The off-MLS debate moves to Washington, and agents need a clear script

There is a number every listing agent should be able to explain this week: 4.6%. It is the premium Compass says its private listings earn sellers. There is a second number that says the opposite. And there is now a third party, the United States Congress, asking which one is true. Start with Washing

Longbridge originations jump 38%, propelling Ellington to $54.4M profit

Ellington Financial Inc. on Thursday reported second-quarter 2026 net income attributable to common stockholders of $54.4 million, driven by strong loan credit performance and growing reverse mortgage production at its Longbridge Financial subsidiary. The Connecticut-based real estate investment tru

Gibson suit plaintiffs can notify MLSs about settlement data duties

The Gibson home seller commission lawsuit plaintiffs have been authorized to send a notice to all of the MLSs that opted into the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) commission lawsuit settlement reminding them of their responsibilities in the settlement.  This comes after Judge Stephen Bough, w

Millrose Q2 2026 results build on new partnerships, growth mojo

Millrose Properties, whose spin-off from Lennar less than 18 months ago ushered in a modern era for residential development land-banking, is showing signs it is not an investment model entirely immune to a fitful homebuilding market, but is holding steady nevertheless. Millrose’s Q2 2026 earnings ca

Achieve closes $261.5 million HELOC securitization

Achieve has closed a $261.5 million securitization of newly originated home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), its first of 2026 and ninth overall, the company announced Friday. The transaction is backed by 3,129 HELOCs. As of June 30, the cutoff date for the securitization, the pool had a total unpai

Better signals tough Q3 amid enterprise pivot

Better Home & Finance Holding Co. anticipates a tough third quarter as it rolls out a new strategic plan under the interim leadership of Daniel Lewis. “The board concluded that we are in a transitional phase between a founder-mode company — which is about creativity and many different projects — and

Taste, guts and receipts

Log out of ChatGPT. Not forever. Just for the length of this column. You can log back in at the end. I’ll tell you what to do differently.  One of the most-followed executives in mortgage just paid a top LinkedIn voice a few thousand dollars to spend eight weeks teaching him how to have AI produce a

Leadership has a dress code

I’ve always believed that leadership has a dress code. Not the one about what you wear. This one is about the connections you carry and the circles you run in. You won’t find it in the company handbook or on the values slide during onboarding. No one admits it exists. But watch long enough, and you’

Blend reports stronger Q2 results on software growth

Blend Labs on Thursday reported higher second-quarter revenue and a narrower operating loss, driven by growth in its software platform business as the digital mortgage technology provider expanded customer relationships and rolled out its new AI-powered Autopilot product. The San Francisco-based com

Rocket weathers spring housing slowdown, gaining purchase and refi share in Q2

Rocket Companies reported high second-quarter earnings on Thursday, driven by increased mortgage origination volume, servicing income and record market share gains in both purchase and refinance lending, even as the broader housing market remained challenging. The Detroit-based lender reported Q2 20

Are data centers the next constraint on affordable housing supply?

[Editor’s note: This is part 2 of a 3-part HousingWire special series on the impacts of data centers in housing. Part 1 is here.] In 1998, when Steve Alloy succeeded his father, Martin, as president of Northern Virginia-based Stanley Martin Homes, buying land wisely was, as it is now, both a point o

Q2 2026 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 start to be released for the second quarter of 2026, here’s a rundown of what’

Squeezed NYC affordable housing properties face reckoning

New York City’s regulated affordable housing sector is confronting a worsening financial squeeze, and a reckoning is coming unless solutions emerge, according to a new survey of owners, managers, lenders and other industry participants. The survey by affordable housing nonprofit NYC Housing Partners

Public record-linked AI misses key title issues in many searches

DataTrace Information Services has released a new analysis examining whether artificial intelligence (AI) relying solely on public records can produce the accuracy and completeness required for insurable title decisions. The report, titled “AI Title Search Tested in the Real World: What Accuracy, Ri

Senator moves to regulate home equity investments at the federal level

A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate would amend the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) to explicitly include home equity investments (HEIs) within the law’s definition of residential mortgage loans — a move that would subject the growing financial product to federal consumer lending protections. Introduce

NYC expands finance pool for office-to-residential makeovers

New York City administration officials took a stride toward spurring more office-to-residential conversions by expanding a long-term financing option used in clean energy construction. In late June, the city made embodied carbon eligible for financing under its Commercial Property Assessed Clean Ene

Opinion: The capital structure solution hiding inside the housing crisis

On July 11, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law without President Trump’s signature.  The legislation focuses on expanding supply, modernizing housing programs and reducing barriers that have historically slowed development. It’s an important move toward increasing the number of homes we

Borrower trust by design

A recent global IDC study of mortgage lenders revealed that 30% of lenders took more than four weeks to close a mortgage and that 53% of processes in underwriting and decisioning were manual. Borrowers expect faster approvals and simpler digital journeys, while lenders look for AI-led origination an

From clicks to home sales: How connected builder websites convert traffic

Today’s homebuyers are exploring communities, comparing floor plans and evaluating builders long before they speak with a sales professional. That shift has turned the builder website from a digital brochure into one of the most important touchpoints in the buying journey. “The builder’s website has

Rural seniors face growing repair crisis with aging homes

A new Shelterforce report highlights a growing concern for older homeowners in rural America: Housing stability often depends less on affordability than on the ability to maintain aging homes. The report follows Kentucky homeowner Karen Moore, whose leaking roof eventually caused extensive structura