General World News

French Iranian author wins top Spanish prize for graphic novel

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Barcelona, Spain — French Iranian artist Marjane Satrapi, whose graphic novel “Persepolis” tells the story of a girl growing up in post-revolutionary Iran, was awarded Spain’s prestigious Princess of Asturias Prize for Communication and Humanity on Tuesday.  The prize jury praised the 54-year-old as “one of the most prominent names in international comics, author of what […]

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Fannie Mae profits grow to $4.3B in Q1 2024

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Despite the struggles of its independent mortgage bank counterparties, Fannie Mae delivered $4.3 billion in net income during the first quarter of the year, up from $3.9 billion in the prior quarter, the government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) reported Tuesday. The GSE’s net worth grew from $77.4 billion at the end of 2023 to $82 billion as […]

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FHFA releases fair lending final rule

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The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) this week released its fair lending final rule, following up on a proposal made last year in alignment with plans first laid out in 2022 by the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The rule “addresses barriers to sustainable housing opportunities for underserved communities by codifying existing […]

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Update for MOHELA student loan borrowers

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Update about federal student loan servicing The U.S. Department of Education, including its office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), is constantly working to improve the student loan borrower experience. FSA has worked tirelessly to give borrowers the information and support they need to take advantage of all of the benefits of the student loan repayment […]

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US and Mexico drop bid to host 2027 World Cup

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new york — The U.S. Soccer Federation and its Mexican counterpart dropped their joint bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup on Monday and said they instead will focus on trying to host the 2031 tournament. The decision left a proposal from Brazil and a joint Germany-Netherlands-Belgium plan competing to be picked for 2027 by […]

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Reverse mortgages seen as a path forward for lenders

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Guild Mortgage CEO Terry Schmidt speaks last week at The Gathering by HousingWire in Scottsdale, Arizona. Photo credit: AJ Canaria Discussions about the reverse mortgage product category were not difficult to find this past week in Scottsdale, Arizona, during The Gathering by HousingWire, an event that combined both the real estate-focused RealTrends Gathering of Eagles […]

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Blend receives $150M infusion from Haveli Investments

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California-based mortgage tech firm Blend Labs, which has pursued non-GAAP profitability  since it went public in 2021, announced a $150 million investment on Monday from private equity firm Haveli Investments.  Blend will use $145 million of the proceeds to repay existing credit agreements. The remainder is for general corporate purposes, the company said in a prepared statement. Despite […]

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The HELOC dam is opening. Are you ready?

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U.S. homeowners today are armed with a record amount of home equity ???? nearly $32 trillion, according to the latest data from the St. Louis Federal Reserve. Many of these homeowners are locked into historically low interest rates post-pandemic, which means they are unlikely to refinance. Indeed, amid the current high interest rates, they are […]

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Republic First Bank closes, sells to Fulton Bank 

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Pennsylvania-based Fulton Bank, National Association of Lancaster, has agreed to assume most of the deposits and assets of Republic First Bank, which state regulators seized on Friday to “protect depositors.”   Republic collapsed after it failed to raise $75 million in capital from investors and exited the mortgage lending space. It also comes after last year’s failures of First Republic Bank, Silicon Valley Bank and Signature […]

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Stronghill Capital shuts down consumer, correspondent lending

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Small-balance commercial lender Stronghill Capital shut down its nascent consumer and correspondent lending businesses late last week. The Austin, Texas-based lender will continue offering small-balance commercial and business purpose debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) loans to its clients, CEO John Eisinger told HousingWire Monday morning. He cited a difficult market and elevated rates as reasons […]

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Iran bans Egyptian TV drama on historical Islamic leader

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Tehran, Iran — Iranian authorities have banned an Egyptian TV series depicting a medieval Persian figure over historical “distortions” and “a biased approach,” state media reported Sunday. “The Assassins,” or “El-Hashashin” in Arabic, recounts the story of Hassan-i Sabbah, the controversial founder of an offshoot Shiite Muslim sect known for bloody political assassinations during the 11th […]

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Prince Harry due in London, then Nigeria with Meghan

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London — Prince Harry will return to Britain to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his Invictus Games in May, before joining his wife Meghan on a visit to Nigeria, his spokesperson said Sunday.  Harry, the youngest son of King Charles, lives in the United States with Meghan and their two children after he gave up working […]

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Ukrainian duo heads to the Eurovision Song Contest

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KYIV, Ukraine — Even amid war, Ukraine finds time for the glittery, pop-filled Eurovision Song Contest. Perhaps now even more than ever. Ukraine’s entrants in the pan-continental music competition — the female duo of rapper alyona alyona and singer Jerry Heil — set off from Kyiv for the competition Thursday. In wartime, that means a long […]

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Iran Risks Further Backlash for Death Sentence of Dissident Rapper, Says German MP

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Washington — Iran’s handing of a death sentence this week for dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi has drawn outrage from the Islamic republic’s domestic and international critics, including a German lawmaker who says Tehran risks fueling the backlash if it moves toward executing the artist. In an interview for the Friday edition of VOA’s Flashpoint Global Crises […]

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Median payment on purchase mortgage applications rises to $2,201: MBA

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Homebuyer affordability declined in March as mortgage rates and home prices remained elevated.  The national median monthly payment for purchase mortgage applicants rose to $2,201 in March, up from $2,184 in February. That’s according to the Mortgage Bankers Association‘s (MBA) purchase applications payment index, which measures how new monthly mortgage payments vary across time relative […]

