Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook plans to sue President Donald Trump after he attempted to fire her on Monday, citing allegations of mortgage fraud. The case has renewed concerns over the Fed’s independence and added fresh volatility to financial markets. “President Trump has no authority to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. His attempt to […]
Planet Financial Group LLC, the parent of national mortgage lender Planet Home Lending, on Tuesday reported strong growth across its servicing, origination and asset management channels in the second quarter of 2025. The company — which also does business under the name Planet Loan Servicing and asset manager Planet Management Group — grew its total […]
Mortgage rates had been moving lower lately, but no one was sure how the financial markets would digest macroeconomic news and an escalating battle at the Federal Reserve. Turns out, rates today are touching the lows we saw last week of 6.52%, according to Mortgage News Daily. “Mortgage rates fell slightly today as mortgage spreads […]
Knock, a real estate technology company that helps homeowners to buy before they sell, on Tuesday announced the close of its inaugural $100 million securitization. Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. served as the initial purchaser and bookrunner for the transaction, which closed on Aug. 14 and generated strong demand from well-established institutional investors in residential mortgage-backed […]
Fannie Mae‘s latest Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey points to a growing trend of lenders that want to make the mortgage process and its various components as efficient as possible. In 2025, lenders ranked streamlined business processes, reduced costs and consumer-facing technology as their leading priorities. Every touch point in a mortgage’s life cycle — from […]
The publicly traded companies in the reverse mortgage space were largely profitable in the second quarter of 2025, despite a challenging macroeconomic backdrop. As a group, they posted $1.2 billion in originations in Q2 2025, compared to $1 billion in the first quarter. Executives pointed to stronger demand for home equity products among seniors, as […]
To continue its goal of national expansion, Evergreen Home Loans announced on Monday that it has entered 11 new states: Texas, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Wyoming, Nebraska, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Ohio and New Mexico. To support this growth, the Bellevue, Washington-based company has hired and promoted several key leaders to strengthen its regional operations. […]
Chase Home Lending announced on Monday the launch of its home equity line of credit (HELOC) product. A representative from Chase confirmed to HousingWire that the company had a HELOC product in the past, but due to uncertain market conditions beginning in 2020, the bank temporarily paused new HELOC applications. “In the time since, we […]
Stripping away decades of precedence and standardized regulation makes compliance a moving target — especially for lenders whose operations span state borders — yet this is exactly what happened earlier this summer. SCOTUS’ impact on the lending landscape The Supreme Court’s June 20th decision in McLaughlin Chiropractic Associates, Inc. v. McKesson Corp. ruled that federal […]
Older adults support changing zoning laws to make homebuilding easier, according to new surveys by AARP and the Pew Charitable Trusts. Older adults overwhelmingly want to age in place, but their homes are often unsuited to aging, while rising home prices and a shortage of housing inventory makes it difficult to move. The desire of […]
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s speech on Friday at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium left real estate and mortgage professionals cautiously optimistic. While expectations are building for lower interest rates, volatility remains a concern. In his final address as Fed chair at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s annual conference, Powell signaled the possibility […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced this week that it has awarded technology services firm Phoenixteam a $49 million contract to modernize its mortgage underwriting platform, the Guaranteed Underwriting System (GUS). The Arlington, V.A.-based company will overhaul GUS, which supports USDA’s guaranteed loan program for rural and farming communities. Phoenixteam said the updates will […]
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday signaled that the central bank is preparing to resume interest rate cuts soon, warning of growing labor market risks even as inflation remains elevated. In his final speech as Fed chair at the Kansas City Fed’s annual conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Powell stopped short of committing to […]
President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that he intends to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook if she does not resign from her position. “What she did was bad,” the president told reporters who asked about Cook, according to reporting from CNBC and Bloomberg News. Cook, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, has […]
