Businessman and investment icon Warren Buffett is making waves in the housing industry. Documents filed last week with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revealed that Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has made major investments in homebuilders Lennar and D.R. Horton.  According to the filing,

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s Builder Application Survey data for July 2025, released on Monday, shows that mortgage applications for new-home purchases increased 6.8% compared from a year ago. Compared to June 2025, applications increased by 7%. This change does not include any adjustmen

Inflation data was warm last week, but mortgage rates remain near their lowest levels for 2025 because mortgage spreads continue to outperform. Last week featured a hot Producer Price Index (PPI) report and a core Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate of 3.1% year-over-year, and still — mortgage

Florida homebuyers are facing the same affordability challenges that other housing markets are grappling with, but with added regulatory hurdles if they want to buy a condo. The Florida Association of Mortgage Professionals (FAMP), which is hosting its annual convention this week in Orlando, is addr

The Social Security system celebrated its 90th birthday this week. In the wake of this milestone, several policy analysts and news outlets offered their thoughts on the program’s past, present and future. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) noted that the safety net program that cu

In the debate over whether Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should merge, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has remained consistent: “We don’t think that would be a good idea,” chief economist Mike Fratantoni said. The trade group supports a stock offering that preserves stability in the secondary mo

Welcome back to Tech Pulse — HousingWire‘s weekly series rounding up the latest in technology news, including tools, integrations and trends that impact mortgage and real estate. Read on for a rundown of speakers who shared expert insight at this past week’s HousingWire AI Summit in Dallas. Talk ran

Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LeadingRE) has added Rejig.ai to its Solutions Group, a collection of preferred business resources available to its global network of 550 real estate firms. Rejig.ai provides automated digital marketing tools for real estate agents, teams and brokerages. I

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