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If you think DPA is a niche, you’re missing the bigger picture

Contributors, HWmember, Mortgage, Opinion, Origination /

Lenders, take note. June is National Homeownership Month, and if you’re still treating down payment assistance (DPA) like some fringe program, you’re about to get left behind. The housing market isn’t just shifting—it’s being dismantled and rebuilt in real time. Younger buyers are bypassing the legacy playbooks. They’re digitally native, financially savvy, and actively searching […]

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Redefining what it means to win in mortgage

Contributors, HWmember, Mortgage, Opinion, Origination /

You likely hear strategies rooted in competitive advantage: how to stand out, gain market share and outperform rivals. In mortgage, that playbook often mirrors sports—one side wins, the other loses. But what if winning didn’t require someone else to lose? A smaller market still full of opportunity According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s May 2025

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Homebuyers finally catch a break with more inventory

Existing home sales, Homebuyers, Housing Inventory, Housing Market, Housing Market Tracker, HWmember /

Homebuyers in 2025 are finally getting some good news. Active housing inventory is returning to the levels we experienced before the pandemic, which means the chaotic and unhealthy housing market of the last several years is finally a thing of the past. As someone who was concerned about home prices skyrocketing out of control between

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15 commission lawsuit settlements gain final approval

Commission Lawsuit, Howard Hanna, Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, HWmember, Legal, NAR Lawsuit Settlement, National Association of Realtors, Real Estate, Side Real Estate, Sitzer/Burnett /

In a move that’s unsurprising, U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Bough has granted final approval to 15 more commission lawsuit settlement agreements. Bough granted final approval to settlements negotiated in the Gibson and Keel suits during a joint hearing on Tuesday afternoon.  The settling defendants in the two suits, both of which are being overseen

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Record-high home equity provides opportunity for the reverse mortgage industry

Harvard University, HECM, Home Equity, HWmember, Joint Center for Housing Studies, Reverse /

Soaring prices and increasingly strained affordability have made things difficult for prospective buyers shopping for their first home. But for households that own their home already, rising prices have been a wealth bonanza. That’s evident in data from the annual State of the Nation’s Housing Report from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS),

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Volly’s new tech tool aims to improve collaboration between lenders, agents

HWmember, Lenders, Loan Officer, Mortgage, Real Estate, Real Estate Agents, Technology, Volly, WFG National Title /

Williston Financial Group (WFG) announced the release of a new digital tool through subsidiary Volly that aims to enhance collaboration between mortgage loan officers and real estate agents. The new feature, known as Volly Network Connections, is part of the company’s broader marketing suite and offers loan officers real-time notifications about partner real estate listings.

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Does Zillow’s policy really restrict Compass’s business?

Clear Cooperation, Compass, Glenn Kelman, HWmember, Legal, National Association of Realtors, Real Estate, Redfin, Robert Reffkin, Zillow /

While the more attention-grabbing parts of Compass’s complaint in its suit against Zillow included late night calls between Robert Reffkin and “co-conspirator” Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman, and a tense meeting with Zillow executives, the complaint also detailed the business impacts Compass is feeling as a result of Zillow’s policy.  In the complaint, Compass claims that

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CFPB cuts short monitoring of BofA mortgage practices

Bank of America, CFPB, HWmember, Mortgage, Regulatory, Regulatory Compliance /

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) cut short a five-year agreement with Bank of America over the bank’s alleged submissions of false mortgage data. The agreement was supposed to be in place through at least November 2028. In a filing made public Monday, the CFPB said the bank “fulfilled the obligations” of the agreement signed in November 2023,

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Jerome Powell says the Fed isn’t budging on interest rates

Federal Reserve, Home Price Appreciation, HWmember, Inflation, Jerome Powell, Mortgage, Mortgage Rates, Mortgage Rates Center, Regulatory, Tariffs /

The Federal Reserve has come under renewed fire from the Trump administration in recent weeks as the president and key housing officials battle with Chair Jerome Powell over the direction of interest rates. On Tuesday, while speaking to members of the House Financial Services Committee, Powell was resolute that the central bank will continue its

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Four charts that perfectly illustrate the housing affordability crisis

Affordable housing, Harvard University, Home Prices, Housing Market, HWmember /

Look at all the variables at play in the housing market and it’s hard not to feel pessimistic about the affordability crisis. Mortgage payments continue to increase thanks to high mortgage rates, home insurance premiums are on the rise in markets vulnerable to natural disasters and the rent is still too dang high for renters

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