Stellar MLS transitions CEO role from Merri Jo Cowen to Shayne Fairley

After more than 17 years at the helm, MLS industry veteran and 2025 HousingWire Woman of Influence Merri Jo Cowen has officially stepped down from her role as the CEO of Florida’s Stellar MLS, according to an announcement on Tuesday. She is being replaced by Shayne Fairley.  Stellar MLS had previous

Connecticut bill targets private real estate listings

Lawmakers in Connecticut have joined other state legislators in seeking to establish a process to ensure public marketing of certain real estate listings.  Connecticut legislators introduced Senate Bill 340 last week, sponsored by the Insurance and Real Estate Committee, which is a bipartisan commit

Rhode Island housing package targets zoning, parking and SROs

Rhode Island, like other states nationwide, is grappling with a housing affordability crisis.​ State lawmakers are now on their sixth legislative package to strengthen efforts to improve housing affordability. This time, the package includes reviving boarding houses and co-living. Like California, F

Will war with Iran send mortgage rates higher or lower?

Spring is right around the corner and mortgage rates are already under 6%, but now we have a new variable: war with Iran. Now the question is whether the conflict in Iran will send rates lower or higher before the seasonal push in housing comes.  Last week was already interesting as the 10-year yiel

loanDepot executive Alex Madonna departs, starts Trust One Financial

Just months after loanDepot‘s Alex Madonna was named to a new role to focus on emerging technology, artificial intelligence and modern sales structures, it was announced that he’s departing the company. Madonna, who was most recently loanDepot’s executive vice president of direct lending and spent 1

New Jersey reverse mortgage counseling bill would have ‘chilling effect’ on senior home equity use, NRMLA says

The National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA) this week sent a letter to a New Jersey lawmaker, stating its opposition to a legislative proposal tied to reverse mortgage counseling requirements in the Garden State. The letter is addressed to state Sen. Shirley Turner (D), the sponsor of

Tavant agentic AI portal connects lenders, real estate agents, borrowers

At the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Servicing Solutions Conference & Expo 2026 in Dallas, Tavant unveiled its TOUCHLESS Servicing Portal and embedded artificial intelligence (AI) agent MAYA — expanding its platform beyond loan origination and into post-close servicing. The new portal unifies appli

Millrose outperforms with disciplined growth, strong partnerships

Now one for the books, the 2025 homebuilding market slowed in new construction, resulting in contract cancellations and reduced takedown activity. Millrose Properties, whose epic scale and timing launched a new era in land banking and asset-light homebuilding development in early 2025, bucked that t

Capital One joins BPC housing affordability council

The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) has added Capital One to its Executive Council for Housing Affordability, a group of private-sector leaders focused on expanding access to affordable housing. Gina Metrakas, vice president and head of federal advocacy at Capital One, will represent the company on t

Mortgage rates fall to multiyear lows in time for spring housing market

Mortgage rates are at multiyear lows, whether you quote Mortgage News Daily at 5.99% or Freddie Mac weekly data at 5.98%. The drop has come at a good time, as the spring housing market is about to start, with more Americans looking to sell their homes and buy another. First-time homebuyers are looki

RealTrends Verified brokerage Rogers Healy and Associates merges with Compass

RealTrends Verified Dallas brokerage Rogers Healy and Associates (RHA) has merged with Compass, marking the end of an era for one of North Texas’ best-known independent brokerages and the start of a new chapter under the nation’s largest real estate brand. Founder and CEO Rogers Healy announced the

AD Mortgage launches its largest non-QM securitization yet

AD Mortgage, a provider of non-QM and residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), announced on Friday the successful launch of a $602.7 securitization deal, its largest to date. The transaction, which follows the company’s first deal of the year, a $567.42 million transaction, marks AD’s 30th sec

AD Mortgage research shows minor FICO improvements can ease homebuying costs

Improving a credit score could save homebuyers tens of thousands of dollars in mortgage interest, according to a new nationwide study from AD Mortgage, released on Thursday. The analysis, Credit Score vs. Mortgage Cost: How Long It Takes to Improve and How Much It Can Save, State by State, shows tha

New president at the helm at Sotheby’s Canada

Sotheby’s International Realty Canada has appointed Mustafa Abbasi as president, naming a technology-focused executive to lead the luxury brokerage’s next phase of growth. Previously serving as founding president of Zolo, Abbasi built a technology-driven brokerage operating across Canada. Following

Rocket Pro doubles broker credits with Compass deal, unveils ‘Jupiter’ LOS

Rocket Pro, the wholesale lending arm of Rocket Mortgage, announced a partnership with Compass to offer additional credits to brokers. It also unveiled a new loan origination system during its Ignite26 event on Thursday. Under a new program called Pro Purchase Power, brokers will receive 40 basis po

Rocket grows revenue to $6.7B, expands market share in 2025

Rocket Companies Inc. wrapped up 2025 with higher revenues and growing mortgage activity, the company reported Thursday in its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 earnings report. For the full year, Rocket reported total revenue of $6.7 billion and a GAAP net loss of $234 million, or $0.05 per diluted

Compass Coming Soon listings to appear on Redfin

Compass International Holdings (CIH), the parent company of real estate brokerage Compass, is teaming up with Rocket Companies and Redfin to display its Compass Coming Soon listings for Redfin’s 60 million monthly unique visitors to see.  CIH and Rocket announced the partnership Thursday afternoon.

Hovnanian recalibrates amid a shift to a higher-margin mix

Last quarter, Hovnanian Enterprises posted weak results, reporting a net loss that sent its stock (HOV) price crashing. Three months later, the company appears to have bounced back as it executes a strategic shift, but warning signs persist.  Hovnanian Enterprises, the parent company of K. Hovnanian

From IPO spark to global scale pivot: Tri Pointe enters a new power axis

Thirteen years ago, on a rain-slick January morning in lower Manhattan, a three-and-a-half-year-old homebuilder’s president pressed and held the New York Stock Exchange bell for a full count of ten. TRI Pointe Homes’ January 31, 2013 IPO wasn’t simply a liquidity event. It was a strategic and capita

eXp World Holdings seeks reincorporation from Delaware to Texas

eXp World Holdings, the parent company of eXp Realty, is looking to move to the Lone Star State. The firm’s founder and CEO Glenn Sanford disclosed news of the proposed move in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday.  The filing included a letter from Sanford to comp