Permits for new multifamily housing construction have declined from the pace set during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Redfin analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. Developers secured an average of 12.8 permits for buildings with at least five units per 10,000 people from July 2024 through June

As Hurricane Erin becomes the first hurricane of the 2025 season, homeowners in many parts of the U.S. are already facing double-digit insurance rate hikes, and insurers in some areas continue to pull out altogether. In high-risk, catastrophe-prone regions, homeowners’ premiums are projected to rise

Mortgage lenders deploying artificial intelligence should prepare now for Colorado’s comprehensive AI law that will take effect in February 2026 and rethink how they manage compliance risk. That’s according to Mike Brown, chief product officer at Xactus, and Wendy Lee, managing partner at LOGS Legal

Several senior executives in Better’s control and finance teams, including chief financial officer Kevin Ryan, have taken additional jobs or left the company as it navigates financial pressures, according to public announcements and updates to social media profiles.  In July, Ryan also joined invest

The promise that artificial intelligence brings to the mortgage ecosystem through faster processes and reduced expenses is also accompanied by the potential threat it poses to human roles. While the next two years could see an acceleration of AI-related job losses, Diane Yu urges mortgage profession

The CFPB can go ahead with plans — announced in April — to fire 90% of its staff, a federal appeals court panel ruled on Friday. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit found that “the district court lacked jurisdiction to consider the claims predicated on loss of employment, which must proce

A small fish in the pond of fintech-focused mortgage companies is trying to race to the front in the artificial intelligence arms race. And it’s not using a typical ChatGPT-style program either. Future Technologies CEO Blake Bianchi announced on Thursday that the company is launching a full-stack, p

In its quest to bring its loan officer count up to 5,000, NEXA Mortgage announced Thursday that it has brought on Eric Mitchell to assist with its goal. Mitchell will serve as a “key hire” recruiting partner for NEXA, newly appointed chief operating officer Jason duPont said in an interview with Hou

Mosaik — a real estate client experience platform — has launched three new collaborations aimed at bringing its technology to a wider network of agents, brokerages and associations. The company has joined the Solutions Group preferred vendor program of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (Lea

Mortgage originations and home equity lending both increased in the second quarter despite elevated interest rates and home prices, according to TransUnion’s Q2 2025 Credit Industry Insights Report. Originations rose 5.1% year over year, driven largely by a rebound in refinancing. Rate-and-term refi

Edge One Capital has disclosed its stake in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, calling the government’s prolonged control of the mortgage giants the “largest shareholder rights violation in U.S. history.” It’s also proposing a road map to return them to private ownership without the consequence of higher m

Fannie Mae on Thursday published the results of its latest Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey. The report details lender experiences with eMortgage technology, including challenges to date, adoption plans and business priorities for 2025. The survey found that while most lenders (75%) are familiar wit

Closinglock has introduced a two-way text messaging tool for the title insurance industry, allowing closing professionals to send and receive SMS messages with clients and partners from within the company’s platform. The feature allows real-time communication with buyers, sellers, lenders and agents

Connecticut Attorneys Title Insurance Company (CATIC) has approved Dono’s automated title search system for use by attorneys in North Carolina, the companies announced Thursday. The decision provides hold harmless protection against errors or claims when attorneys use the platform — a first for arti

Artificial intelligence may be known for its speed, but in mortgage servicing, the real opportunity is in reshaping decades-long relationships with homeowners, according to Leslie Peeler, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Cenlar FSB. Speaking at HousingWire’s AI Summit on Tuesd

eXp Realty has added veteran Southern California real estate agent Vivian Lesny to its network, the company announced Thursday. Lesny — who has worked in real estate for more than 20 years — surpassed $70 million in sales in 2024 and has closed as many as 88 transactions in a single year. She has co

Mortgage rates reached a new 2025 low today, despite core inflation running at 3.1% year over year, according to the CPI report this week. The softening labor data and improved mortgage spreads currently overshadow any concerns about inflation. If the jobs data were exceeding estimates, the situatio

On this week’s RealTrending, Tracey Velt interviews Sean Miku — founder and CEO of simpliHŌM — a tech-focused brokerage launched in 2018. Miku outlines the firm’s 85/15 commission split, free transaction management and its goal to go public by 2028, while sharing perspectives on today’s real estate

New Western and PadSplit have entered a partnership aimed at increasing affordable co-living housing, effective last week. New Western cofounder and President Kurt Carlton told HousingWire the collaboration will allow investors to access PadSplit’s model for converting single-family homes into share

OneTrust Home Loans filed a lawsuit this week challenging the long-promoted neutrality of mortgage coaching programs, alleging the services were used by a rival to gain a competitive edge. The California-based lender is suing former loan officer Broch Lassig, mortgage coach Richard Ruby, and Ruby’s