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HUD, USDA reach accord on energy-efficiency standard for new construction

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The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have settled on new energy-efficiency standards for the construction of new single-family and multifamily homes. This fulfills a requirement laid out in a 2007 law that directs the departments to adopt the most recently published energy-efficiency standards following reviews […]

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Myth vs. Fact: Academic Advisors

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BY: Gabriel Bermea, Visiting Scholar at The Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) From the belief that academic advisors only handle course scheduling, to the assumption that they make all decisions for students, there are a few persistent myths about academic advisors and their responsibilities. As an academic advising researcher and former post-secondary advisor, […]

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Kristen Sieffert leads the reverse mortgage presence at The Gathering

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Kristen Sieffert, president of Finance of America Reverse, speaks during The Gathering by HousingWire on Monday, April 21, 2024. Photo credit: AJ Canaria Reverse mortgages became an unexpectedly prominent topic during certain parts of The Gathering by HousingWire, held earlier this week in Scottsdale, Arizona. The reverse lending industry’s most prominent attendee — Kristen Sieffert […]

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CHLA president addresses various consumer protection measures

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Taylor Stork, president of the Community Home Lenders of America, speaks at The Gathering by HousingWire on Wednesday, April 25, 2024. Photo credit: AJ Canaria It was initially billed as a discussion centered on the “biggest threats to a healthy mortgage landscape for homebuyers,” but some breaking news disrupted some of those plans. The Consumer […]

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Old style dresses help Namibian women look ahead

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Victorian dress was forcibly imposed on Namibia’s indigenous ǂNūkhoe women by German colonizers in the late 1800s. Despite the origins, these styles persist today as a symbol of resilience. Lee Garises reports from Windhoek, Namibia. Camera: Jesaya Abraham details ⇒ BusinessMediaguide.Com portal received this content from this noted web source: VOANews.Com

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Pennymac posts first-quarter profit of $39M

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Pennymac Financial Services earned a profit of $39.3 million in the first quarter of 2024, the California-based multichannel lender and servicer announced Wednesday. The company’s pretax gain in the first quarter was $43.9 million. That was less than the $38.1 million figure it posted during the same period last year but a significant improvement from […]

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A&D Mortgage names new servicing manager

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Florida-based wholesale lender A&D Mortgage appointed Satish Vishwakarma to the role of servicing manager, the company announced on Tuesday. In this new role, Vishwakarma will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the mortgage servicing department. He will ensure the successful management of mortgage servicing teams while leading efforts to streamline operations, enhance quality and […]

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Figure names Michael Tannenbaum as CEO

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Figure Technology Solutions, the parent company of Figure Lending LLC, named Michael Tannenbaum as its new CEO, the company announced on Tuesday. Tannenbaum will also be a member of the board of directors. Meanwhile, Mike Cagney, the company’s co-founder and previous CEO, will continue to serve as executive chairman of the company. “With its proven ability to […]

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In its war on ‘junk fees,’ CFPB targets mortgage servicing

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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on Wednesday released a new edition of its Supervisory Highlights publication, which includes the agency’s actions to combat what it calls “junk fees charged by mortgage servicers, as well as other illegal practices.” Examinations conducted by the bureau found mortgage servicers levied charges it deems “illegal,” including prohibited property […]

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Announcing the 2024 Class of Rising Stars!

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HousingWire is excited to announce this year’s Rising Stars, representing the next generation of leaders in mortgage and real estate. This year 80 honorees were selected. The Rising Stars award recognizes the emerging leaders in the industry who have demonstrated rapid career growth and an ability to lead, achieving remarkable milestones all before the age […]

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Mortgage demand slumps as interest rates move higher: MBA 

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Mortgage demand dipped last week as mortgage rates reached their highest levels since late 2023. Applications decreased by 2.7% on a seasonally adjusted basis during the week ending April 19, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) weekly mortgage applications survey.  “Mortgage rates continued to move higher last week, reaching their highest levels since late […]

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Biden-Harris Administration to Create New National Recognition Program for Institutions that Increase Economic Mobility

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U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona today will announce at the U.S. Department of Education’s (Department) Attaining College Excellence and Equity Summit the release of a Request for Information (RFI) to develop a new Postsecondary Student Success Recognition Program that will uplift institutions of higher education that support all students to complete affordable credentials of […]

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‘Loose Ends’ provides closure one project at a time

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When a person dies, it often falls to their children, loved ones, lawyers or even friends to sort through the things they’ve left behind. Sometimes, those things are unfinished projects or hobbies, that’s where the group Loose Ends comes in. Nina Vishneva has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. details ⇒ BusinessMediaguide.Com portal received this […]

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A look back at HousingWire’s 2023 Marketing Leaders

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The HousingWire award spotlight series highlights the individuals and organizations that have been recognized through our Editors’ Choice Awards. Nominations for HousingWire’s 2024 Marketing Leaders award are open now through April 30th, 2024. Click here to nominate someone. The HousingWire Marketing Leaders award recognizes outstanding professionals who have demonstrated excellence in marketing within mortgage and […]

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Guild Mortgage CEO on values, culture and M&A priorities

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On Tuesday at The Gathering by HousingWire in Scottsdale, Arizona, Guild Mortgage CEO Terry Schmidt sat down with HousingWire editor in chief Sarah Wheeler to talk about the principles guiding much of the lender’s actions in recruiting, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and overall business outlook. Building a strong workplace culture was a predominant theme of […]