Rep. Swalwell drops privacy lawsuit against FHFA’s Pulte

U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) has dropped a lawsuit that accused Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte of violating federal privacy laws. The parties agreed to the “dismissal of this action without prejudice, with each side bearing its own fees and costs,” according to court

Fidelity’s 2026 retirement study shows shift to gig work, delayed retirement amid inflation

Rising costs of living and debt are pushing many Americans to rethink retirement as a flexible, phased transition, with 72% now expecting to retire on their own terms, according to Fidelity Investments’ 2026 State of Retirement Planning Study. The study, released last week and conducted annually sin

Luxury housing’s resilience: Why the top of the market is moving on a different cycle

The luxury housing market is showing a different kind of resilience than the broader housing sector, according to insights from The Trend Report 2026. While rising mortgage rates and affordability pressures have slowed activity across much of the market, the top tier continues to move under a distin

How declined loan analysis can turn more mortgage “no’s” into closings

Every mortgage lender knows that declined loans represent marketing spend, staff time and operational resources that never convert into funded loans or revenue. Those losses add up quickly in a margin-sensitive environment. In Q3 2025, independent mortgage banks (IMBs) and mortgage subsidiaries of c

Arizona housing reform push would curb HOA, design mandates

After failing to turn starter-home legislation into law, Arizona lawmakers are advancing two bills that would curb local control over design standards, homeowners associations and contractor licensing – a renewed attempt to chip away at costs amid the state’s housing shortage. Lawmakers are close to

Housing demand still growing as mortgage rates reach inflection point

Despite higher oil and gas prices, higher mortgage rates and no indication that the conflict in Iran is ending, existing home sales still posted another positive week. However, with every week that goes by with mortgage rates above 6.25% and heading higher, it gets harder to maintain that growth, an

Why these round homes are resilient to hurricanes

Deltec Homes, an Asheville, North Carolina-based builder of prefabricated, round houses, says its designs can withstand the extreme wind loads associated with a Category 5 hurricane. CEO Meg Gore said the company’s circular footprint and roof system reduce pressure points that can lead to structural

The housing blind spot: Why the Senate’s housing bill is a start, not a solution

The passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act felt like a rare event in Washington: genuine, overwhelming bipartisanship. In a political climate defined by caustic friction, an 89-10 vote in the Senate isn’t a legislative victory; it is a confession. It is an admission by both parties that hou

What a visit to NAR revealed about leadership change

I’ll be honest with you — I’m not always the most charitable voice when it comes to the National Association of Realtors. Those of you who follow me know I say what’s on my mind, and for a while, my mind hasn’t been particularly generous toward NAR leadership. So, when I received an invitation to vi

Built-for-rent multifamily starts jump 18% in Q4 2025

Built-for-rent multifamily construction surged at the end of 2025, extending the cycle’s heavy tilt toward rentals and keeping average apartment sizes below pre-Great Recession levels, according to a National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) analysis of Census Bureau data. NAHB Chief Economist Ro

Mortgage rates are breaking higher — and things can get worse with Iran conflict

The Iran conflict finally pushed the 10-year yield above a key level on Friday morning and if this move sticks and the conflict escalates further, mortgage rates are at risk of heading much higher during the spring season, something that wasn’t the case even a few weeks ago. Even some doves at the F

Judge denies NWMLS bid to dismiss Compass antitrust suit

Compass’s antitrust lawsuit against Northwest MLS (NWMLS) is that much closer to heading to court.  On Thursday, Judge Jamal Whitehead of U.S. District Court in Seattle denied NWMLS’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit for failure to state a claim. Originally filed in late April 2025, the lawsuit centers

Ex-employees accuse Stockton Mortgage of accessing personal email accounts

Two former loan officers have sued Stockton Mortgage Corp., alleging the company illegally accessed their personal email accounts and used private messages in separate litigation against them. Christopher Hoehn and Ashley Hoehn filed the complaint on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Nort

FinCEN anti-money laundering rule struck down in court

A federal judge in Texas has vacated the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s (FinCEN) nationwide anti-money laundering rule requiring title insurance companies to report details of millions of residential real estate transactions. U.S. District Judge Jeremy Kernodle of the Eastern District of Tex

Austin housing reforms could influence Michigan legislation

Michigan housing advocates are pointing to Austin, Texas, as they try to build support for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “grand bargain” housing affordability agenda in the state Legislature. Advocates say a multi-year set of zoning, permitting and code reforms in Austin helped drive a surge in homebuildi

Why policy looks different from the business side — And why advocacy is strategy

If you work in mortgage banking long enough, you learn to watch the signals. Rates move.Consumers react.The agencies adjust.And the industry pivots. We watch these indicators because they tell us where the market is going. But there’s one signal the industry often overlooks — and ironically, it migh

Lower rates aren’t enough: What mortgage lenders and servicers must do to set spring homebuyers up for long-term success

As the spring homebuying season approaches, mortgage lenders and servicers are watching closely for signs of a long‑awaited inflection point. Interest rates have begun to ease, buyer sentiment is improving, and some sidelined demand is cautiously reentering the market. Lower rates will matter. But t

January new home sales fall 17.6%, weather and rates in focus

After seeing an uptick in sales last year, the nationwide new home market experienced a sharp drop in new home sales activity in January, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s New Residential Sales report released on Thursday. Economists say that this could be a momentary drop due to extreme weather

How policy uncertainty is reshaping senior retirement plans

Growing uncertainty over Social Security, Medicare and fiscal policy has left many older Americans more concerned about their financial futures — with some delaying retirement and shifting to more conservative investment strategies. Findings from a new survey analysis by the Center for Retirement Re

BFS CEO Jackson maps a bigger role in homebuilding workflows

Builders FirstSource‘s decade-long strategic jag has expanded the construction giant beyond its traditional role as a building materials supplier, pitching itself as a full-service partner that can support homebuilders with planning, procurement, delivery, installation and digital project management