Cambodians are celebrating the return of dragon boat races at this year’s Water Festival after a three-year absence amid hopes it will bolster the tourism industry and an economy struggling to recover in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Luke Hunt reports. Camera: Luke Hunt, David Brown, Vicheka Kol details ⇒ BusinessMediaguide.Com portal received this […]
Greece’s prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Sunday he would push for the return of the Parthenon Marbles when he meets UK leader Rishi Sunak in Britain this week. The sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles, were taken from the Parthenon temple at the Acropolis in Athens in the early 19th century by British diplomat […]
Pepe’s meal is so good he licks the plate clean. In any other Rome establishment, slobbering on one’s chicken and mashed potato would be frowned upon — but this is “Fiuto”, Italy’s first dogs’ restaurant. The lighting is soft, lounge music plays in the background, attentive staff show people and pets to their tables and […]
For the annual fall renewal of her shaman spirit, Mee Vang Yang will soon ritually redecorate the tall altar in her living room where she keeps her father’s ring-shaped shaman bells. She carried them across the Mekong River as the family fled the communist takeover of her native Laos four decades ago. Today, they facilitate […]
Lower mortgage rates tend to take housing supply off the market and demand has been picking up lately as rates have fallen. However, the recent drop in housing inventory has more to do with seasonality factors than lower mortgage rates. Higher mortgage rates did push inventory higher during the seasonal period when it would normally […]
New York City on Thursday hosted its 97th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, featuring 48 character and novelty balloons, 26 floats, 12 marching bands and more than 700 clowns. Aron Ranen reports. details ⇒ BusinessMediaguide.Com portal received this content from this noted web source: VOANews.Com
In most of the United States, November and December are prime time for turkey lovers. The U.S. Poultry and Egg Association says 46 million turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving, with another 22 million consumed on Christmas. But in the Southern state of Louisiana, known for its decadence and creative cuisine, turkey has a competitor. For […]
Beloved characters like Snoopy and SpongeBob SquarePants soared through the skies above New York City Thursday while bands marched along the streets below as the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ushered in the holiday season. The parade started on Manhattan’s Upper West Side making its way alongside Central Park in front of big crowds and […]
The Indian side of Kashmir is home to very few Christians, but people from the region put their blood and sweat into preparing gifts for Christmas celebrations. For VOA, Muheet Ul Islam has more from Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir. Camera: Wasim Nabi details ⇒ BusinessMediaguide.Com portal received this content from this noted web source: VOANews.Com
Fidelity National Financial (FNF) was attacked by a “cybersecurity incident” that led the system to shut down some of its network, the company said. FNF blocked access to certain systems, which resulted in disruptions to title insurance, escrow and other title-related services, as well as mortgage transactions and technology for the real estate and mortgage […]
Mike Cagney’s financial technology firm Figure Technologies has taken another step to go public with its lending division, LendCo, hiring investment banks to coordinate the initial public offering (IPO), per a Bloomberg report. People familiar with the transaction told Bloomberg that Figure is working with Goldman Sachs Group Inc., JP Morgan Chase & Co. and Jefferies Financial Group Inc. for the IPO. […]
Mortgage rates dropped significantly in the last few weeks, but the cost of borrowing remains high prompting many homebuyers to wait for even lower rates. The 30-year, fixed mortgage rate averaged 7.29% for the week ending Nov. 22, according to Freddie Mac‘s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. That’s down significantly from last week’s 7.44% and up […]
While foreclosure completions remained relatively flat in October, foreclosure starts rose to 33,000, hitting their highest level in 18 months, according to the ICE Mortgage Monitor report. In October, there were 217,000 loans in active foreclosure, up 3,000 since September. However, this remains 25% under the pre-pandemic levels. The national delinquency rate fell three basis […]
Mortgage applications rose to their highest level in six weeks after the 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 7.44% last week. Total home loan applications increased 3% for the week ending Nov. 17 compared to the previous week, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Mortgage rates for the 30-year fixed loan averaged […]
Seemingly forever, the average time between reaching a sales agreement and closing on that property has hovered around 45 days — a month and a half. It’s not something consumers think about much when they set out to buy a first home or plan to upsize to accommodate life changes. In fact, if you were […]
