FBI: Cybercrime losses topped $20.8B in 2025, real estate fraud hit $275M

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 1,008,597 complaints of cyber-enabled crime in 2025, with reported losses surpassing $20.8 billion — a 26% increase from the previous year. Real estate fraud alone accounted for 12,368 complaints and $275.1 million in losses, showing a continu

Texas builder breaks ground on first community with Japanese firm

Amid the growing presence of Japanese capital in American homebuilding, Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Properties Corp. (HHP), a leading Japanese developer, recently expanded its operations in the United States via a joint venture with Dallas-based Bridge Tower Homes. The two parties announced a joint v

Unison faces more legal trouble over allegedly deceptive home equity agreements

A newly filed class-action lawsuit accuses home equity investment (HEI) company Unison of misleading homeowners and structuring its products in ways that leave customers with far less equity than expected. The complaint, filed April 6 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado by plaint

Virginia cities gain new tools to increase affordable housing supply

For Virginia state Sen. Jeremy McPike, the third attempt was the charm for a bill that lets municipalities rezone to encourage affordable housing. It just took a new governor. Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed into law this week a measure giving every city and county in Virginia the authority to adopt

Why the hiring rate matters more than unemployment for the housing market

After painful delays following last fall’s government shutdown, labor market data is finally back on a consistent pace. Last week we filled in hiring, quits and layoffs from the BLS JOLTS report for February, plus unemployment numbers for March and the latest initial claims for the first week of Apr

Top Century 21 firm expands into Michigan

Century 21 Circle — ranked among Century 21’s top 10 companies globally — has entered the Michigan market by bringing on the Sparta-based Kelley Real Estate Group. Company leaders said the move reflects trends across Midwest markets surrounding Lake Michigan, where relocation patterns, second homebu

NAR settles Tuccori homebuyer commission case for $52.25M

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) agreed to a proposed settlement that would resolve nationwide homebuyer commission lawsuit claims in the Tuccori homebuyer lawsuit. The agreement, announced Friday and subject to court approval, is structured as an opt-in component of the Tuccori master set

New American Funding adds One Goal Mortgage to grow Nebraska, Iowa footprint

New American Funding (NAF) expanded its Midwest footprint with the launch of One Goal Mortgage powered by NAF, a new branch serving the Omaha, Nebraska, metro area and southwest Iowa, the company announced this week. The move gives the California-based independent mortgage lender its first physical

When it comes to pre-marketing strategies, how are Compass, eXp and Zillow different?

With more companies signing on to pre-marketing platforms, it appears that the new trend of pre-marketing listings is here to stay, at least for the moment. While the notion of a coming soon listing is nothing new, with numerous MLSs across the country offering some variation of this status, more an

Human expertise in an AI world: Why partnership still wins

The conversation around artificial intelligence has largely defaulted to one of two extremes: AI as an existential threat to human work, or AI as a magic button that solves every operational problem automatically. In practice, neither framing holds up. The organizations gaining the most ground right

Virginia YIGBY bill puts Spanberger housing agenda on the line

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has until Monday to sign or veto legislation that would make her state one of the few that allow faith-based organizations to build affordable housing on their properties by overriding local zoning limits. Spanberger faces pressure from local governments and a small

PAM appraisal platform targets AMC fees, seeks to give lenders more control

A new appraisal management platform is aiming to upend the traditional role of appraisal management companies (AMCs) by allowing mortgage lenders to oversee the process internally while maintaining regulatory compliance. The platform, known as PAM, or Private Asset & Management Group LLC, is designe

Lower’s John Berkowitz on building lead generation certainty with Movoto Advantage

After being acquired by mortgage lender Lower in May 2025, executives at real estate listing portal Movoto said they hoped to use Lower’s network to connect more consumers with top local real estate agents and mortgage professionals. This vision — which was first explained to HousingWire by John Ber

New Cheval Holdings acquires Surge, appoints Jimmy Gillespie as CEO

Surge, a partner intelligence platform for wholesale mortgage lenders, has been acquired by New Cheval Holdings as the wholesale channel faces tighter scrutiny on broker oversight and market share pressure from retail and direct-to-consumer lenders. The transaction brings dedicated ownership and ins

loanDepot, Figure team up on streamlined home loan and equity products

loanDepot announced Thursday that it has formed a strategic partnership with Figure Technology Solutions to power a new “express-path” home loan product through loanDepot’s mello platform. Under the agreement, loanDepot will integrate Figure’s proprietary credit and loan underwriting engine into its

Remodeler confidence slips but remains positive, NAHB reports

On Thursday, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) released its NAHB/Westlake Royal Remodeling Market Index (RMI) for the first quarter of 2026. The index reading of 62 was down two points from the previous quarter but remains firmly in positive territory. The NAHB/Westlake Royal RMI asks

Proprietary reverse mortgage volume eclipses HECM production for the first time

New View Advisors this week released its Proprietary Reverse Mortgage Production Index for the first quarter of 2026, with the data showing that private-label loan products have grown to new heights. The quarterly index provides an estimated dollar volume for newly originated proprietary reverse mor

Judge denies eXp bid to dismiss fraud claims in sexual misconduct case

A federal judge has denied eXp Realty’s request to dismiss a fraud claim brought by four women who say the company lied about investigating their allegations of sexual assault by two former agents. U.S. District Court Judge André Birotte Jr. ruled this week that the fraudulent misrepresentation clai

Milwaukee’s Luvene Realty Group moves to Compass from Keller Williams

Luvene Realty Group, a nine-person real estate team led by Shauny Luvene, has moved to Compass from Keller Williams and will be based out of Compass’s Bayside office in the Milwaukee metro area, the company announced on Thursday. The move comes as Compass International Holdings executives focus on i

Why real estate investors are done waiting

Picture this: a real estate investor has spent months trying to source the perfect fix and flip deal. The numbers work, the timing is right, and they’re ready to move, now they just need a lender to take them across the finish line. They find a lender offering slightly lower rates, which is appealin