It’s no secret that low-income housing options are in short supply across much the country. And a report this week out of Fairfax County, Virginia, illustrates the challenges that seniors can face when trying to find subsidized housing. Fairfax County, which borders the District of Columbia and is home to about 1.1 million residents, is […]
Welcome back to Tech Pulse — HousingWire‘s weekly series rounding up the latest in technology — including tools, integrations and trends that impact mortgage and real estate. Here’s what happened this week: Realtor.com adds property tax appeal tool with Ownwell integration Realtor.com now offers property tax monitoring and appeals through a new partnership with Ownwell. With rising homeownership costs, this […]
Lead generation for mortgage brokers and officers is all about consistently filling your pipeline with individuals who are interested in buying a home now or in the future. Considering the fluctuating state of the housing market and inflated mortgage rates, it’s even more crucial to showcase your expertise and amazing service to bring qualified clients […]
Westcor Land Title Insurance Co. is now the second title vendor taking part in Fannie Mae‘s title insurance waiver pilot program. Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte announced the move in a social media post. The waiver pilot, relaunched by Fannie Mae in March 2024, allows approved mortgage lenders to use an automated […]
Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and Congressman Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), announced on Friday that next week will be known as “Anti-Crypto Corruption Week.” During this time, they plan to rally Democrats to push back against Republican efforts to fast-track three pieces of legislation related to cryptocurrency — the “Clarity Act,” the “GENIUS Act” and a bill […]
Rising property taxes, insurance payments and growing delinquencies are eroding the promise of long-term stability in homeownership, according to a new blog from Cotality. The post revealed that across the country, more people are starting to fall behind on their mortgages due to the post-purchase costs. These include property taxes and homeowners insurance, both of […]
“Marry the house, date the rate” is a phrase that was popularized during the post-pandemic era of rising mortgage rates. Lenders urged borrowers to focus on finding a house they were head over heels with and worry about their interest rate down the line. Borrowers who were accustomed to rates hovering near 3% didn’t realize […]
Bilt, which operates a loyalty program and credit card that converts rent payments into points, has secured a $250 million funding round led by General Catalyst and GID, with participation from United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM), the nation’s largest mortgage lender. The funding brings Bilt’s valuation to $10.75 billion and will fuel expansion across the broader […]
On Thursday, the U.S. Senate confirmed Jonathan Gould as head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) in a 50-45 vote. The confirmation marks another Trump administration appointee who supports more lenient oversight of the banking sector and a more welcoming stance toward cryptocurrency. Gould previously held roles at the OCC during […]
Fairway Home Mortgage announced this week that it’s donating $1 million to the ongoing relief efforts following catastrophic flooding in Texas. Fairway has a large presence in Texas, where at least 170 people are known to be missing in the epicenter of Kerr County as a result of the flooding, according to CBS News. Nearly […]
Panorama Mortgage Group, a multichannel mortgage company headquartered in Las Vegas, announced Thursday the launch of Travisa Financial, a dba that expands the company’s reach within the third-party origination (TPO) space. “Travisa gives us the opportunity to expand our reach to brokers and lenders who share our purpose; helping first-time buyers and underserved communities build […]
Private equity firm GTCR announced on Tuesday that it has made a significant investment in national real estate analytics and data solutions company Clear Capital. As part of the investment, GTCR is partnering with Clear Capital co-founder and CEO Duane Andrews. The transaction represents Clear Capital’s first outside investment, with GTCR becoming the company’s majority […]
Mortgage applications increased 9.4% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending July 4, 2025. On an unadjusted basis, the index decreased 13% compared with the previous week. Last week’s results included an adjustment for the Independence Day holiday. The seasonally adjusted […]
A plaintiff in California is claiming that Xactus and Equifax did not conduct a “reasonable” investigation into claims of identity theft, which harmed her credit and violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The suit was filed in late May in the Superior Court of San Bernardino County, California, by plaintiff Junnan Guo, who is representing […]
Scott Turner, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), announced on Tuesday a 90-day foreclosure moratorium for Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured single-family mortgages in the areas of Kerr County, Texas, that have been devastated by recent severe storms, including wind and flood damage. The 90-day moratorium prohibits mortgage servicers from […]