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) on Tuesday published a final rule that amends several provisions of the Enterprise Regulatory Capital Framework (ERCF) for government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The final rule is primarily related to guarantees on commingled securities, multifamily mortgage exposures secured by properties with government subsidies and derivatives and […]
California-based mortgage lender CMG Financial announced the integration of Shamrock Home Loans’ origination team, which will boost its presence in New England. That’s not the first addition to CMG this year. In March, the company struck a deal to acquire Homebridge Financial Services‘s retail division to grow its retail lending business footprint. CMG makes its services and products available through wholesale and correspondent […]
HousingWire Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler and Brena Nath, director of HW+ and events at HousingWire. On HousingWire branding calls earlier this year, someone asked us what our tagline, “Moving Markets Forward,” means to me. Having referred to this phrase for over 10 years, the explanation we’ve used is as adaptable and forward thinking as […]
California-based retail lender American Pacific Mortgage (APM) has named vice chairman Bill Lowman as its chairman of the board, succeeding APM founder Kurt Reisig. Lowman will continue his daily work as an adviser to the APM senior management while more fully guiding the company through his work on the board, the company said earlier this […]
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is pausing foreclosures on homes financed with VA loans for six months to help military borrowers in danger of losing their homes, a department spokesperson said in a statement to HousingWire on Monday. The Veterans Assistance Partial Claim Payment program — which began July 2021 — allowed military borrowers […]
Russia has placed a Ukrainian singer who won the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest on its wanted list, state news agencies reported Monday. The reports said an Interior Ministry database listed singer Susana Jamaladinova as being sought for violating a criminal law. The independent news site Mediazona, which covers opposition and human rights issues, said Jamaladinova […]
Pope Francis’ recent gesture of welcome for transgender Catholics has resonated strongly in a working class, seaside town south of Rome, where a community of trans women has found help and hope through a remarkable relationship with the pontiff forged during the darkest times of the pandemic. Thanks to the local parish priest, these women […]
Country singers, romance novelists, video game artists and voice actors are appealing to the U.S. government for relief — as soon as possible — from the threat that artificial intelligence poses to their livelihoods. “Please regulate AI. I’m scared,” wrote a podcaster concerned about his voice being replicated by AI in one of thousands of […]
Did the recent move lower in mortgage rates turn the housing market positive? With mortgage rates moving almost 75 basis points lower from the highs, does the data show that demand has improved? Let’s take a dive in the weekly tracker to see. Purchase application data Last year, when mortgage rates fell from 7.37% to […]
A 23-year-old Taylor Swift fan died at the singer’s Eras Tour concert in Rio de Janeiro Friday night, according to a statement from the show’s organizers in Brazil. Both fans and politicians reacted to the news with outrage. While a cause of death for Ana Clara Benevides Machado has not been announced, fans complained they […]
India captain Rohit Sharma said Saturday his players understand the pressure of being Indian cricketers and remain “calm and composed” for the World Cup final against five-time champion Australia. The hosts are undefeated in 10 matches and will eye their first global trophy in over a decade in front of around 130,000 fans at the […]
Many of Malaysia’s urban communities are adding a rural touch. Community gardens are popping up as residents look for ways to bring the great outdoors closer to home. Dave Grunebaum has the story. details ⇒ BusinessMediaguide.Com portal received this content from this noted web source: VOANews.Com
British author A.S. Byatt, who wove history, myth and a sharp eye for human foibles into books that included the Booker Prize-winning novel Possession, has died at the age of 87. Byatt’s publisher, Chatto & Windus, said Friday that the author, whose full name was Antonia Byatt, died “peacefully at home surrounded by close family” […]
The transition of three veteran sales executives from South Carolina-based lender Movement Mortgage to its California competitor Summit Funding led to a legal battle over poaching. HousingWire reported in July hat Movement’s national sales director Deran Pennington, leader of the South and Central division Matt Schoolfield and leader of the Eastern U.S. division Chris Shelton parted ways after more […]
Tahir Hamut Izgil witnessed firsthand, China’s repressive treatment of the Uyghur ethnic minority group and experienced how society changed over time in Xinjiang, an autonomous region in northwest China. His memoir, published this year has gained attention by readers and recognition by two prominent U.S. publications this week, while China describes accusations of repression as […]
