General World News

Former Ginnie Mae president applauds the development of new HMBS product

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Ted Tozer, former president of Ginnie Mae during the Obama administration and current president Alanna McCargo’s most recent Senate-confirmed predecessor, applauded the news that the company is looking into the development of a new Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM)-backed Security (HMBS) product. Announced earlier this week as a part of a broader effort to introduce […]

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Stavvy’s CTO on moving a whole industry to digital

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HousingWire Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler sat down with Jim Butler, chief technology officer at Stavvy, to talk about moving real estate from paper to a digital transaction, how the company is using AI, and the vibe you get working with industry experts. Previously, Butler served as CTO of HqO, an employee experience platform for […]

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Malaysian Filmmakers Charged with Offending Religious Feelings in Banned Film

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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The director and producer of a banned Malaysian film that explores the afterlife were charged Wednesday with offending the religious feelings of others in a rare criminal prosecution of filmmakers, slammed by critics as an attack on freedom of expression. Mohamad Khairianwar Jailani, the director and co-scriptwriter of Mentega Terbang, and producer […]

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MBS market imbalance fueling higher rates

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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are in the spotlight again over the role some housing-industry experts say they could play in reducing mortgage rates if they resumed a more active investor role in the mortgage-backed securities (MBS) market. That’s a role those government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) have not played since prior to entering into conservatorship in the wake of […]

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HUD secretary suggests openness to changing FHA ‘life of loan’ requirement

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Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Marcia Fudge suggested to a congressional committee that the department could consider eliminating life-of-loan premium requirements for mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), but did not offer any indication about the issue’s priority level at HUD. Sitting for a HUD oversight hearing […]

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Fix-and-flip lender Anchor Loans launches TPO channel

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California-based fix-and-flip lender Anchor Loans launched a third-party originator (TPO) channel to serve mortgage brokers, banks, private and non-qualified mortgage (non-QM) lenders and other referral partners whose clients are home builders, developers and investors.  Anchor Loans’ TPO channel will provide residential business purpose loan products – including bridge, fix and flip, ground-up construction and rental […]

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  List of Top Emmy Award Winners

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LOS ANGELES — List of the top winners of the prime-time Emmy Awards. BEST DRAMA SERIES: “Succession” BEST COMEDY SERIES: “The Bear” BEST LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES: “Beef” ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES: Kieran Culkin, “Succession” ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES: Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear” ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES: Sarah Snook, “Succession” SUPPORTING ACTRESS […]

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‘Succession’ dominates drama Emmys, ‘The Bear’ claims comedy, Brunson makes history

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LOS ANGELES — “Succession” secured its legacy with its third best drama series award, “The Bear” feasted as the night’s top comedy, and the two shows about squabbling families dominated the acting awards at Monday night’s Emmys. Historic wins also came for Quinta Brunson of “Abbot Elementary” and Steven Yeun and Ali Wong of “Beef” at the […]

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Messi, Bonmati Win FIFA Best Player Awards  

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london — Lionel Messi has been named FIFA’s best men’s player after moving from Paris Saint-Germain to Inter Miami and leading the David Beckham-owned team to a little-known Leagues Cup title — all while single-handedly elevating soccer’s relevance in the United States. The 36-year-old Argentine on Monday was selected over Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland,  the […]

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Archaeologists Map Lost Cities in Ecuadorian Amazon

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WASHINGTON — Archaeologists have uncovered a cluster of lost cities in the Amazon rainforest, an area that was home to at least 10,000 farmers around 2,000 years ago.  A series of earthen mounds and buried roads in Ecuador was first noticed more than two decades ago by archaeologist Stephen Rostain. But at the time, ” I […]

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How SECURE 2.0 could make saving for retirement easier

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With much of the U.S. retirement conversation often focused on the increasing challenges of maintaining a quality of living into older age, a law passed by Congress in 2022 could be a positive sign. The Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2022, known by its moniker “SECURE 2.0,” includes provisions including automatic enrollment of more […]

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Hundreds Honor Ukrainian Poet-Soldier Killed in Action

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KYIV, Ukraine — Hundreds of people attended a ceremony Thursday honoring the memory of renowned Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov, who was killed in action while serving as a soldier in the war Russia started in Ukraine nearly two years ago. A large crowd gathered in the courtyard of Kyiv’s St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, where ceremonies are […]

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Biden-Harris Administration Announces More Than $6 Million in New Grants to Address Community Violence and its Impacts on Student Mental Health

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Today, Vice President Kamala Harris announced $6.4 million from the U.S. Department of Education (Department) to address community violence. The funding is being awarded to seven school districts across the country as part of the Project Prevent grant program. The Vice President will make the announcement in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she will be joined […]

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TransUnion to launch new property insights tool

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TransUnion released a new portfolio management solution designed to help lenders assess the riskiness of a portfolio from a property value perspective, the company announced on Wednesday. TruVision Consumer Property Insights’s mission is to help protect both lenders and borrowers from the potential risks associated with property value fluctuations, the company said. The product will […]

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U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights Announces Resolution of Sexual Harassment Investigation of San Francisco Conservatory of Music

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The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) today announced that the San Francisco Conservatory of Music has entered into a resolution agreement to ensure its compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, when responding to allegations of student-to-student sexual harassment, including sexual assault and stalking. OCR investigated whether the […]

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Guild asks judge to confirm $10.7M award in poaching dispute against ex-employees

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Guild Mortgage has filed a petition in a district court in Washington to confirm a $10.7 million award resulted from an arbitration dispute against three former employees accused of poaching when they transitioned to rival CrossCountry Mortgage.  The case began in August 2021 when Guild filed a demand for arbitration claiming Christopher Flowers, Cory Flynn and Lisa […]

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Blue Sage Solutions launches digital servicing platform

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Software development company Blue Sage Solutions has launched a new servicing platform that merges loan origination and servicing functions using API-based technology.   Blue Sage Solutions’s primary product offering is a cloud-based digital lending platform designed to operate in the retail, wholesale, and correspondent lending channels while ensuring compliance.  Additionally, the platform is accessible to all […]

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Exclusive: CrossCountry Mortgage CEO Ron Leonhardt talks AmCap acquisition, future targets

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Rapidly expanding Cleveland, Ohio-based CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM) has struck a deal to acquire the smaller retail mortgage lender AmCap Home Loans and bolster its operations in Texas. In an exclusive interview with HousingWire, Ron Leonhardt, a former mortgage broker who founded CCM in 2003, confirmed conversations with the parties started years ago, although the transaction closed on Tuesday.  Leonhardt first […]

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Mr. Cooper names former Wells Fargo, JPMorgan exec Mike Weinbach as president

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Mortgage giant Mr. Cooper Group has named Mike Weinbach, a former Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase executive, as its new president. He will succeed Chris Marshall, who is retiring at the end of 2024 but will assist with the transition. Weinbach, 50, will be in charge of the company’s operations, which includes originations, servicing and technology, Mr. Cooper announced on […]

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Reverse mortgages could be a long-term care option: Kiplinger

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Among the numerous issues that retirement preparation can present to those near the end of their careers, long-term care (LTC) provides an increasingly common discussion point. One potential product that could assist in paying for LTC and its insurance could be a reverse mortgage, according to personal finance publication Kiplinger. LTC is already an expensive […]