Contracts, Invoices & Legal

The Justice Department subpoenaed a key witness in the case, questioning the conduct of Bill Pulte and Ed Martin. View the full article

The Department of Justice has filed a motion opposing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employee union's appeal of an August DC Circuit ruling allowing the administration to fire up to 90% of the agency's workforce. View the full article

The Department of Justice said in a court filing Friday that a February stop-work order from acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director Russell Vought did not entail stopping statutorily-mandated work by the bureau, defying earlier testimony. View the full article

A federal court cannot modify a preliminary injunction to compel the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to request funding for the agency, the Department of Justice said. View the full article

The Public Interest Law Center filed an amicus curiae brief arguing against a joint motion to end a redlining agreement early against Lakeland Bank. View the full article

The Department of Justice told a court that the bureau cannot legally request funding from the Federal Reserve System, arguing that the Fed has not turned a profit since 2022 and thus cannot fund the CFPB. View the full article

Recent double-pledging scandals in auto lending and the U.K. put U.S. mortgage lenders on alert. Here's what to watch and how MERS, e-notes and electronic vaults can help. View the full article

Doug Duncan may be retired from Fannie Mae, but not from the housing market—his new firm is ramping up with writing, speaking, and advisory work. View the full article

The judge's order allows potentially thousands of consumers to join the lawsuit against the company, similar to other fights between borrowers and servicers. View the full article

In dollar terms, the amounts consumers had to come up with increased by $500 on a consecutive quarter basis, in contrast to a $100 drop the year before. View the full article

This year it took a homebuyer seven years to save for a typical down payment on a house, compared with 12, according to Realtor.com. View the full article

The homebuilder and lender DHI Mortgage, in responding to a RICO suit, say they clearly informed buyers of potential property tax hikes on their newly built homes. View the full article

The builder's lending unit bought servicing and secondary market approvals that weren't part of Guild's previous acquisition of CCM's production and branding. View the full article

The homebuilder agreed to acquire Alliant National in a transaction announced last October, with this deal closing after the Cherry Creek mortgage purchase. View the full article

Dream Finders Homes made its intentions public in an effort to push for shareholder approval following Beazer's rejection of two prior offers. View the full article

The builder reported increased revenue from a year ago, with profits near par, as it sets to absorb new acquisitions across different lines of business. View the full article

Research from Andrew Davidson claims a significant number of mortgage borrowers would have a wide variance in credit score if less than three pulls are used. View the full article

Getting settlement agents and other stakeholders involved was a challenge, but e-note use has finally become routine for some mortgage lenders buying loans. View the full article

Tariff and layoff worries are leading some to reconsider pending deals, but a surplus of existing homes now has other buyers backing out as well, Redfin said. View the full article

Housing affordability will improve by 3% next year, according to First American's September Real House Price Index. View the full article

A March 2025 survey by the National Association for Business Economics shows growing inflation concerns — and a diminishing chance of rate cuts — in 2025, but also optimism about avoiding a recession. View the full article

The survey, taken before Pres. The President's $200 billion MBS buy demand, finds panelists worried over inflation, but also see employment as the larger downside risk. View the full article

Employers hired an additional 115,000 workers in April, while unemployment remained unchanged at 4.3%. Despite the positive headline figure, a spike in newly unemployed workers and a rising number of underemployed workers suggests instability under the surface. View the full article

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the economy lost 92,000 jobs in February while unemployment held steady at 4.4%, a development that could spur the Federal Reserve to question whether interest rates are truly in balance. View the full article