Scaling from Freelancer to Business Owner

House Financial Services Committee ranking member Maxine Waters, D-Calif., led a group of Democrats in challenging Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent over the current state of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. View the full article

The new affiliate, NAF Insurance Services, is teaming up with The Baldwin Group to offer a range of coverage from more than 50 carriers nationwide. View the full article

The $1.15 billion agreement earmarked for general corporate purposes can increase to $2.25 billion pending the lender's acquisition of Mr. Cooper. View the full article

The deal was highly vetted with regulators following the publicly traded company's failure to obtain approval in a past agreement, an executive said. View the full article

The 250 top mortgage originators in 2025 brought in high volumes despite less than ideal conditions. Check back in the following days for the top 50 and the final full list, with further cuts of the data to be published thereafter. View the full article

Measures of current sales of single-family homes and prospective-buyer traffic, dropped to their lowest levels since the end of 2023. View the full article

Robert Wagnon is retiring and sold his 75% share to long-time mortgage executive Andrina Valdes, while Paulina McGrath remains as co-owner and president. View the full article

The trend is not the norm but there are growing opportunities to buy for less in some areas many people gravitate to, real-estate brokerage Redfin found. View the full article

The wholesale lender dubbed the development a "huge win" for itself and the broker community. View the full article

Learn how bridge loans and hard money loans work, their pros and cons, and discover which option suits your needs. View the full article

Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr — who recently stepped down as the central bank's vice chair for supervision — urged banks and regulators to use emerging technologies to keep pace with bad actors. View the full article

Longbridge Financial's Christopher Mayer discusses the mortgage industry's opportunities in today's market and its shortcomings when serving older Americans. View the full article

David Spector, the firm's CEO, touted Pennymac's technology, consistency and support for the broker channel. View the full article

Only 20% of the Top Producers in the National Mortgage News survey were under 40, while almost half were between 41 and 50, and 30% even older. View the full article

The company reported a profitable first quarter and called for loosened regulation to bring more private capital into home finance in its latest earnings call. View the full article

Completed foreclosure sales reach their highest level since the second quarter of 2023, with a 20% quarter-to-quarter increase, Auction.com said. View the full article

Digital Insurance spoke with Jonathan Collura, president and CEO of Specialty Risk RE, about how reinsurers could stabilize the home insurance market in areas affected by natural disasters. View the full article

The International Monetary Fund lowered its economic growth projections for 2025, citing policy uncertainty. It also urged central banks to stand ready to use macroprudential tools to facilitate lending in a potential recession. View the full article

Government-backed lending drove an increase in purchase mortgages for a second straight week, even as interest rates failed to drive refinance activity. View the full article

Here's what mortgage professionals should know about Rocket's rebranding, its $1.75B play for Redfin, dropped CFPB lawsuit and more. View the full article

In a paper, former central bank researchers make the case that the Federal Reserve could better support the Treasury market from disruptions in the cash-futures basis trade by hedging its asset purchases. View the full article

Equifax Inc.'s first-quarter profit beat estimates, although the credit-reporting agency declined to raise its guidance, citing the tariff-induced uncertainty in the economy and falling consumer confidence. View the full article

The state has largely solved for the industry's biggest concerns but the broader secondary mortgage market could still have some additional responsibilities. View the full article

Housing starts in the US fell in March by the most in a year, as weak demand from high prices and mortgage rates gives builders little confidence to break ground. View the full article