Tax-deferred retirement accounts are a necessary source of income for seniors looking to age in place. But it can be confusing to navigate the options for taking the required minimum distributions (RMDs) from the account as mandated by the IRS — especially given the tax implications. What’s the best approach for seniors as they plan […]
Union Home Mortgage (UHM) is extending its reach into the Cincinnati, Ohio, market, the company announced on Tuesday. Ravi Patel and Justin Allen will both serve as area branch managers of the Cincinnati office and bring with them a team of eight additional loan officers, three loan officer assistants, a processor, a production manager and […]
A group of banking and mortgage associations is trying to get the U.S. Supreme Court‘s attention due to constitutional concerns about the state of New York’s Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act (FAPA). Friedman Vartolo LLP announced on Monday that it has filed an amicus curiae brief with the Supreme Court on behalf of five of the […]
Capital One Financial Corp. has decided to shut down the home equity and refinance operations it inherited through its acquisition of Discover Financial Services, the company confirmed this week. The decision comes roughly two months after Capital One finalized its all-stock, $35.3 billion acquisition of Discover, originally announced in February 2024. Home Equity Lending News […]
Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), announced via social media on Tuesday that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will with immediate effect accept the VantageScore 4.0 credit model. The government-sponsored enterprises, however, will continue to consider credit scores from three bureaus, called tri-merge scores. Since he joined the FHFA, Pulte […]
Zeenat Zonte “I am thrilled to lead Dunmor’s new wholesale broker division and empower our broker partners with the tools and resources they need to succeed,” said Zonte. “Together, we will unlock new opportunities for growth and set a new standard for excellence in the wholesale lending space.” The broker division offers a full suite […]
U.S. residential real estate is drawing increasing interest from international investors —particularly in Latin and South America — according to Miami-based Waltz, a digital mortgage platform that caters to foreign buyers. The firm announced it has reached $50 million in total funding to date — including a newly secured $25 million line of credit from […]
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has opened a request for information on buy now, pay later (BNPL) lending as it seeks to understand its implications for housing affordability and stability. Comments are due by Aug. 25. These installment loans — often referred to as “phantom debt” — gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among […]
Robert Jayne Jayne has 20-plus of experience in construction finance. His most recent role was with Pittsburgh-based lender Kiavi on Monday announced the hirings of Tom Hallock and Robert Jayne as the company seeks to grow its construction financing segment to better meet the needs of real estate investors. Hallock was named as Kiavi‘s new […]
A rise in negative equity and exposure to student debt are creating “pockets of vulnerability” for U.S. homeowners. That’s according to ICE Mortgage Technology‘s July 2025 Mortgage Monitor report released on Monday. The resumption of student loan payments and collection efforts on defaulted federal student loans in May, following a five-year pause, could increase financial […]
It’s been just over a week since Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to start preparing for the use of cryptocurrency in single-family mortgages. With limited guidance beyond the FHFA’s directive, mortgage originators and industry experts are working to assess how cryptocurrency could be applied to mortgages. […]
Cornerstone Capital Bank and Tresidio Homes on Thursday announced the launch of Table Rock Mortgage, a joint venture mortgage brokerage. The new Idaho-licensed brokerage will provide mortgage services to local homebuyers “with goals of promoting affordability and streamlining the mortgage process for homebuyers,” according to press release from the companies. “This joint venture brings together […]
The high mortgage rates that have stymied the broader housing market continue to put a lid on reverse mortgage activity too. According to the June report from Reverse Mortgage Insight, Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) endorsements dropped to 2,244 loans, down 2.3% compared to May and part of a sinking trend that resumed after an […]
Just a week ago, Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte issued a directive for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to begin preparing their businesses for the use of cryptocurrency in single-family mortgages. In response, originators are weighing the potential hurdles for offering crypto-backed loans. Despite crypto’s promise, its extreme volatility poses risks, including […]
Florida-based lender Foundation Mortgage announced on Wednesday the launch of its Stars, Stripes & Submissions Broker Challenge — a limited-time pricing incentive for July that was created to reward brokers for delivering funded loans in June. The promotion offers mortgage brokers the chance to earn exclusive pricing credits on eligible nonqualified mortgages (non-QMs) that are […]
