Cincinnati-based First Financial Bank has agreed to direct $2.4 billion in the next five years for lending and investments to low- and moderate-income (LMI) clients and census tracts, with 30% of the total tied to mortgage lending. The initiative is part of a community benefits agreement with the Na

The U.S. housing market has reached its least affordable point in decades and housing agencies have increasingly rolled out homebuyer assistance programs to tackle this issue.A total of 135 new homebuyer assistance programs were introduced in 2023, a 6% increase over the previous year. This brought

Ready to launch your real estate career in Utah? You’ll need to complete a 120-hour approved course and sit the state licensing exam to become a real estate agent in Utah. We’ve researched the top Utah real estate schools to find the best online programs for your prelicensing education, with various

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced on Monday that it will distribute $3.16 billion in homelessness aid to communities across the country through its Continuum of Care program, which is designed to provide housing assistance and/or support services to people experien

Homebuyers are getting some relief in 2024 as mortgage rates recede from their 20-year high point of last October.A homebuyer with a $3,000 monthly budget has gained nearly $40,000 in purchasing power since October, according to a new Redfin report. Indeed, with a 6.7% mortgage rate, the prospective

Most economists forecast mortgage rates to decline in 2024, stoking optimism about the housing market.According to the newest Bloomberg Markets Live Pulse Survey (MLIV Pulse), the rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage will fall to 5.5% by the end of this year. Most forecasts call for rates to bounce wi

Despite looking a bit different at the end of 2023, there were a lot of similarities in the full-year Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM)-backed securities (HMBS) issuance tables when compared to recent years. One thing that is much different compared to 2022, however, is total issuance.Here are

Three years into its controversial ultimatum, United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) continues to engage in legal battles with its broker partners selling loans to rivals Rocket Mortgage and Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. UWM on Thursday when filed a lawsuit in a U.S. district court in Michigan against

After nearly three years of doom and gloom in the mortgage industry, housing experts — including Fannie Mae economists — are expecting interest rates to ease.While Fannie Mae expects mortgage rates to drop to below 6% by the end of this year, the government-sponsored enterprise also forecasts that i

Referral business is crucial to your bottom line as an agent. Imagine if you could bottle the enthusiasm your clients have for working with you and use it to capture new business in 2024. That’s where real estate testimonials come into play. In this article, we’ll show how to procure top-notch clien

The National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA) announced that it will return to the Western U.S. for its 2024 annual meeting, which will take place slightly earlier in the year than usual, according to a member alert.The 2024 NRMLA Annual Meeting and Expo will be held Sept. 24-26 at the H

Last week, the National Association of Realtors released their December pending sales data. The headline was an impressive 8% jump over December of 2022. If you’ve been following along with the Altos data, you’ll know that home sales have been expanding for two months now. They obviously picked up i

Housing demand is up and it’s time to track the spring housing data and see what the selling season will bring. As I always stress, we are working from the lowest bar ever with demand, so let’s add historical context to the data. But, even with mortgage rates higher this year than last year, demand

Sparks and personal insults flew between Anthony Lamacchia, the broker-owner of Lamacchia Realty, and Michael Ketchmark, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs in the Sitzer-Burnett commission lawsuit, during their virtual debate hosted by HousingWire on Friday afternoon.The hourlong debate began with

Vetted by HousingWire  |  Our editors independently review the products we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission.We’ve all heard the news: over 60,000 real estate agents left the profession in the first half of 2023. This exodus left many brokerages scrambling to replac

There were a total of 361 consumer complaints submitted to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) related to the reverse mortgage industry during the calendar year 2023, according to a consumer complaint database maintained by the Bureau.Of those complaints, 167 had to do with “trouble duri

A Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-sponsored Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) requires a borrower to be at or over the age of 62 to qualify for a loan, making baby boomers most of the new qualifying candidates for a HECM.A new report from Construction Coverage sourced by its researchers an

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued a management alert this week, saying that the department has struggled to identify and prevent “improper payments” related to its programs for 11 consecutive years.The OIG advised HUD leadership t

The past three years in the mortgage industry were cutthroat, with origination volume shrinking, and while things are looking better for 2024, lenders are still in a position where they must make bold moves to stem losses on the production side of the business, according to a report from Stratmor Gr