Home equity emerges as a generational growth strategy for originators

With refinance activity constrained and purchase volume under pressure, lenders are being forced to rethink their sustainable growth plans. The answer is becoming clear: home equity. As millions of homeowners remain locked into low mortgage rates, they are turning to second liens and mortgages to ac

How two LOs helped champion proprietary reverse mortgage legislation in Tennessee

Proprietary reverse mortgages have gained a lot of traction over the past year and now account for more industry volume than federally insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs). With the help of loan officers Nathan Guerrero and Jackson Matheson, Tennessee will soon join the list of states to

Pritzker’s honor: Illinois housing reform fight intensifies

The fight over Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s sweeping housing reform agenda is intensifying as both sides harden their positions. Supporters and detractors by the thousands delivered their opening arguments Thursday at the first major hearing on Pritzker’s six-bill package. Pritzker’s BUILD plan see

PulteGroup targets margin stability through an upward mix shift

Confronting heavier incentives, price cuts, tepid demand and margin pressure, PulteGroup opened the year with a mix-shift pivot that leans more heavily on build-to-order and active adult sales. Pulte’s Q1 2026 earnings call, held on Thursday, indicates that the nation’s third-largest homebuilder by

Meritage Q1 2026 shows why incentives are the new battlefield

The mid-spring earnings cycle has produced a common-language reality check for America’s public homebuilders: the operating backdrop worsened faster than many management teams expected. In such a context of nearly-universal challenge, doing less-worse may count as a win. Meritage Homes’ Q1 2026 numb

First-time homebuyers’ shrinking presence — what it means for real estate agents

The share of first-time homebuyers has fallen to 21% of all transactions — the lowest level since the National Association of Realtors (NAR) began tracking the data in 1981. For real estate agents, the shift is not a temporary blip. It’s a structural change reshaping how agents build their businesse

NYC launches new unit to combat deed theft 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has created the Office of Deed Theft Prevention, a new unit housed in the Department of Finance to coordinate citywide efforts to combat fraudulent property transfers, according to an announcement on Friday. “The theft of a home is the theft of a family’s future,”

SoFi rolls out end-to-end digital HELOC experience, advisory council

SoFi Technologies this week unveiled a new fully digital home equity line of credit (HELOC) experience, expanding its push into mortgages as more homeowners choose to tap equity rather than move. The company said the new HELOC offering will allow members to access home equity through an end-to-end d

Powell is done. Will Warsh help with mortgage rates?

Jerome Powell’s tenure as Federal Reserve chair is coming to an end as the Department of Justice (DOJ) has ended its investigation of alleged cost overruns on the Fed headquarters’ renovations. This paves the way for Kevin Warsh to head the Fed — maybe as soon as May. The timing couldn’t be more per

Coldwell Banker: ‘Life doesn’t stop’ as comeback buyers return

More than three years after mortgage rates began their climb from historic lows, a subtle but significant housing market shift is underway. Homeowners are finally letting go of sub-5% rates, “comeback buyers” are re-entering the search and regional markets are moving in opposite directions — all sha

Loan officers are going to Washington

For a hundred years, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has moved mortgage policy in Washington. Last Wednesday, it brought 50 loan officers with it.  Loan officers are going to Washington. For a hundred years, that sentence had not been true. For a hundred years, the MBA has been the mortgage i

When standard DSCR falls short: What real estate investors should know about no-ratio financing

More investor deals are getting harder to finance cleanly on standard DSCR, not always because the investment is weak, but because current rents do not tell the whole story. That pressure is showing up in the numbers. ATTOM’s March 2026 Single-Family Rental Market Report found that potential rental

Inventory rises as pricing lags in the spring housing market

The spring housing market is doing what it typically does this time of year: inventory is rising and new listings are coming online at a faster pace. But pricing has not moved with it. That timing gap is becoming one of the most important signals for housing professionals right now. This builds on l

Lawmakers target retirement gaps facing family caregivers

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is advancing multiple pieces of legislation designed to strengthen retirement savings options for millions of unpaid family caregivers. Two companion bills introduced in the House and Senate would modify retirement account rules to better reflect the realities caregiv

Beazer Homes CEO Allan Merrill on sustainability and affordability

Success in business is rarely a solo act. Great careers are often shaped by great mentors, and exceptional teams make for exceptional companies.  Allan Merrill, Chairman, President and CEO of Beazer Homes, attests to both truisms. Under Merrill’s leadership, Beazer Homes has become a leader in deliv

How fraud gets stopped in its tracks by real estate and title pros

Real estate fraud has evolved rapidly, and professionals across the industry already recognize that today’s schemes are more complex and convincing than ever. What has changed most is the scale — driven by artificial intelligence (AI) that can generate realistic emails, cloned voices and even live d

FSBO.com launches loan officer portal for consumer-directed listings

FSBO.com on Wednesday announced the launch of a new loan officer portal designed to integrate mortgage professionals earlier into the for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) home selling process, as the company looks to create a more structured and collaborative transaction model. The platform allows loan officers

Mortgage industry welcomes new credit score models, urges further reform

The majority of mortgage industry trade groups and professionals reacted in a supportive but pragmatic way following an announcement from federal housing agencies that detailed moves to modernize mortgage underwriting by introducing newer credit scoring models. They largely welcomed the shift while

FHFA, HUD move to bring new credit score models into mortgages

Federal agencies on Wednesday took steps to bring newer credit scoring models into the mortgage underwriting process, marking a significant shift in how borrower risk is evaluated. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner announced the adoption of FICO 10T and Va

Support grows for Whitmer housing zoning reform bills in Michigan

Michigan lawmakers returned from spring recess with housing affordability clearly in their sights. A bipartisan group shepherding a package of bills this week picked up strong support from a coalition of housing advocates and business groups, including the Home Builders Association of Michigan. That