DOJ appoints lawyer who testified against NAR at Sitzer trial

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has a new principal deputy assistant attorney general, and he’ll be familiar to some real estate brokerage leaders (and NAR’s lawyers). The government announced the appointment of Roger Alford to this post earlier this month. Alford previously served as deputy assista

UWM takes on the Fannie and Freddie LLPAs

On April 1, 2022, the mortgage industry was on the wrong end of what felt like a very cruel April Fool’s joke. It was the day Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac instituted updated loan level pricing adjustments (LLPAs) that made second home and investor properties much more expensive.Nearly three years to t

Lenders react to the lowest mortgage rates of 2025

Wednesday’s executive order by President Donald Trump to place a tariff on all foreign imports was a follow-up on repeated promises to enact global reciprocal tariffs. The so-called “Liberation Day” activity will have an outsized impact on the direction of mortgage rates and the U.S. economy.Earlier

Brian Covey wants to build something big at CrossCountry Mortgage

Wednesday was a busy — and unusual — day for Brian Covey. He started it at Revolution Mortgage, where he’s been EVP of strategy and development since late 2022, and ended it at CrossCountry Mortgage.“What I’ve learned is, the most important thing is your vision and that your values align,” Covey sai

Bond yields fall after tariff news. Are mortgage rates next?

Liberation Day has finally arrived, and what a wild day it’s been! The bond market and stock futures rose when the initial discussions about the 10% tariffs hit the market. But the real game changer? Those anticipated reciprocal tariffs sent the 10-year yield plummeting from 4.23% to 4.11%, currentl

Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ imposes dramatic global tariff regime

President Donald Trump followed through on months of threats to enact global “reciprocal” tariffs Wednesday afternoon by announcing an executive order that places a tariff on all foreign imports.Under Trump’s new tariff structure, there will be a baseline tariff of 10% on all imports, while many cou

Mat Ishbia’s unfiltered thoughts on the Rocket-Mr. Cooper deal

What does UWM’s Mat Ishbia think about Rocket Companies‘ pending $9.4 billion deal for Mr. Cooper?“The truth is, it’s fantastic,” he said on a Wednesday morning sales call with broker partners. “Because sometimes if you think someone is someone, and you don’t really know, and then you see who they r

Luxury Presence releases hub for off-market home sales

Luxury Presence has introduced Private Listings Hub, an invitation-only platform designed to help real estate agents promote off-market and pre-market listings with greater control and discretion.The platform allows agents to decide how and when to share listings, from limiting visibility to their b

FOA promotes Jonathan Scarpati to chief production officer

Top-five reverse mortgage industry lender Finance of America (FOA) announced on Wednesday that it has promoted Jonathan Scarpati to the role of chief production officer. Scarpati previously served as the company’s senior vice president of wholesale lending.Scarpati has served at FOA since 2010 in va

Mutual of Omaha hires Tracy Milligan for proprietary product rollout

On the heels of launching a new proprietary reverse mortgage product, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage has announced the hiring of reverse mortgage industry veteran Tracy Milligan to serve as its director of strategic initiatives.Milligan’s reverse mortgage industry experience goes back to the early 2000s,

Fathom introduces ‘Elevate’ agent program with 20% commission split

Fathom Holdings Inc. has introduced “Elevate,” a new program aimed at increasing real estate agent productivity through marketing, lead generation, transaction support and coaching.The initiative, available to all Fathom Realty agents, includes a 20% commission split and offers services designed to

How a housing nonprofit survives the age of DOGE

Amid economic uncertainty and changing federal ideology, NeighborWorks America remains a crucial force in homeownership education, affordable housing development and financial literacy, supporting thousands of Americans in their journey.“Essentially, we are an intermediary,” said Doug Robinson, head

NTREIS appoints Chris Carrillo as CEO

North Texas Real Estate Information Systems, Inc. (NTREIS) has appointed Chris Carrillo as its next CEO, effective June 1. Carrillo, currently CEO of Metro MLS in Milwaukee, brings nearly three decades of experience in the real estate industry to his new position. “Throughout the selection process,

Mutual of Omaha launches proprietary reverse mortgage product

The current reverse mortgage industry market leader, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, announced on Tuesday that it has launched a new proprietary reverse mortgage product, with initial availability in California and Florida.The product line, known as SecureEquity, is available to homeowners as young as age

FMLS, Lone Wolf Technologies partner on transaction management

First Multiple Listing Service (FMLS) has signed a five-year agreement with Lone Wolf Technologies to provide transaction management tools to its more than 60,000 members, the organizations announced Tuesday.As part of the partnership, FMLS members will have access to Lone Wolf’s transaction managem

Homebuyer sues eXp, accusing agent of breaching fiduciary duty

Michael Ammann is back with another lawsuit against eXp Realty and parent company eXp World Holdings. Ammann filed his first suit against eXp in December 2024. He accused the firm — along with executives Glenn Sanford, Leo Pareja, Patrick O’Neill and James Bramble, as well as eXp agent Megan Feather

Alt home equity product from RMF alum expands into new states

An alternative home equity-tapping product backed by former executives from a reverse mortgage lender has been rolled out to several additional states, following an earlier move that secured hundreds of millions of dollars in financing.Cornerstone Financing, a venture co-founded by former Reverse Mo

Must-see TV: What to know about Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariff show

Donald Trump reportedly wanted his first term as president to be a television show where every day was an episode where he “vanquished his enemies.” If that’s how he views his second term, then April 2 is must-see TV.Wednesday is when Trump says he’ll implement sweeping import tariffs that could imp

Baby boomers overtake Millennials in buying the most houses

Baby boomers have overtaken millennials as the largest share of homebuyers, making up 42% of all purchases in the past year, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Millennials, who previously led home-buying trends, now account for 29%, down from 38% the previous year

Seattle’s housing shortage exposes a familiar gulf between state, local leaders

Large metro areas across the U.S. are seemingly facing the same obstacle — a shortage of housing inventory that is clashing with rising population levels, which serves to push the cost of living beyond reasonable levels of affordability for many. One area that’s representative of this dynamic is Sea