General World News

Mortgage demand slows despite cooling rates

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Mortgage rates have been on a declining trend, but demand slowed down last week largely due to fewer refinance applications, an indication that the industry should not expect a mini refi boom yet. Mortgage applications dropped 10.1% for the week ending Aug. 16 compared to the previous week, according to data released Wednesday by the […]

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Consumer groups urge FHFA to update climate standards for GSE-backed homes

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A coalition of interest groups oriented around climate issues has launched a social media campaign designed to pressure the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) into adopting up-to-date energy-efficiency standards for homes backed by the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Campaign for Lower Home Energy Costs launched its effort on Tuesday. The […]

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Lower’s Randell Gillespie talks mortgage tech solutions and authentic leadership

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In the newest episode of the Power House podcast, HousingWire CEO Clayton Collins chats with Randell Gillespie, the chief production officer at Lower and a 2023 recipient of the HousingWire Vanguard Award.  The duo dive into several topics, including Lower’s transformed culture and leadership structure following its acquisitions of Thrive Mortgage and Universal Lending. They […]

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ABA has ‘significant concerns’ with CFPB proposal to ban medical debt from credit reports

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The American Bankers Association (ABA) last week submitted a letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in which it expressed “significant concerns” about a proposed rule that would ban medical debt from appearing on consumer credit reports. The proposal would bar credit agencies from sharing such debt with mortgage lenders, who in turn would […]

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Wells Fargo sells most of its commercial mortgage servicing to Trimont

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Wells Fargo has agreed to sell most of its commercial mortgage servicing portfolio to Atlanta-based Trimont. The deal is expected to make Trimont the largest servicer of multifamily and commercial loans in the U.S. The transaction includes only Wells Fargo’s non-agency, third-party commercial mortgage servicing (CMS) business. The bank will keep its agency and government-sponsored […]

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LGBTQ+ couples, activists rally in Nepal’s capital during Pride parade

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KATHMANDU, Nepal — Hundreds of LGBTQ+ people and their supporters rallied in Nepal’s capital Tuesday during the annual Pride parade, the first since gay couples were able to register same-sex marriages officially in the Himalayan nation. The event brought together the sexual minority community and its supporters in Kathmandu during the Gai Jatra festival. A government […]

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Severe weather in South Dakota brings new HUD assistance

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Severe storms, winds and flooding in South Dakota earlier this summer has led President Joe Biden to issue an official disaster declaration for the state, which includes assistance for borrowers of government-insured mortgage financing from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The president declared a state of emergency in South Dakota on […]

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50 years on, Harlem Week shows how a New York City neighborhood went from crisis to renaissance

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NEW YORK — In 1974, Harlem’s deserted streets and tumbledown tenements told the story of a neighborhood left behind. Decades of disinvestment had culminated in a mass exodus known as urban flight and residents watched as their wealthier, more educated counterparts left the New York City neighborhood in droves. But the tide turned when Percy Sutton, […]

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Mongolia courts tourists by making it easier to visit

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ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia — With its reindeer sleigh rides, camel racing and stunning landscapes with room to roam, Mongolia is hoping to woo visitors who are truly looking to get away from it all. Like most countries, its tourism industry was devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has launched a “Welcome to MonGOlia” campaign to win […]

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The month in reverse mortgage rates: August 2024

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As discussed in previous reverse mortgage rate updates, the federally insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) is the dominant reverse mortgage in America. As a result, HECM has become synonymous with reverse mortgages. But did you know that nearly all HECMs originated today are variable-rate loans? This is in stark contrast to the traditional forward […]

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Volunteers aid Pennsylvania seniors as they age in place

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For seniors who live alone and may not have easy access to public transportation, relatively simple tasks such as grocery shopping or medical appointments become much more difficult to complete. Volunteer and nonprofit groups can often step in to fill the void in these situations. Two examples are happening in the Pittsburgh metro area, where […]

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Scotiabank hires JPMorgan team to lead new mortgage biz

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Toronto-based Bank of Nova Scotia, which operates as Scotiabank, has hired a group of JPMorgan Chase Bank executives to lead a new mortgage capital markets business that expects to launch this fall. Industry veteran Thanh Roettele, who spent more than 28 years at JPMorgan and was the managing director of its mortgage warehouse finance business, […]

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Mortgage delinquency, foreclosure activity point to rising homeowner distress

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Sky-high home prices and elevated mortgage rates are putting increasing strain on homeowners. That’s the takeaway from two reports released this week showing that foreclosure activity and mortgage delinquencies are rising. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), the second-quarter 2024 delinquency rate for mortgages on one- to four-unit residential properties increased to 3.97% on […]

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UBS sells mortgage servicer to Sixth Street-led investor group

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Swiss bank UBS Group AG has decided to sell Credit Suisse’s mortgage servicing company, Select Portfolio Servicing (SPS), to a group of investors led by Sixth Street, HousingWire has learned. Investment firm Davidson Kempner Capital Management is a co-investor.  Representatives at Credit Suisse, Davidson Kempner and Sixth Street declined to comment. Bloomberg first reported on […]

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Swiss bank UBS closes deal to sell U.S. servicer

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Executives at Swiss bank UBS said on Wednesday that they’ve struck a deal to sell Credit Suisse’s U.S. servicing business. They did not provide information related to the buyers’ names or the financial details.  In the U.S., Credit Suisse owns Select Portfolio Servicing (SPS). According to Inside Mortgage Finance (IMF), SPS was the 20th-largest U.S. […]

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U.S. Department of Education Awards More Than $40 Million to Improve College Completion Rates for Underserved Students

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The U.S. DepThe U.S. Department of Education (Department) announced today more than $40 million in grant awards to seven grantees to improve completion rates for underserved students. The grants are being provided under the Postsecondary Student Success Grant (PSSG) program, which aims to equitably improve postsecondary student outcomes, including retention, transfer, credit accumulation, and completion, […]

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Statement form U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on Supreme Court Filing on the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan

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Statement from U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona: Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Justice filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court to vacate the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals’ injunction of the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan. This injunction, if allowed to stand, would harm borrowers who have dutifully repaid their loans […]

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Axia sells retail assets to Planet, shutters wholesale biz

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Planet Home Lending confirmed on Tuesday the acquisition of certain retail assets from Axia Home Loans, describing the transaction as an opportunity to expand its operations in the Western, Northwestern, and Midwestern markets. HousingWire broke the news in early August.  Axia is also winding down its wholesale division as a result of the retail asset […]

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Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions taps Hutchens for president role, promotes three others

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Non-QM wholesale lender Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions (AOMS) has promoted longtime production head Tom Hutchens to president. The Atlanta-based company, which is part of the larger family of Angel Oak mortgage entities, said John Jeanmonod, formerly Angel Oak’s regional vice president of sales, would replace Hutchens as executive VP of production. Tom Hutchens of Angel […]

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Waterfall: Reverse MSR deal with Onity showcases commitment to reverse mortgages

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Onity Group, parent company of top five reverse mortgage lender and servicer Liberty Reverse Mortgage, will acquire reverse mortgage assets from Mortgage Assets Management, LLC (MAM), a subsidiary of investment funds managed by Waterfall Asset Management. The deal, initially announced by Onity during its Q2 earnings call, suggests that Waterfall is committed to the reverse […]