• HUD aims to help protect communities from extreme heat

    HUD aims to help protect communities from extreme heat,Chris Clow

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Wednesday announced new initiatives to bolster community protections against severe heat, an issue that has become more common nationwide.“For the first time in its history, HUD published a webpage on Extreme Heat that serves as a hub hig

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  • Freedom Mortgage founder addresses ’extraordinary’ credit profiles, profitability and products 

    Freedom Mortgage founder addresses ’extraordinary’ credit profiles, profitability and products ,Flávia Furlan Nunes

    Mortgage lenders should get used to the concept of ”higher for longer” interest rates and work to bring profitability to their businesses, according to Stan Middleman, founder, president and CEO at Freedom Mortgage. ”Your interest rates are going to be higher for longer,” he said. ”This year will lo

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  • Realty One Group joins growing list of firms to settle commission lawsuits

    Realty One Group joins growing list of firms to settle commission lawsuits,Brooklee Han

    Realty ONE Group International has joined six other real estate brokerages in settling the commission lawsuits. The firm announced on Wednesday that it has entered into a nationwide settlement agreement with the commission lawsuit plaintiffs.The settlement, which is still subject to court approval,

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  • Figure names Michael Tannenbaum as CEO

    Figure names Michael Tannenbaum as CEO,Sarah Marx

    Figure Technology Solutions, the parent company of Figure Lending LLC, named Michael Tannenbaum as its new CEO, the company announced on Tuesday. Tannenbaum will also be a member of the board of directors. Meanwhile, Mike Cagney, the company’s co-founder and previous CEO, will continue to serve as e

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  • American Financial Resources announces two executive hires

    American Financial Resources announces two executive hires,Sarah Marx

    Multichannel lender American Financial Resources (AFR) appointed Michael Brenning as its head of production and Brian Collins to the role of executive vice president of capital markets, the company announced Tuesday.Brenning will be responsible for driving loan volume growth and enhancing sales prod

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  • Side’s Hilary Saunders discusses the evolution of brokerage models

    Side’s Hilary Saunders discusses the evolution of brokerage models,Brooklee Han

    Hilary Saunders speaks at The Gathering by HousingWire on Monday, April 22. Photo credit: AJ CanariaHilary Saunders, the co-founder and chief broker officer at Side, sees the current challenges facing the real estate industry as yet another opportunity for brokerage models to further evolve.“I think

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  • Best real estate continuing education schools for quick and easy license renewal in 2024

    Best real estate continuing education schools for quick and easy license renewal in 2024,Sara Stover, Meghan Thibault

    Vetted by HousingWire  |  Our editors independently review the products we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission.Is your license renewal on the horizon? Every 12 years, a cosmic thing happens, and agents in all 50 states come due for their real estate continuing educati

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  • CoStar Group finds success through the sale of Homes.com memberships

    CoStar Group finds success through the sale of Homes.com memberships,Sarah Marx

    CoStar Group reported a strong first quarter of 2024, with its revenue of $656 million marking a 12% increase from the $584 million figure it posted in first-quarter 2023.But the company posted a net profit of only $7 million, significantly less than in previous quarters. This dip can be partly attr

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  • Kevin Sears pulls back the curtain on NAR’s commission lawsuit settlement

    Kevin Sears pulls back the curtain on NAR’s commission lawsuit settlement,Brooklee Han

    Mere hours after news broke that Judge Stephen R. Bough had granted preliminary approval of the National Association of Realtors’ nationwide commission lawsuit settlement agreement, NAR President Kevin Sears took to the stage at HousingWire’s The Gathering to pull back the curtain on how the agreeme

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  • A look back at HousingWire’s 2023 Marketing Leaders

    A look back at HousingWire’s 2023 Marketing Leaders,Lesley Collins

    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 award are open now through April 30th, 2024. Click here to nominate someone.The HousingWire Marketing

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  • FTC bans noncompete clauses nationwide

