Lenders urged to solve business problems before adopting AI

Mortgage lenders that adopt artificial intelligence should focus first on the business problems they’re trying to solve rather than chasing the latest technology, according to panelists who spoke Tuesday at HousingWire’s AI Summit. Amanda Tucker, chief risk and compliance officer at Atlantic Bay Mor

‘Sounds like competition to me’: Sizing up Google’s real estate play at the AI Summit

The traditional path to homeownership — from portal search to real estate agent to loan officer — is being rapidly rewired by artificial intelligence (AI), and the industry’s biggest players want to be first through the new front door. That was the central theme of a packed session Tuesday at Housin

After the Beazer agreement, can Dream Finders reach top 5?

Now that Dream Finders and Beazer have reached an agreement, Dream Finders can now look further ahead. Soon after the closing, Dream Finders will find itself nearing a position as one of the five largest builders. Also, it will have restructured Beazer’s land holdings, utilizing Dream Finders’ asset

Why late payments are stalling construction projects, and how to break the cycle

Seventy percent of general contractors and subcontractors consistently face late payments, costing the construction industry nearly 300 billion dollars last year. In today’s economy, GCs and subcontractors are already working on incredibly thin margins. Without cash coming in when planned, there is

Waiting until fall won’t make homes more affordable, but here’s what will

In the last six years, the typical American home started requiring a much higher salary. Today, according to the Housing Studies’ 2026 State of the Nation’s Housing report, a household needs an income of more than $120,000 to afford the payment on a median-priced home. In 2020, that number was just

Six keys to tuning up the $15 trillion mortgage servicing sector

I’m a mortgage servicer by trade, but also a music lover and guitar player. A guitar has twelve notes, and from this comes every song, every genre, every hit ever written. Servicing works the same way. The structure is fixed – loan, customer, property – but what you can now build on top of it with A

Splitero expands home equity investment offering to four new states

Splitero, a financial technology company that aims to help homeowners access their home equity without taking on additional debt, has expanded to Idaho, Missouri, Montana and Wyoming. “Our latest expansion allows us to help more homeowners access the equity in their homes to better their lives witho

CCM to issue $500M in senior notes as Two Harbors deal nears closing

CrossCountry Intermediate Holdco (CCM) is expected to issue $500 million of senior unsecured notes, coinciding with the projected August closing of its Two Harbors Investment Corp. acquisition. Fitch Ratings said it expects to rate the issuance at ‘BB-(EXP)’, ranking pari passu with existing senior

After scaling Real and eXp, Erinn Nobel wants to build a brokerage with intention

After years of honing the craft of brokerage growth and development at firms like The Real Brokerage and eXp Realty, Erinn and Peter Nobel decided to use their skills to found and launch ENRG. Realty in January 2024.  After starting her real estate career in 1999 as an agent at a boutique brokerage

Consumer groups warn CFPB rollback of mortgage rules could expose borrowers

A coalition of consumer and housing advocacy organizations is urging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to preserve key mortgage borrower protections, warning that proposed changes to federal lending rules could leave consumers vulnerable to predatory practices and unaffordable loans. T

UWM faces law firm fraud probe, analyst stock price cuts after Q2 loss, Oaktree deal  

UWM Holdings Corp. is facing a securities fraud investigation and fresh cuts on Wall Street after reporting a loss for the second quarter and a $2.05 billion capital raise. UWM reported that a hedge established around its attempted acquisition of Two Harbors Investment Corp.’s mortgage servicing rig

UWM sues Two Harbors over failed merger deal, seeks to recover more than $500M

United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) filed a lawsuit on Monday that accuses Two Harbors Investment Corp. (TWO) of willfully breaching its merger agreement and committing fraud while pursuing a competing deal with CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM). UWM alleges TWO’s leadership deliberately undermined the stockh

KBW labels Ellington, Longbridge as outperformers after robust Q2 earnings report

Following a strong second-quarter earnings report, analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW) released a positive forecast for Ellington Financial and its reverse mortgage subsidiary, Longbridge Financial. In a note to investors published over the weekend, KBW said that it was “moderately raising” it

The pressure that reveals who you really are

I don’t know about you, but I seem to face my biggest demons head-on in the midst of a long run on the back farm roads of my little town in Tennessee. There is this constant push and pull throughout my six-plus miles on a Sunday morning where, in one thought, I’m praising myself, feeling like my fee

As America turns 250, let’s renew the promise of home 

As Americans celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday, we’re reflecting on the promises that have defined our country. Few are more fundamental than the opportunity to build a stable life. Yet for millions of Americans, that opportunity remains out of reach because they cannot find or afford a safe pla

Mortgage spreads keeping housing demand intact for now 

Mortgage spreads are once again playing our friendly neighborhood housing hero by keeping mortgage rates under 7% in a crazy, hectic year. This has allowed housing to stay intact, sales-wise. While sales in our weekly tracker data have slowed down, as they typically do once mortgage rates get above

Will the negative jobs report hold off a September rate hike?

The Fed hawks must feel very awkward today. Before the July Fed meeting, Fed Governor Chris Waller said that if the July CPI report came in hot, a July rate hike would be on the table. Since that day, CPI inflation came in as a big miss, PPI inflation came in as a big miss, and today the jobs number

Trump reportedly renews bid to oust Fed Gov. Lisa Cook

President Donald Trump is reportedly moving forward with a renewed attempt to remove Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook over mortgage fraud allegations.  The White House this week sent Cook a letter stating the president is “considering” removing her and demanding she respond to the allegations within t

UWM downgraded by Fitch after Q2 loss, Oaktree deal

Fitch Ratings downgraded the long-term issuer default ratings of United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) to B+ from BB-, citing a sharp increase in leverage driven by second-quarter losses and higher borrowings. UWM’s ratings outlook is stable, Fitch said. UWM’s corporate leverage, measured as gross nonfund

REMAX, Keller Williams win final approval of Batton 1 settlement

REMAX and Keller Williams have received final approval of their homebuyer commission lawsuit settlement agreements in the Batton 1 lawsuit.  Judge LaShonda Hunt, who is overseeing both of the Batton lawsuits, granted final approval to both settlements this week after a fairness hearing on Tuesday.