Hoby Hanna, the CEO of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services and Hanna Holdings, joined the RealTrending podcast this week to discuss his company’s approach to growth, technology and consumer offerings.In an interview with host Tracey Velt, Hanna breaks down a selective approach to mergers and acquisiti

Technology is accelerating change across the financial services industry, and United Wholesale Mortgage is at the forefront of mortgage innovation. With the launch of two groundbreaking platforms— the Loan Estimate Optimizer (LEO) and Mia, an AI-powered assistant for loan officers, UWM is setting a

Class Valuation has launched a new appraisal review product designed to bring greater clarity and oversight to residential valuations. The new tool, Class Valuation Analysis (CVA), offers licensed appraiser-led reviews of existing appraisal reports by incorporating automated valuation model (AVM) te

Birmingham, Michigan-based brokerage @properties REMI Christie’s International Real Estate is opening its 10th office in the state in July by expanding into the lakeside resort town of Traverse City.The brokerage was launched in 2021 by Detroit-area natives Eric Walstrom and Alex Irrer, and it has g

Rachel Gustafson serves as a certified financial planner with the Financial Investment Team, a firm based in Portland, Oregon. Over the course of a 12-year career in the field, she has a specialty for helping her clients figure out the best and most efficient ways to retire.When reverse mortgages fi

Few events in recent real estate history have rattled the industry more than the antitrust lawsuits filed against major brokerages and the National Association of Realtors (NAR), accusing them of artificially inflating agent commission rates.NAR settled the Sitzer-Burnett case for $418 million and a

Equity release — a class of financial products that involve unlocking home equity and converting it into cash flow — currently has global annual volume of roughly $17 billion.This class includes reverse mortgage products in the U.S., the United Kingdom and elsewhere, but a European equity release au

Real estate software provider Lone Wolf Technologies is launching an integration with Zillow-owned customer relationship management system Follow Up Boss as it aims to connect transaction, marketing and accounting tools in one system.Follow Up Boss will be linked with Lone Wolf’s Foundation platform

The Federal Reserve held benchmark rates steady in the range of 4.25% to 4.5% following its two-day meeting on Wednesday, a decision with implications for the mortgage industry. The move, expected by virtually all monetary policy watchers, underscores the challenge facing the Federal Reserve — decid

Even though new home sales showed growth last month, the homebuilders — both big and small — have no desire to grow housing permits or starts with 7% mortgage rates. Housing starts and permits peaked in 2022 and have been fluctuating at levels similar to the early stages of the COVID-19 recession fo

Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), a division of First Citizens Bank, and lending partner Setpoint announced on Wednesday that they’re providing a $200 million warehouse facility to Austin-based mortgage tech firm UpEquity.The funding is expected to support $1 billion in originations over the next two years

Loan volume through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is up 45% during the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. That’s according to an analysis of VA loan data released Wednesday by Veterans United Home Loans.The analysis, based on lending data from the first half of fi

As more companies embrace the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) into their business- and customer-facing operations, a concern has emerged among firms focused on delivering services to older peopleAI training typically occurs with younger staffers, who could then incorporate unconscious

Kyler Ferris — the founder of Ferris Realty in Conroe, Texas — has rejoined eXp Realty, bringing with him a 45-agent team and a reported sales volume of $164 million in 2024.The move marks a return to the national brokerage after Ferris Realty’s brief stint as an independent firm.Ferris, whose “Livi

Aging in place is gaining momentum among older homeowners, and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has taken notice.The organization recently reported that 73% of homebuilding industry leaders say that requests for aging-in-place features have significantly or somewhat increased in the

The housing affordability crisis often conjures images of coastal urban cities with acute housing supply shortages and heavy land-use regulations. While these places do tend to have the highest home prices, it’s not where costs are rising the most.That’s according to a sprawling new study from JPMor

The countdown is on to Zillow’s new listing standards policy, which bans publicly marketed private listings. While it’s possible for agents at any firm to end up with a banned listing, most industry observers expect that agents at Compass — a vocal critic of the Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP) and Zi

Following its passage in the House of Representatives, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — President Donald Trump’s signature domestic policy bill that includes tax reform provisions with major implications for the federal budget deficit — is going through a series of pronounced changes during the reco

As the real estate industry faces unprecedented transformation, Century 21 Real Estate has stayed active through aggressive franchise growth, market consolidation and engagement with evolving homebuyer demographics.In an in-depth conversation with HousingWire, Century 21 CEO Mike Miedler opened up a

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) lawsuits against real estate companies are beginning to pile up again. Plaintiff Jessica Murch filed a TCPA suit against Compass and Compass Washington on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland, Oregon.“The Plaintiff brings this action to enforce the