AI adoption in mortgage servicing is accelerating, BlackWolf says

A new white paper from BlackWolf Advisory Group says adoption of artificial intelligence in mortgage servicing is accelerating as firms seek to reduce costs, improve compliance and automate routine tasks. While the paper says servicers are ready and actively adopting AI, regulatory scrutiny and lega

CFPB prioritizes Reg X, GSE streamline refis as LO Comp hopes fade 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) could finalize changes to its Regulation X servicing rules while creating a regulatory pathway for streamlined refinances through the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) by the end of this year, mortgage industry sources told HousingWire.Meanwhile,

Why housing construction can’t grow at current demand levels

The U.S. has too much supply of single-family homes and not enough demand. But why can’t housing starts grow when the White House says we are 10 million homes short?I go back to the 1984 movie “Ghostbusters” and this quote from from Dan Aykroyd’s character: “Personally, I liked the university. They

Smaller mortgage vendors face squeeze from lenders, regulators

Mortgage vendors are entering a new phase of consolidation as they respond to rising regulatory and cybersecurity pressures, according to a white paper released this week by investment banking firm Houlihan Lokey. Scale is also becoming a decisive advantage for companies that sell mortgage technolog

Toll Brothers lifts 2026 delivery outlook as luxury demand holds

The late, legendary Bob Toll once laid bare the fact that he was personally incapable of installing a curtain rod in a living room, let alone knowing the first thing about building a home from the ground up. What Bob did intuit was that the second-floor walls of a typical 1960s two-story home could

Why agents will ignore your expensive AI tool — and how to fix it

For many real estate brokers, the dream of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered efficiency has crashed against a hard reality; agents are reluctant to use tools that force them to change habits. Tyler Morton — broker-owner of REMAX Victory + Affiliates in Beavercreek, Ohio — learned this lesson the

HUD urges states to cut fees, simplify codes and fast-track permits 

On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released a detailed deregulation roadmap aimed at state and local governments that, it argues, could lower per-unit costs and shorten cycle times for homebuilders. HUD’s new “State and Local Best Practices for Home Construction

Land leases, ARM buydowns emerge as lending options while mortgage rates stay elevated

Mortgage lenders are getting creative to combat the housing affordability crisis fueled by rising interest rates, rolling out novel products and blending existing options to keep borrowers in the market. Bayview Asset Management — which closed its acquisition of Guild Mortgage in November — rolled o

ROAD wins House nod, carving BTR out from institutional investor ban

The build-to-rent (BTR) industry, which has been under siege from legislative uncertainty since March, just got a modicum of welcome news.  On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an amended version of the U.S. Senate’s 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act by a margin of 396 to 13 that re

“Humans over houses”: Charis Moreno on why industry noise shouldn’t distract agents from what matters

As part of HousingWire’s Editor’s Choice awards spotlight series, we’re spotlighting past Women of Influence honorees whose careers, leadership and insights continue to influence the industry. This series offers a closer look at the experiences and decisions that have shaped their paths. HousingWire

The return of ‘legacy gold’: CENTURY 21 Real Estate embraces its iconic past while betting on Compass tech

For decades, the iconic gold blazer was synonymous with the CENTURY 21 Real Estate brand. From appearances in television shows like Gilmore Girls to movies like WarGames and the 1984 Ghostbusters film, the gold blazer was a hallmark of the real estate industry and a marketing calling card for real l

Lenders wrestle with the nuances of modern credit score pricing

Mortgage lenders are currently wrestling with a high-stakes puzzle: how to accurately compare the new credit score models hitting the market. The differences are significant and carry major implications for risk assessment, loan pricing and secondary market returns. In late April, the Federal Housin

Industry coalition lauds adoption of home equity investment regulations in Illinois

Regulators in Illinois have approved what a group of home equity investment (HEI) providers calls the most comprehensive state regulatory framework to date for shared equity products, a fast-growing alternative to traditional home equity loans and reverse mortgages. The rule was adopted under the Il

MortgageOne TPO integrates with ARIVE, launches Pathway CDFI

MortgageOne TPO, a wholesale mortgage lender and Department of the Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), has integrated with the ARIVE platform and launched Pathway, a flagship CDFI loan program aimed at borrowers underserved by traditional mortgage guidelines, the c

The guardrails that decide the outcome of a brokerage sale

For many real estate brokerage owners, selling the business is not just a transaction. It’s the result of years spent building a company, recruiting real estate agents, serving clients, carrying risk, managing payroll, protecting your brand and pushing through market cycles that weren’t always easy.

Owning the first click: How digital brand ownership shapes visibility and lead generation

The home search now starts online, but many real estate and housing professionals still do not fully own their own digital presence. Instead, they often rely only on brokerage-provided pages or third-party portals to represent their business online. While relying on these pages alone may seem easy a

The land-light multiplier: Infrastructure finance can amplify the Land Banking Model

The land-light model has fundamentally reshaped the homebuilding industry. What began as a post-Great Recession correction has become a structural shift in how builders capitalize their businesses. Today, builders of every size, ranging from the top-ten publics to regional privates, are using land a

Escrow audit readiness: A checklist for title agencies

We’re guessing that escrow audits aren’t necessarily your favorite part of the job. The reality is that they’re unavoidable. And when title agencies find themselves scrambling, it’s usually because reconciliation and documentation have fallen behind. The good news is that escrow audit readiness does

DRB Group and Sumitomo Forestry mark a 10-year arc of growth

“Top-five-ranked U.S. homebuilding companies don’t happen overnight. Except when they do. These two lines almost wrote themselves in early 2024 when Sekisui House skyrocketed into the top tier of U.S. homebuilding with its $4.9 billion acquisition of MDC Holdings.  Sumitomo Forestry’s announced $4.5

Kevelyn Guzman on leadership, growth and navigating change

As part of HousingWire’s Editor’s Choice awards spotlight series, we’re spotlighting past Women of Influence honorees whose careers, leadership and insights continue to influence the industry. This series offers a closer look at the experiences and decisions that have shaped their paths. In this fea