SoFi rolls out end-to-end digital HELOC experience, advisory council

SoFi Technologies this week unveiled a new fully digital home equity line of credit (HELOC) experience, expanding its push into mortgages as more homeowners choose to tap equity rather than move. The company said the new HELOC offering will allow members to access home equity through an end-to-end d

Powell is done. Will Warsh help with mortgage rates?

Jerome Powell’s tenure as Federal Reserve chair is coming to an end as the Department of Justice (DOJ) has ended its investigation of alleged cost overruns on the Fed headquarters’ renovations. This paves the way for Kevin Warsh to head the Fed — maybe as soon as May. The timing couldn’t be more per

Coldwell Banker: ‘Life doesn’t stop’ as comeback buyers return

More than three years after mortgage rates began their climb from historic lows, a subtle but significant housing market shift is underway. Homeowners are finally letting go of sub-5% rates, “comeback buyers” are re-entering the search and regional markets are moving in opposite directions — all sha

Loan officers are going to Washington

For a hundred years, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has moved mortgage policy in Washington. Last Wednesday, it brought 50 loan officers with it.  Loan officers are going to Washington. For a hundred years, that sentence had not been true. For a hundred years, the MBA has been the mortgage i

When standard DSCR falls short: What real estate investors should know about no-ratio financing

More investor deals are getting harder to finance cleanly on standard DSCR, not always because the investment is weak, but because current rents do not tell the whole story. That pressure is showing up in the numbers. ATTOM’s March 2026 Single-Family Rental Market Report found that potential rental

Inventory rises as pricing lags in the spring housing market

The spring housing market is doing what it typically does this time of year: inventory is rising and new listings are coming online at a faster pace. But pricing has not moved with it. That timing gap is becoming one of the most important signals for housing professionals right now. This builds on l

Lawmakers target retirement gaps facing family caregivers

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is advancing multiple pieces of legislation designed to strengthen retirement savings options for millions of unpaid family caregivers. Two companion bills introduced in the House and Senate would modify retirement account rules to better reflect the realities caregiv

Beazer Homes CEO Allan Merrill on sustainability and affordability

Success in business is rarely a solo act. Great careers are often shaped by great mentors, and exceptional teams make for exceptional companies.  Allan Merrill, Chairman, President and CEO of Beazer Homes, attests to both truisms. Under Merrill’s leadership, Beazer Homes has become a leader in deliv

How fraud gets stopped in its tracks by real estate and title pros

Real estate fraud has evolved rapidly, and professionals across the industry already recognize that today’s schemes are more complex and convincing than ever. What has changed most is the scale — driven by artificial intelligence (AI) that can generate realistic emails, cloned voices and even live d

FSBO.com launches loan officer portal for consumer-directed listings

FSBO.com on Wednesday announced the launch of a new loan officer portal designed to integrate mortgage professionals earlier into the for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) home selling process, as the company looks to create a more structured and collaborative transaction model. The platform allows loan officers

Mortgage industry welcomes new credit score models, urges further reform

The majority of mortgage industry trade groups and professionals reacted in a supportive but pragmatic way following an announcement from federal housing agencies that detailed moves to modernize mortgage underwriting by introducing newer credit scoring models. They largely welcomed the shift while

FHFA, HUD move to bring new credit score models into mortgages

Federal agencies on Wednesday took steps to bring newer credit scoring models into the mortgage underwriting process, marking a significant shift in how borrower risk is evaluated. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner announced the adoption of FICO 10T and Va

Support grows for Whitmer housing zoning reform bills in Michigan

Michigan lawmakers returned from spring recess with housing affordability clearly in their sights. A bipartisan group shepherding a package of bills this week picked up strong support from a coalition of housing advocates and business groups, including the Home Builders Association of Michigan. That

AI isn’t to blame for the housing crisis 

After years of serving as a convenient political target, artificial intelligence is entering a new phase of the debate: one shaped not only by state and local experimentation, but also by a more assertive federal posture. A recent Executive Order on AI directed the Justice Department to create a Lit

Opinion: FICO, the 3Bs: Fruit from a rotten tree. Here’s how we fix It.

In November 2025, Equifax published a statement making the case that FICO is the villain in the mortgage credit cost story. It was just one more shot across the bow from the 3Bs at FICO; a battle we’ve been watching play out in real time for years. The numbers don’t lie: FICO’s per-score price has g

Toll Brothers expands luxury footprint with Buffington acquisition

The market reaction to homebuilder earnings this spring has carried a clear message: scale, discipline, and positioning still matter­. Where you choose to deploy them may matter even more. On Tuesday, Toll Brothers signaled its next move in that equation by announcing a deal to acquire substantially

D.R. Horton executed again, and smaller builders feel the squeeze

D.R. Horton’s stock arc mapped a familiar story Tuesday. Of investor recognition. Of the power and primacy of no financial or operational surprises to the negative. Shares traded modestly higher on elevated volume following the company’s fiscal Q2 earnings release this morning, as investors processe

Why AI is still a subpar real estate agent replacement

I recently got a question from Real Estate Writer Michele Lerner for Florida Realtor magazine that cut right to the chase of this technological moment: Can AI replace real estate agents?⁣ Here’s my answer: Not yet. And maybe not ever, but not because I’m anti-tech. Quite the opposite. I’m an early a

What Artemis II can teach every real estate agent about building a career that goes the distance

On April 6, 2026, four astronauts aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission did something no human being had ever done in the history of our species. They traveled 252,756 miles from Earth, shattering a record that had stood since 1970, when the crew of Apollo 13 was pushed to that distance not by triumph, b

Busy isn’t productive: How top real estate agents should actually allocate their time

For years, real estate rewarded one thing above all else: activity. More calls. More showings. More emails. More hours. The assumption was simple: if you stay busy enough, the results will follow. But that equation is starting to break. Clients are more informed. Deals take longer. Expectations are