Key insight: A group of 16 state attorneys general, all Democrats, have filed suit against the Department of Housing and Urban Development over a recent guidance limiting enforcement of equal housing laws. Supporting data: The attorneys general say the guidance, which affects how HUD funds state investigations of discrimination complaints, threatens $10.7M in Fair Housing […]
Democratic AGs sue HUD over fair housing guidance Read More »
A new federal executive order from President Trump related to “removing regulatory barriers to home construction” aims to increase affordable inventory through broad deregulation. Processing Content The Federal Housing Finance Agency and the Department of Housing and Urban Development are among several public entities the order directs to take a series of steps to that
Trump building order targets supply-side constraints Read More »
Freedom Mortgage is expanding with a deal to acquire Seneca Mortgage Servicing. Processing Content Parent company Freedom Superior signed an agreement to buy the firm and its related entities from asset manager EJF Capital, it announced Monday. It’s yet another move by one of the industry’s biggest players to add servicing assets, in more consolidation
Freedom acquires Seneca Mortgage Servicing Read More »
You may have seen headlines on social saying the number of buyers backing out of their contracts is on the rise – and has recently reached a high not seen since 2017. That can sound intimidating. But it varies a lot by market. And here’s the key thing to understand if you want to sell.
The #1 Reason Buyers Walk Away (And How To Get Ahead of It) Read More »
Key insight: The court declared that Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Russell Vought’s decision not to request funding for the agency was a “transparent display of partisanship” and granted summary judgment to Rise Economy, a consumer advocacy group that had sued the CFPB over the decision. What’s at stake: The judge rejected the CFPB’s novel
Federal court rules against CFPB in funding lawsuit Read More »
Treasuries opened better this morning, the 5-year below Friday’s lowest yield, but now a lot of damage needs to be undone. Processing Content Friday’s closes were mixed, the same as the openings, but the losses for the week were the largest in nearly a year. After months of sideways trading, on January 20th the 5-year
Treasury yields may still be headed higher Read More »
Lower mortgage rates and less volatility have been one of the key positive stories in 2026 for the housing market. Until last week, rates were under 6.25% all year and we didn’t see much volatility, which is a key variable for a healthy housing market. However, a lot of that changed last week as the
Housing demand still positive, but for how long with rising rates? Read More »
New Western released a new report examining the role of real estate investors in supplying entry-level housing. It found that small investors added far more homes in the starter-home price range than homebuilders in 2025. The company’s 2026 Flip Side Report on residential real estate investing trends said independent investors delivered 120,193 homes in the
Local investors outpace builders in delivering starter homes Read More »
President Donald Trump on Friday announced two executive orders that aim to increase the U.S. housing supply and consumer access to mortgage credit. One of the orders directs various federal agencies — including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) — to work together on reviewing
Trump executive orders target housing supply and mortgage credit Read More »
The White House announced on Friday afternoon its effort to challenge what it calls “unnecessary regulatory barriers” to homebuilding by issuing a broad executive order to reduce environmental, permitting and programmatic restrictions that federal officials say are contributing to the nation’s housing affordability crisis. The order, signed by Donald Trump, directs multiple federal agencies to
Trump executive order targets regulatory barriers to homebuilding Read More »