Even though the spring homebuying season got off to a slow start across much of the U.S., one of the most populous states saw increased activity.Home sales in Pennsylvania jumped 23.6% from February to March, according to a report released Friday by the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors (PAR). On

Ginnie Mae unveiled a significant revision on Wednesday to its monthly single-family reporting protocols.  The government mortgage bond guarantor incorporated expanded its payment default status (PDS) reporting, including loan default information, any mitigation actions taken and the timing of these

A Freddie Mac home equity product that was proposed this week has the potential to unlock $850 billion in origination volume. But it could face challenges due to the lack of a robust securitization market, according to strategists at Bank of America (BofA). On Tuesday, the Federal Housing Finance Ag

The HousingWire award spotlight series highlights the individuals and organizations that have been recognized through our Editors’ Choice Awards. Nominations for HousingWire’s 2024 Marketing Leaders Leaders award are open now through April 30th, 2024. Click here to nominate someone.The recent commis

Existing home sales fell in today’s report, which isn’t surprising, but one headline that shocked some people was that home prices are still up year over year, even with higher inventory and higher mortgage rates.From NAR: The median existing home price for all housing types in March was $393,500, a

Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler sat down with Ike Suri, chairman and CEO of FundingShield, to talk about rising fraud risks, what keeps him up at night, and why AI is still far from helpful in his business of protecting clients. Sarah Wheeler: FundingShield just released its Q1 Fraud report, which sho

The Academy for Home Equity in Financial Planning housed at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) will return to being known as the Funding Longevity Task Force, and it will “mobilize as needed if there are any regulatory changes or major changes within the reverse mortgage industry,” a

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a division of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, is sounding the alarm over challenges faced by elder financial exploitation (EFE).In a newly released trends report, FinCEN highlighted more than $27 billion worth of “suspicious activity” across mo

Digital mortgage automation solutions provider Floify is partnering with Truv, a consumer-permissioned data platform, the company announced on Wednesday. The integration allows mortgage lenders to verify income and employment seamlessly as borrowers apply for a loan.Procuring verification of income

Atlanta-based PulteGroup Inc., one of the largest homebuilders in the U.S., has filed an objection in the Sitzer/Burnett commission lawsuit following settlements with Anywhere, RE/MAX and Keller Williams.PulteGroup says that the company does not have enough information to adequately determine the am

Every business is on the brink of significant transformation driven by the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and workflow automation, and the mortgage industry is no exception. With AI’s capacity to perform complex reasoning and manage autonomous operations, it is critical to explore how thi

Florida-based First Federal Bank announced on Thursday that it struck a deal to acquire Watson Mortgage Corp., expanding its mortgage retail lending footprint in the communities in which it operates. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed. First Federal Bank has 25 branches in the Sout

The median monthly housing payment for U.S. homebuyers rose to a record $2,775 during the four-week period ending April 14, up 11% year over year, according to a Redfin report. The recent hotter-than-expected inflation reading sent mortgage rates upward. On Thursday, HousingWire’s Mortgage Rates Cen

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) this week released its annual Housing Mission Report, offering insights into the actions the agency took in 2023 on a host of issues.These include oversight of the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, mortgage purchases designe

Real Estate Lead Generation 6 best places to buy real estate leads in 2024  Mar 18, 2024By Megan DeMatteo, Meghan Thibault and Megan DeMatteo, Meghan Thibault We recommend the best places to buy real estate leads to give you a shortcut to the closing table. The 9 top real estate lead generation comp

Following the submission of a letter by Indiana Sen. Mike Braun (R) to Ginnie Mae President Alanna McCargo about concerns related to the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM)-backed Securities (HMBS) program, McCargo’s predecessor, Ted Tozer, hopes the senator will dive deeper into the program’s me

A retired public school teacher living in the Pacific Northwest told MarketWatch that he is feeling stressed by high property taxes on a fixed income and asks if he would be a good candidate for a financial adviser. One planner solicited for input thinks that a reverse mortgage could be a worthy con

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) announced on Wednesday a series of legislative recommendations, which it sent to the chairman and ranking member of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Financial Services Committee as the body considers the markup of proposed bills centered on real estate financ

The U.S. Supreme Court has denied HomeServices of America’s request to hear its argument that the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals wrongly rejected arbitration agreements with unnamed class members in the Sitzer/Burnett commission lawsuit, according to a court docket entry on Monday.In a writ of cert

U.S. home prices grew by 0.9% from February to March, according to First American Data & Analytics’ national house price index released Tuesday. This growth trajectory follows a revised upward figure of 1% price growth from January to February, and prices are now 52% higher than pre-pandemic levels