Court upholds racially targeted SPCP in Washington

A federal judge this week refused to block a special purpose credit program (SPCP) designed to reduce the racial homeownership gap across Washington state, rejecting a constitutional challenge brought by nonprofit Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism (FAIR). U.S. District Court Judge John H. Ch

Arizona Regional MLS CEO Matthew Consalvo plans 2027 exit

After 14 years at the helm, Matthew Consalvo has announced that he will be retiring from his role as Arizona Regional MLS’s (ARMLS) CEO in the spring of 2027. ARMLS announced Consalvo’s decision to retire earlier this week.  According to the MLS, during his time at ARMLS, Consalvo has helped to mode

WFG National Title launches FinCEN reporting solution

Title agents nationwide are preparing for a sweeping new federal reporting mandate to take effect — and WFG National Title Insurance is rolling out tools to ease the transition. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s (FinCEN) Anti-Money Laundering Regulations for Residential Real Estate Transfer

Multifamily developer moods sink amid high costs, flat rent growth

Multifamily developers share less confidence in the state of their market sector than they did a year ago, a National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Multifamily Market Survey found. High construction costs, elevated project borrowing and debt expense, stagnant rental growth and shaky consumer

Mutual of Omaha hires veteran Tommy Noyes for reverse wholesale role

Tommy Noyes has joined Mutual of Omaha Mortgage from Liberty Reverse Mortgage as a national wholesale account executive for Mutual’s reverse mortgage business, the company announced Tuesday. In the role, Noyes will focus on deepening customer relationships and supporting the growth of the company’s

Zillow returns to profitability in 2025 as mortgage and rentals drive growth

Despite a challenging legal year, Zillow Group recorded strong financial results in 2025, according to the firm’s full-year and fourth-quarter 2025 earnings report published on Tuesday.  Revenue in Q4 2025 rose 18% annually to $654 million, while revenue for the full year was up 16% compared to 2024

Pennymac leader on policy shifts to ease homeownership barriers

As housing affordability remains strained, policymakers and industry leaders are weighing how regulation, mortgage markets and tax policy shape access to homeownership. Isaac Boltansky, head of public policy at Pennymac, fielded questions on the matter from Robb Van Raaphorst, senior vice president

Why title integrity needs decentralized governance

The primary weakness in the American real estate market isn’t a lack of buyers or inventory, it’s the “trust gap” in our record-keeping. As HousingWire recently reported, the fragmentation across 3,000-plus local registries has created a multibillion-dollar opening for deed fraud. When ownership dat

Barry Habib, Logan Mohtashami say housing market set for pent-up demand surge

The U.S. housing market may be poised for a historic surge as pent-up demand meets a potentially lower rate environment. As part of an expert panel at HousingWire’s 2026 Housing Economic Summit, MBS Highway founder and CEO Barry Habib said the first move downward in mortgage rates could trigger a ru

Brokerage leaders express optimism for 2026 housing market conditions

Real estate brokerage leaders are entering 2026 more confident and optimistic than they have in years, according to Delta Media Group’s Real Estate Leadership Report.  To compile the report, Delta Media Group surveyed more than 100 brokerage leaders representing firms that were collectively responsi

Optimal Blue mortgage data shows 50% refi jump in January as rates dip

Optimal Blue reported a sharp increase in refinance activity in January as falling mortgage rates spurred borrowers to act, according to its January 2026 Market Advantage data report released on Tuesday. Total rate-lock volume rose 16% from December and was 36% higher than in January 2025. The incre

Figure CEO Michael Tannenbaum on partnering with Bed Bath & Beyond

The parent company of Bed Bath & Beyond is moving deeper into financial services through the launch of a personal finance platform that will offer home loans in partnership with Figure Technologies. The initiative, tied to the company’s pending acquisition of Tokens.com, aims to combine traditional

Dono raises $6.5M to expand property records platform

Property records platform Dono has raised $6.5 million in a seed round to support geographic expansion and broaden its customer base beyond title insurance, the company announced Tuesday.  Link Ventures led the round, with participation from lool VC and Alumni Ventures. The investment brings total f

‘Objectively failing’ — Real estate leaders call for data-first strategy

Dan Duffy did not ease into his critique of the housing industry’s approach to analytics. “I’ll be the first one to admit that we are currently objectively failing at United,” the United Real Estate Group founder and CEO told attendees Tuesday at HousingWire’s 2026 Housing Economic Summit. “That’s a

Rate partners with Alianza to expand bilingual mortgage education

Rate and Alianza have entered a multi-year collaboration that names Rate the official mortgage lending partner of Alianza, a grassroots soccer platform serving Latino communities across the United States. The agreement follows a pilot partnership in 2025 and will run through the 2026 and 2027 season

Barrier to entry: builders’ first challenge is to work through a glut

For builders, particularly in the Sun Belt, the challenge from the get-go in 2026 will be to work through surplus entry-level inventory. As monthly-payment affordability pressures from high mortgage rates and home prices plague first-time buyers, solving this supply imbalance will only occur gradual

Single-file credit proposal reignites debate over savings vs risks

A proposal to replace the longstanding tri-merge credit report with a single-file model has reignited debate over borrower costs and systemic risk, placing trade associations on opposing sides. Supporters argue a single pull would encourage more predictive credit data and reduce systemwide costs wit

NEXA Lending CEO Mike Kortas explains why he’s buying shell companies

NEXA Lending CEO Mike Kortas is in the process of acquiring several shell companies to build joint ventures, he said in an exclusive interview with HousingWire on Monday.  “They are for multiple JVs with large teams, agencies, builders and strategic partnerships,” Kortas said without providing detai

February Demo Day: Blend

Blend’s Rapid Home Equity Blend’s Rapid Home Equity is an automated digital origination solution that leverages real-time data to accelerate the home equity lending cycle. It features instant pre-approvals, pre-filled applications, and integrated debt consolidation tools, enabling lenders to close l

February Demo Day: DigitalTax® Forecasting Insights by Cotality

DigitalTax® Forecasting Insights DigitalTax Forecasting Insights helps servicers and local governments anticipate future tax amounts and escrow needs by identifying potential shortages early. Our Forecasting tool improves cash‑flow planning, reveals drivers behind underfunded accounts, and enables p