Industry veteran Bill Dallas, chairman of Dallas Capital and former president of Finance of America, says accessory dwelling units (ADUs) still face major hurdles before they can become a reliable solution to what he calls the nation’s “largest social challenge:” affordable housing. “One of the challenges… is that the laws are so difficult and varied […]
WFG National Title Insurance Co. has been added to Fannie Mae’s list of approved title insurers for multifamily transactions. The designation means lenders and borrowers using WFG for Fannie Mae–financed multifamily deals can avoid delays caused by policy exceptions or compliance issues. Fannie Mae requires approved insurers to meet financial strength, quality and coverage standards […]
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CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM), a branch manager in Georgia and a former employee have reached a settlement in a sexual harassment lawsuit, according to court filings. The case began in June 2023 when former processor Christina Nielsen alleged that branch manager Steven Bocca subjected her and other female employees to sexual comments, unwanted touching and inappropriate […]
The Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA) began circulating an independent mortgage bank (IMB) sign-on letter on Wednesday. The document outlines key policy recommendations for a potential exit from conservatorship by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which would protect IMBs and smaller lenders in particular. CHLA is inviting all IMBs to sign on to the letter by […]
In a move to grow market share for its mortgage software platform, Sagent on Thursday announced the appointment of Art Calhoun as vice president of strategic partnerships and Kim Warnica as vice president of product marketing. “As we accelerate our phased rollout of Dara by Sagent in 2025, we need top talent to articulate Dara’s […]
Recently, JPMorgan Chase announced a shift in how it manages access to consumer banking data, introducing new data access fees for third-party aggregators. While the move focuses on infrastructure cost-sharing and consumer data stewardship, it reflects an evolving discussion about how financial institutions manage and fund access to their infrastructure, raising important questions about how […]
Bill Emerson is retiring as president of Rocket Companies but will remain as a director, the company disclosed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). “After more than three decades at Rocket, Bill Emerson will step down as president at the end of the year,” a Rocket spokesperson told HousingWire. “Bill is […]
New York is among the states where older residents are not receiving adequate levels of in-home care and other support services, according to a report published by a local news outlet. The report cited data from the Office of the New York State Comptroller, which found that some 16,000 of the state’s senior residents “continue […]
loanDepot appears to be building capabilities in the wholesale mortgage space — a channel it formally exited three years ago. Executives and owners at three mortgage brokerage shops told HousingWire they were recently contacted by loanDepot representatives who introduced themselves as account executives while “re-introducing” the company’s wholesale channel and inviting the brokers to become […]
Cenlar announced on Wednesday the appointment of Christina Boyle as executive adviser of growth and partnerships, with a focus on driving new business for one of the nation’s largest mortgage subservicers. “We are excited to have Christina on the team. She is an accomplished executive in the mortgage and banking sectors with a proven history […]
Hildene Capital Management LLC, a $16.8 billion credit-focused alternative asset manager, announced on Wednesday the recent close of a $496.3 million securitization collateralized by a pool of 968 nonqualified mortgages (non-QMs) with a weighted average FICO score of 748 and a loan-to-value ratio of 71.03%. The transaction was rated by Fitch and Kroll, with 96.35% […]
President Donald Trump is pressuring Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to resign following allegations tied to her mortgage transactions, specifically, that Cook potentially committed mortgage fraud by allegedly misrepresented occupancy requirements on loans for properties in Michigan and Georgia. The call for Cook to resign comes shortly after FHFA Director Bill Pulte urged Attorney General […]
Loan quality risks amid ongoing mortgage market challenges are continuing to emerge, according to the newest QC Industry Trends Report from ACES Quality Management, which tracks post-closing quality control data from its platform. The overall critical defect rate in the first quarter of 2025 climbed to 1.31%, ending two straight quarters of improvement and up […]
Having spent decades navigating the ups and downs of the mortgage industry, I’ve learned that challenging market conditions offer two choices: stand still and hope for improvements or go on the offensive and invest in positioning your company for long-term success. Today’s market represents one of those pivotal moments, with recent data indicating slower home […]
Bonus Homes, a real estate technology and investment firm, announced on Tuesday plans to open its headquarters in the Greater Phoenix area after raising $65.5 million in seed funding. A press release from the company said that the seed funding is from Solyco Capital, Redwood Trust, Nextview Ventures, Operate Ventures and Alpaca VC. With the […]
