General World News

For lower mortgage rates, finish more apartments

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As we all know, we have a record number of apartments under construction. With rent inflation already cooling down, keeping the pressure on to fight inflation is a must because the The best way to fight inflation and get lower mortgage rates is to get more apartment units finished, and so far, this has been […]

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Department of Education Releases Proposed Rules on Accountability for Certificate and For-Profit Programs and Transparency into Unaffordable Student Debt

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Today, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) released proposed regulations to establish the strongest set of safeguards ever to protect students from unaffordable debt or insufficient earnings from career training programs, along with new measures to increase transparency across all postsecondary programs. details ⇒ BusinessMediaguide.Com portal received this content from this noted web source: Website […]

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DataDigest: Boomers and the refi boom reckoning

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Incentivized by a 200 basis point decline in mortgage rates, 14 million homeowners in America refinanced their mortgages between the second quarter of 2020 and the fourth quarter of 2021, according to a recent research report by the New York Fed.  Approximately 5 million homeowners extracted $430 billion in home equity from their cash-out refinancings […]

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Homebuilders capitalizing on lack of housing inventory

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After falling 0.8% in March, housing starts were back up again in April, according to a report released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Home starts checked in at an estimated annual pace of 1.401 million in April, up 2.2% month over month. Despite this […]

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Incenter Diligence Solutions expands services for MSR buyers, sellers

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Incenter Diligence Solutions, a provider of due diligence and document management services for the mortgage industry, announced on Wednesday that it has expanded offerings for the mortgage servicing rights (MSR) trading market. These new offerings complement the trading services provided by Incenter Mortgage Advisors, which is another member of the Incenter LLC family of companies […]

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Statement by Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on the U.S. Department of Education Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request

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Good morning, Chairwoman Foxx, Ranking Member Scott, and distinguished members of the Committee. I am pleased to join you today to testify on behalf of President Biden’s fiscal year 2024 Budget Request for the Department of Education. I often say that investing in our children is as important as investing in defense.  It protects our […]

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Fintech Maxwell acquires mortgage solutions provider LenderSelect

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Wells Fargo-backed mortgage fintech Maxwell has struck a deal to acquire mortgage solutions provider LenderSelect Mortgage Group from Blue Ridge Bank. The financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.  The deal, announced on Tuesday, expands Denver, Colorado-based Maxwell’s secondary market trading platform and brings hundreds of new clients to the company’s other solutions. That is Maxwell’s first M&A […]

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New report shows who took advantage of the Covid refi boom

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The U.S. mortgage market faced a new “refinance boom” when mortgage rates declined by nearly 200 basis points between November 2018 and November 2020, following the Federal Reserve rate cuts that were made to remedy the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.   Researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York estimate the size of […]

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FHFA seeks input on GSE single-family pricing framework

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The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced on Monday it issued a request for input (RFI) regarding government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s single-family pricing framework. The goal is to gather public feedback on the “goals and policy priorities that FHFA should pursue in its oversight of the pricing framework,” the agency said. […]

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Housing Market Tracker: Active listings barely budge

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According to The rise of active listings in this spring housing market reminds me of a zombie slowly rising from its grave. Yes, we found the seasonal bottom for housing inventory on April 14, but this year’s rise in active listings has been tepid at best. Here’s a quick rundown of the last week: Total […]

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Audio Book Narrators Say AI Is Already Taking Away Business

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As people brace for the disruptive impact of artificial intelligence on jobs and everyday living, those in the world of audio books say their field is already being transformed. AI has the ability to create human-sounding recordings — at assembly-line speed — while bypassing at least part of the services of the human professionals who […]

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Hobbit Houses Spring Up in Bosnia Hills

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Four sisters are building the first Hobbit-style village in southeast Europe in the green hills of central Bosnia, hoping to attract fans of “The Lord of the Rings” books and movies as well as sharing their childhood memories. “We have often held family gatherings on this hill and discussed what would be the best way […]

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Home Point, soon to be defunct, delivers $28M loss in Q1

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Home Point Capital reported another quarterly loss on Friday morning, just two days after announcing that it is being sold to Mr. Cooper Group for $324 million in cash. The transaction will result in the company shutting down in the coming months.  In the first quarter, Home Point’s origination and servicing businesses were in the […]

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How A Theater Production Helped Ukrainian Refugees Amid War

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Thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the war found refuge in the small town of Uzhhorod in Ukraine. A local theater director decided to stage the Shakespearean play, King Lear, to help refugees find some normalcy during the war. They were surprised by what happened next. Angelina Bagdasaryan has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Vazgen Varzhabetian details ⇒ BusinessMediaguide.Com portal received this content from this noted web source: VOANews.Com

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Secretary Cardona Delivers Commencement Address to University of Central Florida Class of 2023

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On May 5, 2023, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona delivered a commencement address to the graduates of the College of Business Administration and the College of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, Florida. His remarks, as delivered, are available below:  Good morning, University of Central Florida! How are we […]

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Mortgage rates continue recent sideways trend: Freddie Mac 

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This week’s mortgage rates declined slightly, continuing a recent “sideways trend” at the low 6% mark. Rates reflected a moderation in inflation and the banking crisis, and the consequent expectation that the Federal Reserve (Fed) is done hiking the federal funds rate.  Per Freddie Mac‘s Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.35% […]

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Flueid integrates with Encompass to fuel loan originations