Truv, a provider of direct-to-source income, employment and asset verifications, on Wednesday announced a strategic integration with Tidalwave, an AI-powered mortgage point-of-sale platform. Per a press release from Truv, the integration “embeds Truv’s advanced verification capabilities directly into Tidalwave’s mortgage application flow,” establishing a seamless verification process that reduces preapproval times and improves conversion rates. […]
Lower mortgage rates drove a 2.7% increase in mortgage applications from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending June 27, 2025. On an unadjusted basis, the index increased 13% compared with the previous week. Last week’s results included an adjustment for the […]
President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” is headed back to the House for reconciliation after passing the Senate with a tiebreaking vote from Vice President JD Vance. The 1,116-page multitrillion-dollar bill contains some key changes for older Americans, including a senior bonus tax deduction that would offset taxes on Social Security. But the bill also […]
Mortgage rates have eased slightly in the past week, a welcome sign for housing professionals and their clients. With the summer home-buying season in full swing, the question is whether they’re at a low enough level to keep activity flowing through the Labor Day weekend. On Tuesday, data at HousingWire’s Mortgage Rates Center showed that […]
Argyle, a service provider automating income and employment verifications, recently announced the availability of verification of assets (VOA) powered by Mastercard’s open finance technology. A release from Argyle says that the expanded offering allows lenders to confirm borrowers’ balances, cash-to-close and cash-flow history alongside income and employment. By combining direct-source banking data from Mastercard’s U.S. […]
Rocket Companies announced on Tuesday the completion of its acquisition of Redfin after Rocket announced in March it agreed to purchase the digital real estate brokerage in an all-stock transaction valued at $1.75 billion in equity. The transaction faced no opposition from antitrust regulators and received approval from Redfin shareholders on June 4. “I’ve used […]
Dark Matter Technologies announced on Tuesday that it has established an integration with the Uniform Collateral Data Portal (UCDP), a single portal jointly maintained by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. According to a release from Dark Matter, the expansion positions the mortgage technology company as an early adopter of the technology required to support the […]
The National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) on Monday issued a letter of support for the Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA)’s white paper on LO compensation reform. CHLA‘s white paper, released last week, urged Congress to roll back the loan originator compensation rule to focus on its original purpose — a ban on yield […]
Point2Homes analyzed the 75 largest U.S. metro areas and found that renting is now more common among older adults than it was for the same age group 10 years ago. Over the past decade, a growing number of older adults have chosen to forgo the responsibilities of homeownership — like property taxes and maintenance — […]
United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) on Monday announced that Allen Beydoun is taking the reins as the company’s first chief client officer. In his new role, Beydoun will be responsible for “aligning strategic initiatives with client needs, ensuring that the voice of the client remains central to every decision the company makes while elevating the client […]
In a market where every deal counts, manual income verification is the silent killer of commissions. You know the scenario: the borrower is solid, the property appraises and everything looks good—until income verification turns into a bottleneck. Suddenly, you’re chasing paystubs, waiting on HR reps who don’t call back and explaining delays to a frustrated […]
In an era where technology often threatens to overshadow human roles, Better Mortgage is charting a different course. By developing in-house AI tools designed to complement rather than replace human expertise, the company is enhancing the mortgage experience for both borrowers and loan officers. Already, its AI Loan Agent, Betsy, handles over 125,000 customer interactions […]
It’s been a strange season for the housing market, caught somewhere between post-pandemic exhaustion and pre-election caution. And yet, in the quiet shuffles of financial markets and whispered policy pivots in Washington, signs are emerging that something may be stirring beneath the surface. Just last week, mortgage rates unexpectedly improved by as much as 0.25%, […]
Welcome back to Tech Pulse — HousingWire‘s weekly series rounding up the latest in technology — including tools, integrations and trends that impact mortgage and real estate. Here’s what happened this week: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac jointly create U.S. Financial Technology Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have launched U.S. Financial Technology LLC to replace Common Securitization Solutions. The […]
As part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to cut regulatory burdens, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) on Friday announced the rescission of 12 policies related to appraisal protocols, underwriter employment, flood risk management and other areas. Scott Turner, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which oversees the FHA, […]