Scaling from Freelancer to Business Owner

The ongoing government shutdown prevented the Bureau of Labor Statistics from releasing its September jobs report Friday, but job growth appears to be softening. The lack of reliable government data comes as the Federal Reserve mulls further interest rate cuts. View the full article

Robert Hartheimer's arrest comes at a time when the bank is trying to recover from a consent order and the Synapse mess. View the full article

A former employee cited a ransomware gang's claim in October that it stole 20 terabytes of sensitive customer information from the industry vendor. View the full article

The lawsuit is the latest scrutiny over personnel moves this year at the companies under the purview of U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte. View the full article

The Department of Government Ethics on Saturday released financial disclosures for former Federal Reserve Gov. Adriana Kugler, showing she had executed several individual stock trades in 2024, including during Fed blackout periods, an apparent violation of Fed ethics rules. The Federal Reserve Inspector General has launched an investigation. View the full article

Calabria left the free-market think tank Cato Institute and is said to be at the Office of Management and Budget, reviewing multiple agencies. View the full article

Alanna McCargo said her return comes at a time when there are "significant policy challenges ahead for affordability, community investment and inclusive finance." View the full article

The former American Fidelity Financial Services LO helped others scam homeowners out of their loan proceeds for shoddy or nonexistent home repairs. View the full article

Banks and credit unions are pairing AI-driven efficiency with stable staffing and cross-training to scale mortgage production as originations rebound and technology expands capacity. View the full article

Mortgage companies see a lending future backed by artificial intelligence, but there may be as many questions as answers to what the path might look like. View the full article

Lenders recognize the value of regular review of the tech stack, but their approach needs to involve year-round check-ins and conversations with vendors. View the full article

The Treasury Department told the OMB that all 11 programs in the CDFI Fund are statutorily mandated. The White House said "no final decisions have been made" about the programs. View the full article

Small business owners will be given the option to tap into anywhere from $50,000 to $500,000 in financing. View the full article

A bill being introduced by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., would compel the Federal Home Loan Bank system to contribute 30%, or a minimum of $200 million, of each bank's net earnings into affordable housing or other community development programs. View the full article

The bill, offered by Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Todd Young, R-Ind., would allow Federal Home Loan Bank members to establish tax-exempt community infrastructure development bonds. View the full article

House Financial Services Committee ranking member Maxine Waters, D-Calif., asked bank regulators to give banks the supervisory clearance to extend lines of credit and modify loan terms for federal employees furloughed after the government shut down last week. View the full article

The impact of tariff policy on the mortgage-backed securities market is likely to surface first in the cost of new housing construction. View the full article

A recent letter addressed to the FHFA fueled a consumer advocacy group to look at salaries, which have been criticized as not aligned to the system's purpose. View the full article

The unexpected drop to the slowest pace in seven months was driven by ongoing affordability constraints and is a lackluster start to the Spring selling season. View the full article

Contract closings in January decreased 4.9% to an annualized rate of 4.08 million, data released Friday by the National Association of Realtors show. View the full article

Contract closings fell 0.2% last month to an annualized rate of 4 million, according to National Association of Realtors figures released Thursday. View the full article

Existing-home sales in the US barely rose in November, as a recent moderation in price growth and mortgage rates motivated buyers at the margin. View the full article

Sales of previously owned US homes fell in March by the most since 2022 as buyers remained constrained by high mortgage rates and prices. View the full article

Contract closings increased 1.7% to a 4.09 million annualized rate, according to National Association of Realtors data released Tuesday. View the full article