New York-based Rithm Capital, the parent company of Newrez, announced on Friday it completed the acquisition of Sculptor Capital Management for $719.8 million. The deal was made public four months ago and created a dispute among investors to take the firm, leading Rithm to increase its price by 14% compared to the original bid. The transaction also created legal battles […]
Leaders of the union representing Hollywood actors announced a tentative deal recently with film and television studios to end a strike that started in July. It includes pay raises, streaming bonuses for actors, and the industry’s first protections against the use of artificial intelligence. From Los Angeles, Genia Dulot has our story. details ⇒ BusinessMediaguide.Com […]
As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s continued efforts to take aggressive action to address the alarming nationwide rise in reports of antisemitism, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and other forms of discrimination and harassment on college campuses and in K-12 schools since the October 7 Israel-Hamas conflict, today the U.S. details ⇒ BusinessMediaguide.Com portal received this content from […]
Freddie Mac will launch a new fee-based repurchase alternative pilot program for performing loans in 2024, designed to improve the quality of performing loans through a potential replacement of its current repurchase policy for defective performing loans. “The pilot will use a fee-based structure that is more efficient, transparent and rewards lenders that deliver high-quality […]
Mortgage demand for new homes jumped in October as the inventory for existing homes remained depleted. Mortgage applications for new-home purchases rose 39.7% in October on a year-over-year basis and were up 6% from the previous month, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Builder Application Survey for October. “Home builders have been able to […]
Mortgage rates fell this week as the October inflation report drove down the yield on the 10-year Treasury. On Thursday, investors priced in a 99.7% chance that the Fed will hold interest rates steady in December, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool. The 30-year, fixed mortgage averaged at 7.44% as of Nov. 16, according […]
HousingWire Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler sat down with Jason Bressler, CTO at United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) to talk about how the lender is developing a smart, innovative IT team by giving them a safety net to fail. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Sarah Wheeler: UWM develops all their software in-house. […]
Thank you and welcome, everyone! I want to start with a story that illustrates why we’re here today. It’s the story of a young undocumented student who came from Mexico City to Texas. At the time, she didn’t speak a word of English. And I think many of us here know how challenging that can […]
As part of its Raise the Bar: Create Pathways for Global Engagement, the Biden-Harris Administration today launched “Being Bilingual is a Superpower,” an initiative by the U.S. Department of Education (Department) to promote multilingual education and bolster high-quality language programs and a diverse multilingual educator workforce across the country. details ⇒ BusinessMediaguide.Com portal received this […]
Marvel Comics’ first Muslim superhero is making her big-screen debut in “The Marvels” movie. From Los Angeles, Genia Dulot brings us the story of the teenage Ms. Marvel. details ⇒ BusinessMediaguide.Com portal received this content from this noted web source: VOANews.Com
Stavvy, a fintech firm specializing in digital and remote collaboration for lending and real estate companies, acquired SigniaDocuments, a technology suite from Texas-based lender Evolve Mortgage Services. Terms of the deal were not announced. Stavvy will acquire assets, including eClosing tools, eNote and eVault services, eRegistry capabilities for agency and non-agency loans and SigniaDocuments’ SMART […]
Michigan-based United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) wants to court more brokers by offering no-cost appraisals on 1-0 temporary rate buydowns amid fierce competition in the industry. The wholesale lender will cover up to $600 of the appraisal cost on all conventional and government-backed home loans until March 31 when a broker uses UWM’s 1-0 temporary rate […]
Detroit-headquartered lender Rocket Mortgage faces a class-action lawsuit for making repeated, unsolicited telephone calls, violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). According to the suit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona on Tuesday, Kellie Deits – a resident of Arizona — received a call from a Rocket Mortgage representative in […]
Providence, Rhode Island-based Citizens Bank, the 28th largest U.S. mortgage lender, has decided to close its wholesale channel, which produced over $1 billion in volume in the first half of this year. “After careful consideration, Citizens has made the difficult decision today to discontinue originations in the mortgage wholesale channel,” Chace Gundlach, senior vice president and […]
The U.S. Department of Education (Department) today released new state-by-state data and details showing that the simplified, streamlined, and redesigned 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form will help 610,000 new students from low-income backgrounds receive Federal Pell Grants. The new FAFSA form will also help 1.5 million more students receive the maximum […]