California looms large in any discussion of housing affordability. The largest state by population, one out of every eight Americans lives in the Golden State, but the homeownership rate is dismal. According to Ben Metcalf, managing director of the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley

Chronically distressed properties lost more than $7,000 in total home equity on average while cycling in and out of foreclosure, according to an Auction.com analysis of more than 80,000 properties scheduled for foreclosure auction multiple times in the last three years.The chronically distressed pro

Will mortgage rates break toward 8% again, making another 2024 data line that looks like a carbon copy of 2023? It’s not part of my 2024 forecast, but since the Federal Reserve likes playing with fire, let’s look at where we are with mortgage rates and their impact on weekly housing data.Mortgage ra

A second home seller in Nevada has filed a lawsuit alleging that real estate industry players in the state have colluded to artificially inflate real estate agent commissions. The copycat commission lawsuit was filed on Friday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas by Nevada home seller Angela Boykin. 

A bill introduced in the New Jersey Senate would require face-to-face counseling for the state’s reverse mortgage transactions and would void any loans executed without proof of such counseling having taken place. The bill is currently awaiting deliberation in the state Senate’s commerce committee.T

Finance of America Companies (FOA), parent company of reverse mortgage industry-leading lender Finance of America Reverse (FAR), was notified for the second time on Feb. 12 by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) that it was not in compliance with the exchange’s continued listing standard. This is acc

Three sources, who have asked to remain anonymous, have confirmed to HousingWire that the National Association of Realtors (NAR) has run out of liability insurance funds. The news about NAR’s insurance predicament began circulating late Wednesday, with industry analyst Rob Hahn highlighting the news

A judge in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California has ordered that the operators of Home Matters USA — described as a “mortgage relief scam” by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) — be banned from the

Today, housing starts fell more than anticipated, but the more important story in today’s report is that even though the apartment boom is dead, single-family permits are rising.The U.S. housing apartment boom ran into higher mortgage rates and more supply faster than anticipated, while single-famil

Mortgage applications for new homes surged in January as a lack of existing homes continued to fuel the demand for new construction.Mortgage applications for new home purchases rose 19.1% in January on a year-over-year basis, the 12th consecutive month with an annual increase. Applications were up 3

Cautious optimism is prevalent in the mortgage industry for 2024 as industry professionals anticipate the recovery of lost origination volume. To take advantage of the shifting market, two key areas that loan originators should be focusing on are “nurturing and cementing relationships with preapprov

Path & Post Real Estate appointed Bekki Shae Smith to the role of managing broker, the Georgia-based boutique brokerage announced on Thursday. Before joining Path & Post, Smith was a Realtor, broker and partner at LOCAL Realty North ATL for three years. Additionally, Smith is serving as the 2024-25

On average, members of the baby boomer generation saved approximately $4,060 over the course of 2023, lagging behind the average savings levels of every other surveyed generation. This is according to the newest edition of the “Wealth Watch” survey conducted by New York Life Insurance Co.By comparis

For iBuyer Opendoor, 2023 was all about moderation. “We are excited about how we are set up for 2024 and beyond,” CEO Carrie Wheeler told investors and analysts listening to the firm’s Q4 2023 earnings call on Thursday evening. “We’ve done the hard work in 2023 to be leaner, to be more agile, to be

United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) has accused California-based brokerage and correspondent lender Mortgage Solutions FCS, dba Client Direct Mortgage, of breaching its early payoff (EPO) provision and its owner, Ramon Walker, of trademark infringement.UWM filed a lawsuit in a U.S. district court in Mic

Among homeowners who have a mortgage escrow account, only 52% fully understand how the account works, according to survey results released Thursday by property tax services provider LERETA.More than 80% of survey respondents said they know what an escrow account is and its primary purpose — to pay p

Government-sponsored enterprise Fannie Mae reported $77.4 billion in net worth at the end of 2023, including $17.4 billion in additional net income for the full year, according to its financial results report released on Thursday.The $77.4 billion figure marks a sharp increase from prior years — $60

In an email to the board of directors on Wednesday, National Association of Realtors (NAR) President Kevin Sears announced that he and the trade organization would not be taking on any presidential initiatives throughout the duration of his term, as first reported by Inman News. Sears stepped into t

Opportunity in the current mortgage market may be challenging to find — and that could arguably be truer for those who offer reverse mortgage products for clients. Still, reverse mortgage professionals are always keeping their eyes peeled, and a group of them shared what they’re looking out for in 2

The nation’s top loan officer, Guaranteed Rate’s Shant Banosian, joined the board of directors at Healing Realty Trust, a healthcare-focused real estate investment company.Established in 2022, the real estate venture carved out a niche focusing on healthcare properties in the $1 million to $15 milli