Exclusive: UMortgage rolls out flat-fee broker compensation model

UMortgage is rolling out a flat-fee broker model that waives certain charges for originators who close more than 50 loans per year, part of a broader push to more than quadruple its sales force to 1,000 loan officers by December. Under the structure, LOs earn 275 basis points per loan but pay a $995

PHH Mortgage bolsters AI-driven subservicing technology

PHH Mortgage Corp., a subsidiary of Onity Group and the parent of Liberty Reverse Mortgage, on Monday announced updates to its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered assistant for subservicing clients. PHH said the updates build on the tool’s original capabilities and “reflect PHH’s commitment to cont

Mutual of Omaha to sponsor reverse mortgage broker certification program

The National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) announced Tuesday that leading reverse lender Mutual of Omaha Mortgage is partnering with the trade group as the exclusive sponsor for a reverse mortgage specialist certification program. According to a press release from the companies, the sponsor

Fathom Realty appoints Stephanie Verderose as VP of growth

Fathom Realty, a subsidiary of Fathom Holdings, has appointed Stephanie Verderose as vice president of growth, a newly created role focused on agent production, attraction, retention and community development. Reporting directly to Lori Muller — who was appointed president of Fathom Realty last week

Massachusetts studies single-stair low-rise buildings to add supply

America’s quilt work of states whose governors and lawmakers are bucking for housing policy change to break through supply constraints at the root of the nation’s affordability crisis now counts Massachusetts among them. With a focus on prohibitively constrictive building codes and zoning ordinances

Exclusive: Mike Fawaz announces departure from Rocket Pro

Mike Fawaz said Monday that he’s departing Rocket Pro after roughly 15 years with the company and plans to announce his next steps in March. “After nearly 15 years, I have made the thoughtful decision to step away from Rocket,” Fawaz said in a statement given to HousingWire. “After significant refle

Home equity props up retirees as savings fall short

More than one-third of working-age Americans lack access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan, and those who do have median balances of just $40,000, according to a new study from the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS). The analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data from December 2022 pai

Fed vice chair pushes Basel regulatory shift to spur bank mortgage lending

Michelle Bowman, the Federal Reserve‘s vice chair for supervision, used a major industry forum to argue that Basel capital rules have helped to drive mortgage lending and servicing away from banks — and that it’s time to reconsider that approach. Addressing the American Bankers Association (ABA)’s 2

PropLogix launches FinCEN reporting service for title agents

PropLogix has launched a reporting service through the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), offering help for title agents to comply with new federal rules. The Department of the Treasury’s Residential Real Estate Reporting Rule mandates reporting on certain residential property purchases

High-producing St. Louis agent returns to Coldwell Banker

Real estate agent Kristin Sprague has rejoined Coldwell Banker Realty-Gundaker — returning to the brokerage where she began her career in 1995. Sprague has worked in the St. Louis metro area for more than 25 years. According to the most recent RealTrends Verified rankings, she remains among the most

Beazer Homes’ key differentiator? Sustainability and innovation

Like it or not, for consumers in today’s market for a newly built home – especially younger, more price- and interest-rate sensitive ones – a home builder is a homebuilder is a homebuilder. Product, price, and location may reveal nuanced differences, and offer a finite toolbox of motivators – i.e. i

AI powers land and lot search and zoning feasibility. Here’s how

“We have seen enormous innovation across residential and commercial real estate over the last decade, and it has been exciting to be part of many of those success stories. But there is one area of the built environment that still feels materially underbuilt. Land. ….… In many ways, land feels like t

How off-market deals and investor demand are reshaping residential real estate

The real estate market is experiencing a once-in-a-generation disruption, driven by forces that are fundamentally reshaping the role of agents and brokers. Semi-private deal networks, a growing class of small investors, legal and regulatory shifts and intensifying competition among online portals ar

The loan originator’s biggest challenge in 2026

Mortgage lenders have been here before. It’s a cyclical business, and most of the executives who are running firms in this industry have been through a cycle or two. The industry experiences a downturn, during which rates rise, affordability falls, and borrowers back away from the market. Eventually

Stop marketing moments; start designing systems

Here’s something I’ve been turning over in my head as we grind our way into Spring Selling 2026 — one that feels especially relevant for homebuilders and every functional leader who’s trying to steer a business through a tougher, noisier, more skeptical market: If your marketing only works when ever

Housing demand snaps back as mortgage rates near 6%

With mortgage rates near 6% and the snow effect fading away, we got a rebound in the weekly housing demand last week. For me, this is more about the snow impact fading from the data line, as we also saw a pickup in new listings. Housing inventory picked up a smidge, and the year-over-year price cut

Q4 2025 earnings for publicly traded mortgage, real estate and homebuilder companies

HousingWire reports on the quarterly earnings of publicly traded mortgage, real estate and homebuilder companies, offering a glimpse into the financial performance of key players in the housing market. As earnings results begin to be released for the fourth quarter of 2025, here’s a rundown of what’

Radian announces exit of CFO Sumita Pandit, elevates finance leaders

U.S. mortgage insurer Radian Group Inc. said that president and chief financial officer Sumita Pandit is departing the company effective Thursday, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Radian did not provide details on Pandit’s departure beyond mentioning that “in c

HomeCode Reviews launching as ‘Yelp for real estate tech’

Real estate advisor and author Troy Palmquist is launching HomeCode Reviews, a peer-driven directory and review platform aimed at helping agents, teams and brokerages navigate the fast-growing world of real estate technology. Described by Palmquist as a “Yelp for real estate technology,” the platfor

Mortgage escrow misconceptions persist as payment amounts rise

Borrowers say they are confident in their understanding of mortgage escrow accounts, but misconceptions persist. And rising property taxes and homeowners insurance premiums continue to drive payment increases that many homeowners do not expect. These are the conclusions of a new survey from LERETA,