New residential construction in the US rose in March to the highest level in more than a year as homebuilders boosted production despite ongoing affordability concerns. Processing Content Housing starts increased 10.8% to an annual pace of 1.5 million homes in March, the highest since December 2024, according to figures released Wednesday by the Census […]
Housing starts surge to highest level since December 2024 Read More »
At some point, as you start thinking about the years ahead, this question tends to come up: “Could I stay here long-term… or would it make more sense to move?” It’s not always urgent. It often shows up in small moments, like going up and down the stairs, keeping up with the maintenance, or just
Stay or Sell? How To Make the Right Call as You Age Read More »
A familiar scene for many independent mortgage banks: an exam turns up issues, you coordinate with state regulators or the Multistate Mortgage Committee (MMC), and what starts as remediation becomes chaotic, especially in multistate reviews, where some states may proceed independently. Suddenly you are managing dozens of parallel negotiations, and the discussion shifts from fixes
State exams are becoming a revenue exercise Read More »
As the mortgage industry planned for 2026, it anticipated a strong purchase market, benefitting from a declining interest rate environment. Processing Content Early reports were lining up for a good spring homebuying season. In late February, several sources, including the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, had the conforming 30-year fixed close to or under
2026’s Top Producers: numbers 100-51 Read More »
After rising mortgage rates dampened the start to a once promising spring homebuying season, industry veteran Brain Hale expects struggles to continue throughout the rest of the year, and possibly into 2027. Processing Content Mergers and acquisitions have increased as a result, with notable moves including Rocket’s purchase of Mr. Cooper and Redfin, CrossCountry’s acquisition
Mortgage vet: 2026 will be ‘a very tough year’ Read More »
As the real estate brokerage space continues to consolidate, creating large national firms with massive scale, critics have claimed this move will lead to a homogenization of formerly disparate brands. However, Sue Yannaccone, who was recently promoted to chief operations officer of Compass International Holdings (CIH) the parent company of Compass, @properties, Christie’s International Real
UWM Holding Corp. may not win the bid to acquire Two Harbors Investment Corp., but an unsolicited proposal for the real estate investment trust just forced CrossCountry Intermediate Holdco to raise its offering. Two Harbors announced Tuesday that it amended its merger agreement to increase the all-cash price CrossCountry will pay to $11.30 per share.
CrossCountry raises bid for Two Harbors after rival offer from UWM Read More »
Companies that stay grounded in a clear identity are better positioned to make smart decisions than those that chase every new trend, said Keller Williams executive Sandra Howard — speaking at HousingWire’s The Gathering in Austin, Texas. Addressing an audience of real estate and mortgage leaders, she argued that most firms operate in the same
A proposal in Congress to eliminate a rule that reduces Social Security benefits for working retirees comes as more Americans rethink what retirement looks like and opt for flexible, phased transitions instead of a hard stop. The Senior Citizens’ Freedom to Work Act, introduced by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.), would
Bill targets Social Security earnings limits as retirement trends shift Read More »
Mortgage industry executives say the shift to new credit score models and lender choice could raise mortgage delinquencies, reshape pricing grids at the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) and ultimately push costs back onto borrowers, even if the costs for scores fall on the front end. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner
The Gathering 2026: Mortgage execs debate the hidden risks of credit score reform Read More »