As the DOJ takes shape, housing must be front and center 

When it comes to housing affordability, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) must reevaluate harmful actions established by the previous administration. Housing became increasingly out of reach for millions of working-class Americans during the Biden administration. President Trump and his administr

Are expensive building materials hurting the DC housing market?

The U.S. housing market largely depends on imported materials to build new homes and grow inventory. Today, these materials are becoming more costly due to recent government policy changes, such as the Trump administration’s tariffs on countries like China, Mexico and Canada.The Washington, D.C., ho

Rocket vs Zillow: The battle for ‘super app’ supremacy

One of the biggest housing stories so far this year is Rocket’s pending acquisition of Redfin. That acquisition also kicked off a new battle between Rocket and Zillow over who will get to the consumer first — and serve them best — through a housing ‘super app.’In a presentation for investors, Rocket

Homebuyers are taking more risks in an obstacle-filled market

The U.S. housing market remains challenging for prospective buyers as concerns over mortgage rates, home prices and affordability persist in 2025.With affordability shrinking, buyers are taking more risks to secure homes, according to HomeLight’s 2025 Lender Insights & Predictions survey.Findings in

HUD secretary talks homelessness strategy with Dallas officials, nonprofit leaders

The public-private partnership that exists between city officials and nonprofit leaders in Dallas is an encouraging sign on how to deal with the homelessness crisis, and it could be worthy of replication on a national level. This is according to Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secr

Top execs at Freddie Mac, FHFA fired: report

The top executives at Freddie Mac, along with a top HR official at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), were fired Thursday, according to a report on SEMAFOR.The publication reported that Freddie Mac’s CEO, COO and head of HR plus the FHFA’s COO and head of HR were all fired on Thursday.The ne

FOA appoints new board members, including former US senator

One of the nation’s leading reverse mortgage lenders, Finance of America (FOA), on Thursday announced the appointment of two new members to its board of directors — including a former U.S. senator.Andrew EssexAndrew Essex, whom the company describes as a leader in marketing and brand strategy, forme

Build, baby, build: How the US can start fixing its housing supply crisis

Let’s start with the bad news: The U.S. housing deficit is currently between 1.5 million and 8 million homes (estimates among experts vary widely). And worse, the core reasons for such a shortage cannot be easily or quickly addressed. But there is good news, too, speakers said Wednesday at the U.S.

HUD rescinds appraisal review policies

Policies related to appraisal appeals, or reconsiderations of value (ROV), were rescinded Wednesday by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).“While the adoption of a standardized ROV policy was one that real estate appraisers understood and was generally good for appraisers and consumers, the iss

Disaster recovery for mortgage servicers: Navigating crisis with compliance & resilience

Lessons from California wildfires and other natural disastersCalifornia’s wildfires highlighted the chaos that natural disasters continue to unleash – not just on homeowners, but also on the mortgage servicers tasked with supporting them and the insurance industry that covers the cost of rebuilding.

Frustration builds among retirees over more stringent Social Security rules, office closures

Retirees and advocates for older Americans are expressing unease and bewilderment at a series of announcements made by the Social Security Administration (SSA). The agency is seeking to implement new in-person identity verification requirements and plans to close more than two dozen field offices ac

Fix-and-flip activity was down in 2024, but profit margins grew slightly

The number of home flips across the U.S. fell in 2024, continuing a downward trend as real estate investors grapple with tight profit margins.According to Attom’s 2024 U.S. Home Flipping Report, investors flipped 297,885 single-family homes and condominiums last year. That marked a 7.7% decline from

To prioritize speed, HUD says it will simplify disaster recovery funding process

In a move designed to increase the speed that recovery funds can be provided, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Thursday published a universal notice about Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) programs that will consolidate guidance from disparate

Fairway promotes Amy Slotnick to lead branch optimization efforts

Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. on Thursday announced that Amy Slotnick has been promoted to the role of president of national branch optimization for sales.Slotnick has previously served Fairway as a senior vice president and regional sales manager. Her new position will involve implementing new

Single-family rent growth in January puts ‘renewed pressure on renters’

Rent growth for single-family homes ramped up at the start of 2025, according to a new report by CoreLogic. The data provider’s Single-Family Rent Index showed that rent prices jumped 2.4% during the year ending in January.January’s rent increase is only slightly higher than December’s increase of 2

Harvard study suggests inflation, labor shortages threaten remodeling industry

The U.S. remodeling industry reached $600 billion in value following the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite recent softening in 2022 and 2023, it still remains 50% above pre-pandemic levels. But industry fragmentation, inflation and a shortage of skilled trade labor jeopardize the ability of the industry to

Federal Reserve stands pat, but still sees rate cuts ahead

There was no surprise on Wednesday as the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) chose to leave the federal funds rate unchanged at a range of 4.25% to 4.5%. The decision was almost universally expected by market observers as the Federal Reserve weighs data that could be pushing the U.S. toward a rece

NRMLA supports Hawaii bill seeking state-run reverse mortgage program

After taking the time to digest elements of a proposal from lawmakers in Hawaii, the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA) has expressed support for a measure to establish a state-run Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program there.In a letter submitted by NRMLA to sponsor lawma

Mortgage industry veteran Tammy Richards takes on new role at Kind Lending

Chief operating officer Tammy Richards is taking on a new role at Kind Lending. Richards announced Tuesday on LinkedIn that she’s now the president of retail at Kind Lending, a move that comes a little less than a year after she joined the company.She had an association with Kind Lending before bein

Longbridge appoints new head of credit policy, underwriting and QC

Financial services veteran Patrick Halonen has joined reverse mortgage lender and servicer Longbridge Financial as the company’s new head of credit policy, underwriting and quality control.“With over 25 years of expertise in the financial services industry, Halonen’s appointment underscores Longbrid