HWmember

New York raises senior property tax exemption to 65%

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed legislation to expand property tax exemptions for seniors to up to 65% of their home’s assessed value, raising the ceiling for the first time in decades from the previous 50% cap. “No New York senior should lose their home because they can no longer afford their property taxes,” […]

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CrossCountry challenges court order in Gallo case

CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM) filed a motion last week as it seeks to intervene in the criminal case against former loan officer Christopher Gallo, and to vacate a November court order that blocked the company’s arbitration claim against the former employee. National Mortgage News first reported the legal action. According to the Dec. 3 filing, the

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Blue Owl funds commit $2.5B to Point for home equity investments

Blue Owl Capital announced Tuesday that it’s making a $2.5 billion commitment in funds it manages to home equity investment (HEI) platform Point. The newss comes just one month after the companies issued the largest securitization ever completed in the HEI space. The new capital will allow Palo Alto, California-based Point to originate about $10

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FTC issues warnings to rental software firms on price transparency

A week after settling a lawsuit with rental property management company Greystar, it appears the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) involvement in the rental property management space is not waning.  On Tuesday, the government regulator announced that it had sent letters to 13 property management software providers nationwide warning them that they may be violating the

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Optimal Blue announces new CFO and CRO

Optimal Blue announced on Monday that it has promoted Lanny Rogers III to chief financial officer and Jeremy Moreno to chief revenue officer. Rogers, a certified public accountant, will oversee financial planning, forecasting and capital allocation as the company expands. He joined Optimal Blue in 2017 and most recently served as vice president of accounting.

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NRMLA speaks out on the future of federal reverse mortgage programs

After federal housing leaders issued a request for information in October about the future of two key reverse mortgage programs, the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA) weighed in last week with a detailed list of suggestions. The trade group issued an 11-page letter to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and

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ROAD to Housing Act dropped from NDAA, sparking trade group response

The ROAD to Housing Act was left out of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in the final House text released Sunday, leaving the mortgage industry to continue pushing for housing provisions into the first quarter of next year.  The bipartisan bill — which includes policies to address housing affordability, boost supply, modernize financing

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MBA voices support for proposed cut to community banks’ leverage ratio

Late last month, federal banking regulators proposed lowering the Community Bank Leverage Ratio (CBLR) for qualifying community banks and bank holding companies from 9% to 8% while extending the timeframe for certain banks to remain in the program. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance

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Buyer owes $24K after breaching buyers broker agreement, arbitration finds

Since the implementation of mandatory buyer broker agreements via the business practice changes outlined in the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) commission lawsuit settlement agreement, many have wondered what happens if a buyer breaches a contract.  Jeff Lichtenstein, the broker-owner of Florida-based Echo Fine Properties, found out when his firm entered into arbitration with a

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After another lapse in coverage, trade groups urge Congress to pass long-term NFIP bill

Last week, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) and 14 other trade groups representing insurance companies, lenders and other financial institutions urged Congress to approve a long-term reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). In a letter to congressional leaders dated Dec. 2, the organizations said that millions of U.S. homeowners depend on the federally

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