Inside Zillow’s legal storm: From RESPA to job discrimination

If you’ve lost count of the number of lawsuits filed against Zillow over the past six months you probably aren’t alone. The listing portal giant’s legal woes began in mid-June 2025, when Compass filed its antitrust lawsuit against Zillow, and they kicked into yet another gear late last week when a h

Fathom Holdings, ByOwner partner to connect agents with FSBO sellers

Fathom Holdings announced a partnership with for-sale-by-owner (FBSO) marketplace ByOwner to link sellers who need professional assistance with Fathom agents across the country. The agreement aims to convert listings from ByOwner.com and BuyOwner.com — which together attract more than 500,000 monthl

Title insurance revenue rises for Big Four firms in Q3 2025

Falling mortgage rates during the third quarter of 2025 were certainly a boon for the Big Four title insurance firms who all saw title insurance revenue rise year-over-year during the quarter.  At First American, which released its earnings in late October, company-wide revenue was up 41% annually t

AIME’s Jonathon Haddad becomes CEO at bevri.ai

bevri.ai, a technology firm focused on applying artificial intelligence to the mortgage industry’s third-party origination (TPO) channel, announced on Monday that it has appointed Jonathon Haddad as CEO. The agentic AI company said in a press release that Haddad’s appointment marks a new phase in it

Why fiduciary duty and communication matters more than ever in real estate

At the core of real estate lies one constant: our duty to communicate clearly, act with integrity, and put our clients first. When those principles slip—even unintentionally—the results can be costly. Not long ago, a situation discussed during one of our coaching calls served as a powerful reminder

Atlantic Coast Mortgage acquires Tidewater Mortgage

Atlantic Coast Mortgage LLC, a Fairfax, Virginia-based mortgage lender licensed in 40 states, has acquired Tidewater Mortgage Services Inc., a coastal Virginia lender serving the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions. The deal, announced on Monday, combines Atlantic Coast Mortgage’s technology-driven l

Housing inventory falls as demand picks up

Last week, housing inventory levels decreased noticeably, while our weekly pending sales showed a notable increase compared to the same period last year. Was the decrease in inventory primarily due to the seasonal decline in housing stock, or did the increase in demand contribute to lowering the inv

A 50-year mortgage could double your interest payment

In a social post on Saturday, President Trump floated the idea of a 50-year mortgage to boost housing affordability, but the idea got a frosty reception online. One reason is that stretching the loan term out that long ends up costing much more in interest over the life of the loan while only shavin

Trump proposes 50-year mortgage to help affordability

Trump on Saturday posted an image on social that seemed to suggest he would be proposing 50-year mortgages, something FHFA Director Bill Pulte confirmed shortly after on X. The image Trump posted on Truth Social features a head shot of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt under the title 30-year mort

Pulte says Fannie, Freddie to remain in conservatorship with IPO plans

FHFA Director Bill Pulte said Friday that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will remain in conservatorship, but that the government would seek to sell up to 5% of their shares. Pulte made the remarks at the ResiDay conference in New York City, according to posts on X by ResiClub Co-founder Lance Lambert. L

Stewart acquires MCS’s mortgage services business for $330 million

Title and real estate services company Stewart Information Services Corp., owned by SISCO Holdings, has entered into an agreement to acquire the mortgage services of property preservation provider Mortgage Contracting Services (MCS) for $330 million. The transaction, announced Friday, expands Stewar

Opendoor hits reset: The iBuyer goes full founder mode with new CEO

Opendoor’s recently appointed CEO Kaz Nejatian used the firm’s third-quarter earnings call with investors and analysts to introduce himself and reintroduce the company he has been tasked with turning around.  “I’m a computer nerd turned lawyer, turned founder, but I think of myself primarily as a pr

Exclusive: NFM Lending grows footprint with Homespire Mortgage acquisition

Two Maryland-based retail mortgage lenders struck an M&A deal this week as NFM Lending has agreed to acquire Homespire Mortgage, the companies confirmed on Friday. The financial terms were not disclosed. With the acquisition, Linthicum-based NFM will expand its presence along the East Coast, while H

Real, former CFO settle wrongful termination lawsuit

The Real Brokerage and its former chief financial officer Michelle Ressler have reached a settlement agreement in the lawsuit Ressler filed in early June 2025.  Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the lawsuit claims that Real orchestrated Ressler’s termination und

What Realtors really think about working with builders

Picture this: a Realtor® walks into a new-home sales office, client in tow, ready to collaborate. The builder’s rep glances up from the desk, wary smile in place. Both sides want the same thing — a sold home — but the air crackles with tension. That moment, repeated across the country, defines one o

Longbridge has record quarter for proprietary volume, posts $8.6M profit

Ellington Financial reported strong financial performance from its reverse mortgage subsidiary, Longbridge Financial, during its third-quarter earnings call on Thursday. Longbridge posted net income of $8.6 million from July through September — down from the $10.7 million profit it achieved in the s

Opendoor, Roam team up to expand assumable mortgage access

Opendoor is teaming up with Roam, a platform that enables homebuyers to purchase homes with assumable low-rate mortgages, according to an announcement on Friday.  Through this partnership, Roam’s assumable mortgage tools and transaction support will be available to homebuyers shopping for homes on O

David Conroy rejoins NAR as first-ever chief data officer

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) continues to shake up its executive team. On Friday, the firm announced the appointment of its first-ever Chief Data Officer David Conroy.  In addition to serving at CDO, Conroy will also serve as the senior vice president of strategy and innovation. The tr

Florida housing market slows as listings rise and sales drop

Florida’s single-family housing market revealed a striking disconnect in early November 2025, with homes taking a median 98 days to sell, 21 days longer than the national median of 77 days, even as market conditions shifted decisively in favor of buyers. The state’s housing inventory reached 97,224

loanDepot’s Q3 loss narrows as revenue climbs 14%

loanDepot reported a smaller loss in the third quarter as higher loan volumes, improved margins and increased servicing income boosted its results. Revenue for the California-based mortgage lender rose 14% from the previous quarter to $323 million, while adjusted revenue increased 11% to $325 millio