Contracts, Invoices & Legal

President The President wants the two government-sponsored loan buyers to help speed lower-cost home creation and their oversight agency's director is following up. View the full article

Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr said in a speech Thursday that he fears the gradual pace of price increases from tariffs being passed on to consumers may prolong the one-time inflationary effect of the tariffs to the point where it affects consumers' inflation expectations. View the full article

Total mortgage origination volume is forecasted to barely eclipse $2 trillion by the end of the year for the first time since 2022, iEmergent said. View the full article

The regulator recently nixed Obama and Biden-era guidance for the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity and apparently reduced staff. View the full article

The housing agency director told Sen. Cortez Masto a Federal Home Loan Bank reform review is ongoing and took issue with Sen. Warren's inquiries about meeting transparency. View the full article

The San Francisco-based banking giant reported a 9% annual jump in quarterly profits. It also made official its appointment of CEO Charlie Scharf as chairman. View the full article

Federal Reserve Governor Stephan Miran said the economic standoff with China could increase market volatility, further necessitating the central bank to move its policy stance to neutral. View the full article

A federal judge in San Francisco ordered a temporary halt to reduction in force orders issued by the Office of Management and Budget during the government shutdown, while OMB Director Russell Vought has said he expects to lay off more than 10,000 federal workers. View the full article

The head of the government-sponsored enterprises' oversight agency also asked existing investors to review risk factors as officials eye a new public offering. View the full article

Fathom Holdings acquired START Real Estate to expand its first-time homebuyer program, the company announced Thursday. View the full article

The Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank reported net income of $1.45 billion for the third quarter and earnings per share of $1.04, which beat analysts' forecast of $0.99 per share. View the full article

The rollout comes as the company looks to build out offerings for originators, launching after PHH returned to the proprietary reverse-mortgage arena this year. View the full article

The state court seemed open to a narrower view of the legal applicability to loans predating the statute than of broad constitutional challenges to it. View the full article

Kin, a direct-to-consumer insurance provider, has started a mortgage broker in Florida which also takes loan applications through a call center or online. View the full article

Decreased homeowner equity corresponds to recent declining prices reported by leading housing researchers, but tappable amounts still sit near record highs. View the full article

The mortgage unit of Hilltop Holdings lost $7.2 million pretax in the third quarter with lower volume, following making a small profit three months prior. View the full article

Lenders and investors say the new rules will increase the cost of financing and limit homeowners' access to equity by curbing the enforceability of contracts. View the full article

While Rocket Mortgage's satisfaction score improved by 4% versus 2024, the industry as a whole dropped 1%, with credit unions outpacing banks and IMBs. View the full article

The Federal Open Market Committee is expected to announce guidance on the end of its quantitative tightening program later Wednesday. As that process draws to a close, experts are questioning when and how the central bank should use its balance sheet to smooth economic stress in the future. View the full article

Rocket Companies lost $124 million on a GAAP basis, but its management celebrated milestones regarding its Redfin and Mr. Cooper acquisitions. View the full article

Vic Lombardo, new head of mortgage services, has identified growth ideas and new revenue streams for Motto Mortgage and Wemlo, Remax CEO Erik Carlson said. View the full article

Most of the pool of 1,011 residential mortgages, 69.7%, are considered non-prime mortgages, primarily due to the documentation and styles of underwriting. View the full article

Private-sector payrolls increased by 42,000 after a revised 29,000 decline a month earlier, according to ADP Research data released Wednesday. View the full article

Industry professionals shared stories of homeowners looking to get out and investors pausing deals, while others cautioned a wait-and-see approach. View the full article

In markets across the US, homebuilders sitting on unsold inventory are subsidizing mortgage rates so heavily they sometimes match the record lows last seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. View the full article