Refinance demand is up, but most borrowers lack incentive

Mortgage rates have declined for six straight weeks, pushing loan application volume up 1.4% during the week ending Sept. 6, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA).The MBA’s survey — which covers 75% of all retail residential mortgage applications in the U.S. — found that the seasonally
Read MoreHarris touches on housing topics in presidential debate

Tuesday night’s presidential debate — which could be the only one of this election cycle between the Democratic and Republican nominees for the highest office in the land this November — featured a spate of fiery moments between the two candidates. Housing, which has become an issue of focus in the
Read More8 best website builders for real estate agents, brokers and brokerages

Vetted by HousingWire | Our editors independently review the products we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission.Want a killer real estate website? Today’s real estate website builder offers a turnkey, easy-to-use solution to help build your brand, market your business
Read MoreMortgage rates move lower, but where are the homebuyers?

In a little more than a week, Federal Reserve policymakers are poised to lower benchmark interest rates for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ahead of that decision, mortgage rates continued to decline, although a surge of borrowers has yet to appear.At HousingWire‘s Mortgage
Read MoreThe month in reverse mortgage rates: September 2024

In the August rate update, I explained why over 99% of Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs) are variable interest rate loans and the advantages of this over the fixed-rate counterpart. Some of those advantages improve over time, like the organic line-of-credit growth. So, would it make sense to
Read More54% of baby boomers say they’ll never sell their homes

In a traditional sense, the term “silver tsunami” refers to pent-up housing stock that older homeowners will eventually choose to sell, which would have the effect of flooding the market with new inventory. But if prior suppositions about this trend being overblown failed to convince people, new dat
Read MoreRocket Mortgage plans to double its purchase market share by 2027

Rocket Companies, the parent of Rocket Mortgage, has set ambitious goals to increase market share by 2027 using its multichannel reach, its origination and servicing flywheel, and its advanced technology platform.Rocket aims to double its current market share in purchase mortgages from 4% to 8% and
Read More‘Common sense has prevailed’ as Basel Endgame proposal will be revised

Michael Barr, the Federal Reserve‘s vice chair for supervision, on Tuesday spoke at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., about the 2023 Basel III Endgame proposal, which would modify risk-based capital requirements for large banks.Following an extensive review process that included stakeho
Read MoreAI takes the lead: Why mortgage and real estate tech leaders are betting big on AI

HousingWire asked past Tech Trendsetter honorees about the biggest tech transformations they’ve witnessed and where companies in mortgage and real estate should focus their energy in 2024. Their unanimous answer: artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing how the industry works, from boosting p
Read MoreHUD establishes key LIHTC parameters for 2025

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) this week established Difficult Development Areas (DDAs) and Qualified Census Tracts (QCTs) for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program in 2025. These parameters are set by HUD for specific locations within each state and can impact the am
Read MoreCFPB director open to changing mortgage regs to fix refi process

The mortgage industry has complained loudly and often that government regulation and investor requirements are contributing to spiraling costs that get passed on to consumers. And Rohit Chopra, the hard-charging director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, who is often the target of such co
Read MoreGuild’s Jim Cory on the company’s ambitious reverse mortgage rebrand

Last week, Guild Mortgage announced a suite of products under the name “Flex Payment Mortgage.” The brand includes Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) reverse mortgage products alongside refinances, proprietary jumbo options and HECM for Purchase (H4P) loans.After acquiring the robust reverse mor
Read MoreBetter rolls out FHA streamline refi product

Better Home & Finance Holding Co., the parent of digital lender Better.com, rolled out its Federal Housing Administration (FHA) streamline refinance program on Monday.The product is available for qualified borrowers with an existing FHA loan who are looking to lower their monthly mortgage payment, r
Read MoreCHLA urges ‘balancing’ of consumer, servicer needs in loss-mitigation proposal

The Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA) on Monday submitted a letter to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra, urging the agency to balance the time frame and processes of loss mitigation in its revisions to Regulation X proposed in July.The proposals require mortgag
Read MoreRevive makes property valuation tool available to consumers

Presale renovation firm Revive has made its artificial intelligence-powered property valuation tool available to everyone, according to an announcement on Thursday.Previously, the Revive Vision AI platform was only available to registered real estate agents.“Making Revive Vision AI available to anyo
Read MoreMore home sellers are withdrawing listings

While inventory of unsold homes in the housing market in each of the last two years headed higher during September and October due to mortgage rate spikes, we’re seeing a more normal seasonal pattern now with inventory beginning to decline. We’re also seeing more home sellers withdrawing their listi
Read MoreThe agents dominating Miami’s real estate market

Miami stands as one of the most dynamic and valuable real estate markets in the United States. While not yet reaching the trillion-dollar mark, Miami‘s total real estate value, including both residential and commercial properties, was estimated at approximately $650 billion as of 2023, according to
Read MoreLouisiana homeowners insurance costs lead more seniors to reverse mortgages

Homeowners insurance costs are higher now than they have typically been, which has the potential to hit those living on a fixed income particularly hard. This could be one reason why a local NBC-TV affiliate in New Orleans is reporting that more of the community’s seniors are turning to reverse mort
Read MorereAlpha gets into the mortgage brokerage biz, acquires Be My Neighbor

Publicly traded real estate software firm reAlpha Tech Corp. added mortgage lending under its umbrella by acquiring mortgage brokerage company Be My Neighbor on Monday.reAlpha agreed to pay Be My Neighbor an aggregate purchase price of up to $6 million. This consists of $1.5 million in cash paid on
Read MoreThe cost of homeowners insurance skyrockets in Upper Midwest states

Why is homeowners insurance so expensive in the Upper Midwest? The growing prevalence of extreme weather events and the high cost of construction are pushing property insurers to significantly raise their prices, even in places you might not expect. This is according to an article published by the F
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