With an epic snowstorm hitting large areas of the U.S. recently, I expected housing data to take a hit after the solid start we had already seen in 2026, but it remained mostly positive, which surprised me. The big key to that, of course, is that mortgage rates, even with all the crazy headlines rec

A new WalletHub study compares all 50 states to identify where retirees may find the most favorable balance of affordability and quality of life — with Wyoming taking the top spot. The analysis highlights wide disparities between states, with some offering budgets that stretch much further than othe

The House of Representatives approved legislation last week to bolster customer service efforts at the Social Security Administration (SSA), advancing a broader funding package aimed at avoiding a government shutdown at the end of this month. Lawmakers paired the funding increase with oversight requ

Austin Niemiec will take the helm of Rocket Pro following the departure of Dan Sogorka, according to people familiar with the transition who spoke to HousingWire. Niemiec will retain his title as chief revenue officer of Rocket Mortgage but will focus exclusively on the broker and correspondent chan

There’s a version of this market where “buying sales” becomes the default operating system for nearly everyone. When that happens, the question stops being whether incentives rise. They do. The real question becomes: who has the operational and balance-sheet self-control to decide where to lean in—a

A Zillow spokesperson has confirmed to HousingWire that the real estate listing portal giant has terminated approximately 200 employees or roughly 3% of the firm’s total workforce in recent weeks. The company confirmed that the cuts were widespread throughout the company and not concentrated to any

Two South Carolina-based Christie’s International Real Estate affiliates are teaming up to form a joint venture and launch the brand’s first Charleston, S.C.-based operation. The firm announced the launch of IndigoOak Christie’s International Real Estate on Thursday.  The new affiliate is the result

Utah lawmakers opened their 2026 legislative agenda with a proposal to revive a once-bedrock fixture of the American Dream of homeownership: starter homes. By streamlining permit approvals and rezoning for smaller property lots, Beehive State legislators will try to pry open a path to first-time hom

State regulators and consumer advocates are pushing back against two proposals from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) that would expand banks’ authority over escrow accounts and assert that federal law preempts state rules that govern these accounts. In a joint letter, the Conferen

Mortgage lenders are seeing loan defects stabilize after several volatile years, but shifts in interest rates and loan volumes continue to expose weaknesses in quality control (QC), according to ACES Quality Management CEO Trevor Gauthier and chief operating officer Phil McCall. In an interview with

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President Donald Trump announced on Thursday evening that he will name his choice for the next Federal Reserve chair on Friday morning. At publication time, prediction sites Polymarket and Kalshi had Kevin Warsh as the frontrunner, putting his odds of being chosen at more than 85%, which sent the 10

PennyMac Financial Services reported its full-year and fourth-quarter 2025 earnings on Thursday, telling investors and analysts that higher mortgage production helped offset pressure on servicing income from increased prepayment activity. The California-based company posted a solid quarter and a str

A headwinds-meets-crosswinds housing market buffets homebuilding business leaders as 2026’s spring selling stretch lies just ahead. Almost in everything, everywhere and all at once, homebuilding firms are buying sales, trying not to be among those whose inventory ages on the vine. An outlying knack

After over two decades at Douglas Elliman, Raphael De Niro and his team are making the move to Brown Harris Stevens.  The New York City-based De Niro Team, which consists of De Niro and eight other agents, closed 14 transaction sides for a total of $52.12 million in sales volume in 2024 according to

The class-action lawsuit filed this week against Rocket Companies and its subsidiaries, which alleges violations of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), has drawn heightened attention from the mortgage industry as a wave of mergers and acquisitions accelerates the push toward verticall

M/I Homes’ Q4 2025 earnings call this week peeled back details on how one of the nation’s top-20 homebuilding enterprises will lean into a contrarian, spec-heavy strategy. Based on the firm’s geographical footprint, product set and construction operational efficiencies, M/I executives are betting a

Propy — a tech company using artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain to automate real estate closings — announced it has secured a $100 million credit facility from Metropolitan Partners Group. Financing will be used to consolidate title and escrow companies into an AI-powered, end-to-end closin

Paul Fiore enjoys taking on new challenges, something he’s done before during a lengthy stint at American Advisors Group (AAG) and pit stops at Finance of America and Smartfi Home Loans. Fiore’s reverse mortgage industry journey took another turn recently after he joined California-headquartered Hig

Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group on Thursday announced the appointment of Robyn Zacharias as chief marketing officer. Zacharias, who brings 30-plus years of marketing and advertising leadership to the company, will oversee the company’s marketing, brand and communications strategy. “Robyn is a proven lea