    FTC bans noncompete clauses nationwide,Chris Clow

    The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on Tuesday a decision to ban noncompetes nationwide, aiming to stop the practice of preventing a worker from immediately joining a rival company.The rule is designed to “[protect] the fundamental freedom of workers to change jobs, increasing innovation, a

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  • New home sales still growing from 2022 lows 

    New home sales still growing from 2022 lows ,Logan Mohtashami

    New home sales have been one of the brighter housing stories since the home sales crash in 2022 — as we can see in the chart below, new home sales have been able to grow since then. This is one reason why the homebuilder stocks have done so well since November of 2022. The mistake some people made h

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  • Guild Mortgage CEO on values, culture and M&A priorities

    Guild Mortgage CEO on values, culture and M&A priorities,Chris Clow

    On Tuesday at The Gathering by HousingWire in Scottsdale, Arizona, Guild Mortgage CEO Terry Schmidt sat down with HousingWire editor in chief Sarah Wheeler to talk about the principles guiding much of the lender’s actions in recruiting, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and overall business outlook.Bui

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  • US Mortgage Corporation committed to reverse channel, new HECM head says

    US Mortgage Corporation committed to reverse channel, new HECM head says,Chris Clow

    New York-based multichannel lender US Mortgage Corporation previously announced that it was renewing its efforts in the reverse mortgage industry, having hired industry veteran Ken Krajewski to serve as managing director and head of reverse mortgage lending.To go deeper into the company’s renewed ef

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  • Labor Department announces new rule to shield retirement savings

    Labor Department announces new rule to shield retirement savings,Chris Clow

    The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on Tuesday announced a new rule that governs retirement advice, requiring more financial advisers to follow stricter fiduciary standards when dispensing advice about retirement-focused investments.The rule is designed to “protect the millions of workers who are sav

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  • loanDepot CEO talks ‘longer and tougher’ mortgage cycle, NAR settlement and cyberattacks 

    loanDepot CEO talks ‘longer and tougher’ mortgage cycle, NAR settlement and cyberattacks ,Flávia Furlan Nunes

    loanDepot CEO Frank Martell expects the current mortgage market cycle to be “longer and tougher than anybody expected.” Adding to this challenge, lenders must deal with an increased risk of cyberattacks, something that loanDepot itself experienced earlier this year. “At least around loanDepot, peopl

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  • Download these 9 real estate prospecting letter templates that actually work

    Download these 9 real estate prospecting letter templates that actually work,Ashley Harwood

    Do you remember the last time you received a letter in the mail, in an envelope, that was hand-addressed to you? People remember snail mail simply because we don’t receive much of it. Emails are easily forgotten, end up in the spam folder, or are never opened at all — but a letter in the mail ensure

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  • 14 powerful tips to master networking as an introvert in real estate

    14 powerful tips to master networking as an introvert in real estate,Ashley Harwood

    Imagine walking into a room teeming with 200 strangers. Scary, right? As an introverted real estate agent and coach, I know firsthand how challenging networking can be. I started Move Over Extroverts to teach other agents how to face their fears and clear this common hurdle. As introverts, being aro

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  • Fintech startup Hitch rolls out white-label HELOC product

    Fintech startup Hitch rolls out white-label HELOC product,Sarah Marx

    New York City-based fintech startup Hitch announced the launch of its Hitch Home Equity White Label program in partnership with United Mortgage Corp. This iteration signals Hitch’s smooth transition from the direct-to-consumer market to a collaborative effort with independent mortgage lenders. Unite

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  • 6 best real estate schools in Washington (WA) for 2024

    6 best real estate schools in Washington (WA) for 2024,Sara Stover

    We’ve researched the best Washington State real estate schools for every budget, schedule, and learning style. From Seattle and Spokane to Redmond and Coastal Washington, our guide will help you choose the best Washington real estate school and course package for your needs. The best real estate cla

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