Last year marked the 10th consecutive year of population declines for Illinois. According to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, the state lost 32,826 residents from July 2022 to July 2023.Despite the population decline, Illinois’ housing market remains relatively strong. The state has an Altos R

Home prices increased in the fourth quarter of 2023 as mortgage rates declined. More than  85% of U.S. metro markets analyzed registered home price increases, up from 82% in the previous quarter, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR).Among the 221 metro areas studied,

E-signature company DocuSign laid off 6% of its workforce, or about 400 employees, following reports that the fintech company’s talks in exploring a sale have stalled.A majority of the impacted positions came from the company’s sales and marketing organizations, the company said. DocuSign had 7,336

This week, Mortgage Cadence announced that it had appointed longtime reverse mortgage industry professional George Morales to serve on its sales team. The company is aiming to bring more reverse mortgage technology solutions to potential partners already in the industry and those that have yet to en

When creating retirement plans, people often consider their investments and other financial assets when determining the future course to take, but they rarely consider what is often their most valuable asset: their home.This is according to Steve Resch, vice president of retirement strategies at Fin

Minnesota-based real estate investment trust Two Harbors has hired industry veteran Kyle Kilpatrick to lead its newly created mortgage originations division, which is part of the company’s strategy to retain borrowers from its servicing portfolio when interest rates drop.“He has experience building

Many factors prompt homeowners to relocate — and local laws and politics are increasingly among them. About one-third (32%) of real estate agents report having worked with at least one client who wanted to move for political reasons, according to a new Redfin report. Typically, housing affordability

Longtime reverse mortgage industry professional Bruce Simmons of American Liberty Mortgage in the Denver area has long used radio as both an educational and marketing tool for prospective reverse mortgage clients.Having endured many of the same business challenges in 2023 as other industry participa

The Administration for Community Living (ACL), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced this week the publication of a final rule that will update regulations for implementing programs under the Older Americans Act (OAA). One of the intentions of the rule is to

Less than a year after coming to the rescue of Signature Bank during the market turmoil of March 2023, New York Community Bancorp (NYCB) faces a confidence crisis due to its exposure to commercial real estate loans. The stress is leading to the bank to seek the sale of some of its assets to improve

U.S. home prices posted their highest yearly rate of appreciation since January 2023, reaching 5.5% year over year in December, according to CoreLogic’s Home Price Index. Home prices declined by 0.1% compared to November 2023. Price appreciation slowed greatly over the past year to 3.9%, down from 1

The Fannie Mae February Selling Guide has a series of updates, including the expansion of value acceptance and property data appraisal waivers to condominiums, cash-out refinance allowances for manufactured homes, and updates to credit references and certain definitions.Following up on a March 2023

The Underserved Mortgage Markets Coalition (UMMC), a coalition of 32 housing groups initially convened by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, published a report on Wednesday that recommended actions for the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.Described as a “blueprin

Independent mortgage lender Embrace Home Loans has promoted Ryan “Buddy” Hardiman to the position of president, the company announced on Wednesday. Before the promotion, Hardiman served as the company’s senior vice president of retail and direct sales for more than four years. In his new role, Hardi

The late January auction of iconic Hamptons estate ‘La Dune’ marked the first time a property was included in an art auction at Sotheby’s. The $88.48 million winning bid on ‘La Dune’ also made the estate the most valuable property ever auctioned live at Sotheby’s.‘La Dune’ was included in Sotheby’s

New York-based Rithm Capital posted a profit in 2023, a year marked by several acquisitions that turned the company into a leading global asset manager. In the mortgage space, the parent of multichannel lender Newrez earned most of its profits from the servicing business. Lower interest rates, howev

The data is clear: aging in place is a clear preference for many older Americans making plans for how their later years will play out. But a lot of people approaching these ages may not know the best ways they can make their homes more accommodating for natural changes that come with aging, accordin

The elevated interest rate environment has brought an old product, the assumable mortgage, back into fashion. But a landscape of strict regulations, product limitations and operational inefficiencies hamper its widespread adoption.Assumable mortgages remain a niche market compared to new mortgage is

Real estate investment management firm Pretium Partners has raised nearly $1 billion for a new fund dedicated to acquiring built-to-rent (BTR) homes, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. The company led by former Goldman Sachs partner Don Mullen also said in a statement that it has now invested a total of