumers search for local businesses online, and 78% of marketers report that digital marketing significantly increases business revenue. If you’re not leveraging digital marketing in today’s mortgage landscape, you’re missing out on a significant opportunity. In our fast-paced, technology-driven world, digital marketing has become an essential competitive advantage for mortgage loan officers (MLOs) […]
HousingWire is excited to announce the winners of the 2024 Women of Influence award, recognizing 100 women who are shaping and propelling the housing economy forward with their impressive achievements. This year marks the 15th year of this award program. Many of this year’s winners mentor women in the industry, paving the way for a […]
Texas Capital Bank (TCB) is seeking a new partial summary judgment in its suit against Ginnie Mae. The suit alleges that the government-owned company “extinguished, in return for no consideration, TCB’s first priority lien on tens of millions of dollars in collateral” stemming from the Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-sponsored Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program. […]
In light of market fluctuations and regulatory changes, mortgage lenders face significant challenges in today’s market. Even at the highest demand levels in 2024, purchase mortgage applications were nearly 45% lower compared to the same weeks in 2018 and 2019, exacerbated by record-high origination costs. Freddie Mac’s recent study reveals the average cost to originate […]
Panama’s pollera is the country’s beautiful, elaborate and very expensive national dress, and one of the most recognized Latin American traditional costumes. But production of the gorgeous garment faces an uncertain future. Oscar Sulbarán explains why in this story narrated by Veronica Villafañe. (Camera: Oscar Sulbarán; Produced by: Veronica Villafañe) details ⇒ BusinessMediaguide.Com portal received […]
Washington, D.C., home to the world’s largest collection of William Shakespeare’s works, has unveiled a treasure trove that most have never seen. The Folger Shakespeare Library reopened its doors after a four-year long renovation, revealing the most valuable part of its collection to the public for the first time. Maxim Adams visited the library. details […]
New York — The monthlong celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride reached its exuberant grand finale on Sunday, bringing rainbow-laden revelers to the streets for marquee parades in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and elsewhere across the globe. The wide-ranging festivities functioned as both jubilant parties and political protests, as participants recognize the community’s gains while also calling […]
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TOKYO — The Paris Olympics open next month and the agency that oversees doping enforcement is under scrutiny following allegations it failed to pursue positive tests of Chinese swimmers who subsequently won medals — including three gold — at the Tokyo Games in 2021. The focus on the World Anti-Doping Agency and China’s swimmers raises questions […]
NEW YORK — The monthlong celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride reaches its exuberant grand finale on Sunday, bringing rainbow-laden revelers to the streets for marquee parades in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and elsewhere across the globe. The wide-ranging festivities will function as both jubilant parties and political protests, as participants recognize the community’s gains while also […]
SAN FRANCISCO — In an increasingly divisive political sphere, Becka Robbins focuses on what she knows best — books. Operating out of a tiny room in Fabulosa Books in San Francisco’s Castro District, one of the oldest gay neighborhoods in the United States, Robbins uses donations from customers to ship boxes of books across the country […]
taipei, taiwan — Taiwanese singer and activist Panai called Saturday — at one of the most prestigious entertainment events in the Chinese-speaking world — for people not to forget China’s bloody 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters at Tiananmen Square. Chinese artists in recent years have largely stayed away from Taiwan’s Golden Melody Awards given renewed tension […]
NEW YORK — It’s not just a book. Back in the 1450s, when the Bible became the first major work printed in Europe with moveable metal type, Johannes Gutenberg was a man with a plan. The German inventor decided to make the most of his new technology — the movable-type printing press — by producing an […]