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Flueid, a leading technology company specializing in real estate transactions, announced on Thursday the integration of its patented Flueid Decision platform with Encompass by ICE Mortgage Technology. This integration allows lenders to access Flueid’s title data and insights during the loan application process, resulting in time savings and a simplified consumer experience. The Flueid Decision […]

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Secretary Cardona Touts Power of Data to Lift Graduation Rates During May 2023 Raise the Bar: College Excellence and Equity Summit

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On May 1, 2023, U.S. Secretary Miguel Cardona delivered live virtual remarks during the Department of Education’s second-ever Raise the Bar: College Excellence and Equity Summit, featuring higher education leaders from across America whose institutions are using data-driven strategies to better serve students, reduce equity gaps, and lift graduation rates. The Secretary’s remarks as delivered […]

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CPI report is good news for mortgage rates

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Rent inflation We don’t need to worry about 1970s-style rent inflation. That kind of inflation couldn’t happen today because the shelter inflation growth rate has been cooling off already, and we have seen this in more real-time data. Also, we have over 900,000 apartment units coming on line soon, and the best way to defeat […]

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Mr. Cooper to acquire Home Point Capital for $324M in cash

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Dallas-based Mr. Cooper Group has entered into an agreement to acquire struggling Home Point Capital for $324 million in cash, the companies announced on Wednesday. The transaction will ultimately result in the seller shutting down operations.  Rumors that Mr. Cooper was interested in Michigan-based Home Point spread after the latter sold its wholesale origination business […]

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Blend reduces losses, delivers revenues above target in Q1

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In the first quarter of the year, California mortgage technology firm Blend Labs shrunk its financial losses amid efforts to cut costs, improve the mortgage business and grow the Blend Builder platform.  Blend reported a non-GAAP net loss of $35.6 million in the first quarter, compared to $49.2 million in the prior quarter and $45 million in […]

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Argyle grows consumer verifications, adds new mortgage customers

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Payroll connectivity platform Argyle announced this week that it has grown the number of its consumer verifications 100% year over year and has welcomed over 35 new customers so far in 2023. The company offers direct-source data portability tools for mortgage, lending, banking, background and tenant screening, and other use cases. “We’ve packaged five years […]

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FHFA rescinds controversial DTI LLPA

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Did you hear that sound? That’s the entire mortgage industry shouting, “hip, hip hooray!” The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) on Wednesday announced that it would rescind a controversial loan-level pricing adjustment (LLPA) for conventional borrowers with debt-to-income (DTI) levels at or above 40%. The FHFA, which regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, had previously […]

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April data suggests we’re close to peak rent inflation

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April’s Consumer Price Index data is welcome news to the Federal Reserve, which is debating whether to continue hiking interest rates after its most recent 25 basis point hike last week. Especially encouraging is that housing inflation pressure in the CPI is starting to ease, with April representing the smallest one month change in over two […]

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U.S. Department of Education Announces 161 Students to be Honored as 2023 U.S. Presidential Scholars

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U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona today announced the 59th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars, recognizing 161 high school seniors for their accomplishments in academics, the arts, and career and technical education fields. The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars selects scholars annually based on their academic success, artistic and technical excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as […]

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UWM’s losses double in Q1, but margins climb to 92 bps

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UWM Holdings Corporation, the parent of United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM), reported a financial loss in the first quarter amid a decline in the fair value of mortgage servicing rights (MSRs) and falling origination volumes. The wholesale lender posted financial losses in the first quarter, but the company increased margins as it pulled back on its aggressive pricing […]

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Biden-Harris Administration Calls on Colleges, Universities, and Schools to Partner in Addressing K-12 Learning Loss, Announces Initial Cohort of Committed Partners

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Today, the U.S. Department of Education released a Dear Colleague Letter calling on colleges, universities, and school districts to work together to use Federal Work Study (FWS) or other resources to increase the number of college students supporting school-aged children and youth in our nation’s K-12 schools and out-of-school time programs. details ⇒ BusinessMediaguide.Com portal […]

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US Returns Two Stolen 7th-Century Antiquities to China

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The United States returned two looted antiquities to China, the latest in a wave of repatriations of artifacts stolen from more than a dozen countries, New York authorities announced Tuesday. The two 7th-century stone carvings, currently valued at $3.5 million, had been sawn off a tomb by thieves in the early 1990s and smuggled out […]

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Mortgage apps increase amid expectation of Fed’s pause in rate hikes

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The expectation that the Federal Reserve might be done with hiking rates spurred the mortgage market last week.  “Mortgage applications responded positively to a drop in rates last week, as the Fed signaled a potential pause at the current level for the federal funds rate in anticipation of inflation slowing and tightening financial conditions that will slow economic and […]

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Agency loan-repurchase strategy sparks pushback

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Independent mortgage banks have been coping with a still-surging wave of loan-repurchase requests from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that represents yet another threat to lenders’ already stretched balance sheets. Much of the problem stems from the huge volume of low-rate loans originated in 2020 and 2021 at a time when the industry was continuously working to build capacity to deal […]

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BPD launches recruiting software powered by CoreLogic

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Big Purple Dot (BPD), a technology solutions provider for the real estate industry, announced this week that it has launched BPD Recruit, a recruiting software designed to transform talent acquisition strategies and deliver exceptional results. The software is powered by CoreLogic, a renowned leader in data and analytics solutions. With BPD Recruit, Big Purple Dot […]