Digital mortgage lender Better on Wednesday announced the launch of a loyalty program dubbed “Better Forever.”The program is designed to reward customers by waiving origination fees on future refinance or purchase loans. Customers who previously funded a loan through Better on or after Jan. 1, 2019,

The reverse mortgage industry was more than ready to turn the corner from the tumult of 2024. And the first month of 2025 brought technical positivity in key performance metrics while still remaining relatively unchanged overall.Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) endorsements increased by 0.6% f

The number of family caregivers who support older relatives in either home-based or residential care settings increased by 32% between 2011 and 2022 — a sharp rise that can be attributed to an increase in the number of caregivers living with recipients. Researchers also say this could be partially t

Foreclosure activity has declined significantly since the housing crisis of the late 2000s, and distressed home marketplace Auction.com reported this week that it expects the number of foreclosure-auction sales in 2025 to drop to the second-lowest total on record.California-based Auction.com publish

Expensive mortgages, rents and other housing expenses are already challenging for many Americans. But facing things alone presents a bigger challenge for single individuals, according to a report released Wednesday by Redfin.The report from the Seattle-based real estate brokerage highlighted househo

The formula for success in real estate couldn’t be more straightforward. Do simple things every day — and do them 10% better than the average agent. Fancy fails. Simple scales. Why only 10% better and not 60% better? Let’s not sugarcoat reality. Seventy percent of Realtors in your market are terribl

Today, the Census Bureau reported the homeownership rate at 65.7%. Are we becoming a renter nation like many people are saying? Let’s look at the data.Household formationLet’s first talk about household formation. I have a simple model (even more appropriate before Valentine’s Day). My American hous

In this week’s episode of the RealTrending podcast, host Tracey Velt is joined by Altos Research founder and president Mike Simonsen to discuss expectations for the housing market and the impact of the Trump administration’s policies.This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. To start

A bill introduced in January to the New York state Senate is seeking to bolster the disclosures that reverse mortgage lenders make to potential clients in an effort to broaden their understanding of the product, as well as the obligations that a borrower assumes when engaging with the industry. This

Scott Bessent, the new secretary of the Department of the Treasury under the Trump administration, made headlines twice on Monday — once for his appointment as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protecture Bureau (CFPB) and again for his order to CFPB staff to halt all bureau activities.Accor

Arrival Home Loans on Tuesday announced a partnership with zavvie — a fintech company that specializes in bringing liquidity to residential real estate — in an effort to enhance the homebuying experience for its customers.The collaboration combines Arrival Home Loans’ niche in owner-occupied bridge

Nationwide private lender RCN Capital on Tuesday announced the acquisition of BLN Software, which offers a loan origination system and loan management system for the private mortgage lending industry.The announcement from Connecticut-based RCN said that “the lender is looking to provide even more ro

President Donald Trump has wasted no time implementing his agenda, having signed a flurry of executive orders and memos last week, including some that have a direct impact on the housing industry.He began last week with a memo calling for a blanket freeze on foreign aid and federal grants. A day lat

Mortgage technology technology Optimal Blue on Tuesday announced a series of new products and innovations at its inaugural Optimal Blue Summit user conference in San Diego.The company first announced the launch of a new artificial intelligence-powered assistant. The new product, dubbed Ask Obi, will

The so-called “silver tsunami” — referring to some kind of “rush” of older people into certain places, out of the workforce or to their housing stock, depending on who you talk to — is likely to have serious economic ramifications with negative potential, or a lot of upside potential due to the ways

The Department of Justice (DOJ) got its wish. On Friday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the DOJ’s request to speak at oral arguments in an appeal filed by now-defunct discount brokerage REX Real Estate in its lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and Zillow. In early

Before he was predictably fired by President Trump, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra published a template for state-level regulators to continue the core mission of the agency after he’s gone and Republicans work to dismantle the consumer watchdog.After firing Chopra

That whooshing sound you hear is homebuilders breathing a sigh of relief.Canadian President Justin Trudeau announced Monday afternoon that the U.S. and Canada have agreed to pause for one month the 25% tariffs that President Donald Trump placed on Canadian goods. That came mere hours after Trump and

Last year saw the softest home-price growth in more than 10 years, according to an analysis by ICE Mortgage Technology. Despite that and other positives, the LA wildfires are still making an impact on the housing market at the local and national levels.On Monday, ICE released its February 2025 Mortg

Ownwell is unveiling a new partnership that aims to help homeowners save money by avoiding higher property tax payments. On Monday, the company said it would partner with mortgage servicing company Valon to offer property tax savings services.This is Valon’s latest move to upgrade its mortgage servi