‘Are you kidding me?’ Real estate industry reacts to Compass-NWMLS lawsuit

After weeks of buildup, it felt like only a matter of time before Compass would file a lawsuit against Northwest MLS (NWMLS) over the latter’s Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP). On Friday, the wait ended as Compass filed an antitrust suit against NWMLS. The filing includes alleged violations of the She

Easter-driven home sales dip masks recent growth

Last week’s pending home sales slipped to 68,000 single-family contracts — an expected Easter holiday lull that marks the first sub-2024 weekly tally in six weeks. Buyers remain mortgage rate-sensitive, of course. April’s tariff-fueled spike in U.S. Treasury yields pushed borrowing costs higher, but

Longbridge’s Melissa Macerato on the impact of new proprietary product

It’s a busy time to be in the proprietary reverse mortgage space, with new and relaunched products hitting the market and other additional features being added to existing product catalogs. Earlier this month, Longbridge Financial announced the addition of Platinum Peak, a new variation of its priva

VantageScore mortgage usage plunged 42% in 2024

VantageScore credit score usage by the mortgage industry dropped in 2024, ahead of widespread changes expected in credit reporting in the coming years. The decline was due to overall market conditions and a spike in portfolio analysis conducted by the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) in the p

South Carolina social work researchers focus on aging-in-place technology

In an effort to provide options for older Americans who want to avoid costly congregate care facilities and intend to age in place, social work researchers at the University of South Carolina will use federal grant dollars to assess the effectiveness of remote home monitoring systems for people who

HUD approves North Carolina’s $1.4B Helene action plan

Following the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene last year, a recovery action plan needed to access more than $1 billion in federal assistance has been approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the office of North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein (D) announced on Friday.Th

FHA walks back Biden-era restrictions on foreclosed property sales

In walking back policies designed to boost participation in foreclosed property sales for nonprofit and government bodies, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) said that policies put in place in 2022 that restrict certain sales to these entities for a 30-day period have produced “mixed results a

Peeking into Pennymac’s ‘aggressive’ goal to double broker market share by 2026

During last week’s earnings call, PennyMac Financial Services chairman and CEO David Spector said during a Q&A with investors and analysts that the company’s goals include continued growth in its broker direct channel and 10% market share by the end of 2026 — a goal of more than 100% growth over the

Mortgage rates settle down after wild ride

Since President Trump’s Liberation Day on April 2, mortgage rates, the 10-year yield and mortgage spreads have been on a wild ride. It’s been so wild that the low end of my 2025 10-year yield forecast range of 4.70-3.80% for 2025 was almost officially met. However, last week, mortgage rates and the

Compass files an antitrust suit against NWMLS over its CCP

The other shoe has finally dropped. After weeks of back and forth online, Compass filed an federal antitrust lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Seattle against Northwest MLS (NWMLS) over NWMLS’s Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP) on Friday.NWMLS is a broker-owned MLS, rather than owned by the Realtor ass

ESG team at Fannie Mae has been terminated: sources

The environmental, social, and governance (ESG) team at Fannie Mae has reportedly been dismissed in its entirety, according to multiple sources who spoke with HousingWire.Laurel Davis, who served as a senior vice president and head of the company’s mission and impact, was reportedly included in the

Reverse mortgage industry descends on California for first NRMLA event of 2025

Reverse mortgage professionals are preparing to travel to Irvine, California, for the industry’s first event of the year, hosted by the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA).The association’s Western Regional Meeting is a one-day affair on Tuesday, April 29, that will aim to offer at

HUD reinstates nonprofit’s affordable housing grants after appeal

Nonprofit housing organization Enterprise Community Partners announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has reversed a decision to terminate nearly $10 million in technical assistance funding, reinstating two key federal agreements tied to affordable housing efforts.Th

The nation’s largest mortgage lenders are only getting bigger

Home purchase and refinance activity hasn’t exactly been brisk in the opening months of 2025 as prospective borrowers contend with a variety of headwinds. But mortgage origination volumes among the country’s largest lenders are mostly up in the past year.Inside Mortgage Finance (IMF) data for the fi

Augmented reality mobile app could assist with aging in place

As technology becomes an increasingly important part of life for people across the spectrum of age, a new mobile application being developed by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison aims to add “augmented reality” to the tools for those seeking to age in place.Augmented reality technolo

Acting HUD watchdog’s memo targets fraud, tech and safety issues

The acting head of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has issued an updated memorandum of open priority recommendations that aim to increase the department’s efficiency and address key management challenges.The memo, issued this week by S

Experts analyze growth strategies of eXp and Compass

With eXp Realty and Compass Real Estate sitting atop RealTrends Verified’s 2025 Brokerage Rankings in terms of increases in volume and transaction side growth, fast-growing new models are knocking at the door.“There are a lot of new models out there,” said Steve Murray, a senior advisor to HousingWi

HUD adds $2.2M to VASH program for Native American veterans

Following a tour of the Oneida Tribe reservation in Wisconsin this week, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner announced that the department will be adding $2.2 million to the Tribal HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program.Turner toured the rese

Why the housing market is actually much healthier in 2025

After years of identifying the housing market as unhealthy — culminating in a savagely unhealthy housing market in early 2022 — I can confidently assert that the housing market in 2024 and 2025 is on better footing. This transformation sets an extremely positive foundation for what’s to come. Some r

DC’s housing market is shifting rapidly. Are federal layoffs driving it?

President Donald Trump has shifted federal economic policy in a big way since his inauguration on Jan. 20. Housing markets across the country will no doubt be impacted in some way, but one city is a special case — Washington, D.C.That’s because the Trump administration made reductions to the federal