Clifford Rossi speaks from the vantage point of someone who has been inside the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). In different periods during the 1990s and 2000s, he served as a senior financial economist at Fannie Mae and as senior director of single-family risk management at Freddie Mac. Rossi was among the earliest advocates of merging the […]
Housing market dynamics have grown more favorable for buyers and sellers in August, and it’s possible that the fall of 2025 could see even better conditions if mortgage rates return to 6%. But they haven’t approached that level in nearly a year and haven’t been consistently below that threshold since late 2022. Rates have been […]
A Georgia couple lost their longtime family home after a forged deed led to a reverse mortgage they claimed they never signed, according to reporting from WSB-TV. James and Lucretia Klucken said they began receiving notices in 2019 about repayment on a $50,000 reverse mortgage tied to James’ family property. After reviewing the documents, James, […]
With all eyes now firmly focused on the second half of 2025, mortgage servicers throughout the U.S. face an important period for property tax management. More than 60% of all property tax bills are due between July and December, making the second half of the year extremely critical for the mortgage industry. Data from FRED […]
Consumer demand for reverse mortgage products is expected to rise as the population ages more quickly. According to estimates from Business Research Insights, the global market is currently valued at $2 billion and could reach $3.2 billion by 2033. More business is likely to push reverse mortgage companies to grow their employee headcounts. But like […]
RE/MAX Holdings has appointed Vic Lombardo as its president of mortgage services. Lombardo will succeed Ward Morrison to oversee mortgage brokerage franchise brand Motto Mortgage and third-party processing solution wemlo, the company announced on Monday. Lombardo brings more than two decades of experience to the role. He most recently served as chief operating officer of […]
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s Builder Application Survey data for July 2025, released on Monday, shows that mortgage applications for new-home purchases increased 6.8% compared from a year ago. Compared to June 2025, applications increased by 7%. This change does not include any adjustment for typical seasonal patterns. “Purchase activity for new homes strengthened in […]
Digital personal finance company Achieve on Monday announced the Aug. 14 close of a $266 million, AAA-rated securitization backed by newly originated home equity lines of credit (HELOCs). The securitization includes six classes of rated mortgage-backed notes and two classes of unrated notes. The deal is backed by more than 3,300 HELOCs originated by Achieve […]
Florida homebuyers are facing the same affordability challenges that other housing markets are grappling with, but with added regulatory hurdles if they want to buy a condo. The Florida Association of Mortgage Professionals (FAMP), which is hosting its annual convention this week in Orlando, is addressing those challenges head-on, looking to improve the Florida housing market […]
The Social Security system celebrated its 90th birthday this week. In the wake of this milestone, several policy analysts and news outlets offered their thoughts on the program’s past, present and future. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) noted that the safety net program that currently serves some 69 million Americans per month […]
In the debate over whether Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should merge, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has remained consistent: “We don’t think that would be a good idea,” chief economist Mike Fratantoni said. The trade group supports a stock offering that preserves stability in the secondary mortgage market while advocating for privatization with an […]
Mortgage lenders deploying artificial intelligence should prepare now for Colorado’s comprehensive AI law that will take effect in February 2026 and rethink how they manage compliance risk. That’s according to Mike Brown, chief product officer at Xactus, and Wendy Lee, managing partner at LOGS Legal Group, who appeared on stage this week at HousingWire‘s AI […]
Several senior executives in Better’s control and finance teams, including chief financial officer Kevin Ryan, have taken additional jobs or left the company as it navigates financial pressures, according to public announcements and updates to social media profiles. In July, Ryan also joined investment bank Houlihan Lokey as a managing director in its capital solutions […]
Fannie Mae has updated its servicing guidelines for temporary interest-rate buydowns, calling for immediate adoption ahead of a Nov. 1 mandate. The changes outline how to apply buydown funds in different workout scenarios, along with updated borrower notification requirements. The guidance, posted to Fannie’s site on Aug. 13 in a bulletin, comes as secondary market […]
loanDepot announced last week that Jeff Walsh has resigned as the president of its LDI Mortgage division. The resignation, confirmed as Walsh’s retirement, will be effective on Sept. 5, 2025, and there is a confirmed transition agreement in place. Walsh had been with loanDepot since November 2012, having serving as chief revenue officer, senior executive […]