Fidelity CEO says federal government’s title insurance proposals are ’misguided’

Despite persistently high interest rates, big four title firm Fidelity National Financial recorded a much stronger start to 2024 than it did a year ago.In first-quarter 2024, Fidelity reported total revenue of $3.299 billion, up from $2.474 billion a year ago. Its net earnings were $248 million, com
Read MorePeak homebuying season is clouded by mixed signals

As the U.S. hits peak homebuying season, the signals across the country are mixed at best as some markets are accelerating while others are slowing quickly. Inventory continues to build at the national level, something that’s happening most rapidly in the South. Home sales continue to run just a li
Read MoreSecond-home mortgage market slumped in 2023: Redfin

In 2023, home purchases slowed across the board due to low levels of inventory, high mortgage rates and soaring home prices. Simultaneously, the appetite for second homes also diminished substantially. Nationwide, 90,772 mortgages for second homes were originated in 2023, down 40% from a year earlie
Read MoreFormer Norcom reverse mortgage team moving to Supreme Lending

The former reverse mortgage team from Norcom Mortgage in Avon, Connecticut — which elected not to move to CMG Financial following its acquisition of Norcom last month — has selected Texas-based Supreme Lending as its new home, with John Luddy serving as SVP of reverse lending. He begins in the role
Read MoreSocial Security Administration updates SSI program to expand access

The Social Security Administration (SSA) late last week announced that it is making changes to the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefit program. Notably, it is expanding the definition of a “public assistance household” to those receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) paymen
Read MoreGuaranteed Rate expands its Community Engagement Initiative

Chicago-based mortgage lender Guaranteed Rate rolled out the second wave of its Community Engagement Initiative, the company announced on Monday. Launched in 2023, the program aims to improve funded loan volumes in underserved communities nationwide. “Traditional lending practices have overlooked Bl
Read MoreTrade groups express concern to FHFA over historic credit data

A coalition of trade organizations — including the American Bankers Association (ABA), the Housing Policy Council (HPC), the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) and U.S. Mortgage Insurers — sent a letter on Monday to the Federal Housing Finance Age
Read MoreUWM’s Agnes Standowicz on leadership strategy and harnessing technology

The HousingWire award spotlight series highlights the individuals and organizations that have been recognized through our Editors’ Choice Awards. Nominations for HousingWire’s 2024 Women of Influence award are open now through May 31, 2024. Click here to nominate someone.HousingWire’s Women of Influ
Read MoreRocket settles fair lending case on tribal lands

Rocket Mortgage, the third largest U.S. mortgage lender, has entered into a conciliation agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to resolve allegations of discriminatory housing practices, the parties announced on Monday. The complaint filed by a couple alleges that
Read MoreWhere real estate agents can find listings today

Inventory is still low and that’s exactly why it’s important to target the sellers who are more likely to move. This increases your chance of listing opportunities. I suggest finding at least one new opportunity from the list shared below. Perfect your process. Then choose another! To find the listi
Read MoreEasyKnock acquires home equity investment company HomePace

Residential sale-leaseback platform EasyKnock has acquired the assets of home equity investment firm HomePace, the company exclusively told HousingWire on Monday. Goodwin Procter, a global law firm, acted as legal adviser for the deal, but further terms were not disclosed.HomePace, founded in 2020,
Read MoreNew Zillow Home Loans tool addresses home buyers' biggest concern: affordability

Are mortgage rates about to fall?

Mortgage rates and the bond market have fallen a bit recently and the spreads betweenthe 10-year yield and 30-year mortgage rate have improved over last year’s levels. In the past two years, demand has always picked up whenever mortgage rates have moved lower with some duration. Even last week, purc
Read MoreBetter taps Chad Smith as new president and COO

Holding company Better Home & Finance hired Chad Smith to be the president and chief operating officer of its mortgage business, it announced on Friday. Kevin Ryan, who previously held the position of president, will continue serving the company as chief financial officer. Before joining Better, ind
Read MoreAssumable mortgage platform Roam partners with national lender on down payment assistance

New York-based assumable mortgage platform Roam rolled out a new partnership with national lender Spring EQ to provide second-lien loans to Roam customers, the company announced on Thursday. The new service, Roam Boost, will cater to people with credit scores of at least 640 and down payments of at
Read MoreRental properties can help agents build a sphere of influence

In the competitive world of real estate, where countless sources offer strategies to help agents generate more leads and drive business growth, a simple but often overlooked method stands out: rental properties.According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent Rental Housing Finance Survey, there ar
Read MoreThe month in reverse mortgage rates: May 2024

In March, we explored the difference between Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) “expected rates” and “note rates” and why most reverse mortgages depend on these two interest rates. In April, we specifically focused on expected rates. We showed that when expected rates increase and round up to th
Read MoreDeSantis stamps changes to reverse mortgage tax requirements in Florida

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill into law this week that changes certain requirements for the state’s reverse mortgage borrowers, a move that the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA) says could save money on closing costs.The new law, House Bill (HB) 7073, changes the way
Read MoreNAR board votes to leave dues unchanged in 2025

The National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) board of directors voted to leave member dues unchanged in 2025. The vote occurred Thursday during the final day of NAR’s midyear conference, the Realtors Legislative Meetings, according to Inman, which first reported the story.During the meeting, NAR’s bo
Read MoreAhead of trial date in HMDA case, Freedom Mortgage and CFPB face hurdles

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Freedom Mortgage were handed minor setbacks by the presiding and magistrate judges, respectively, in a case that the regulator brought in widespread violations in its 2020 submission of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data. The development was
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