Scaling from Freelancer to Business Owner

In a positive sign for the economy, headline inflation slowed in February. But the reading alone likely is not enough to break the Federal Open Market Committee out of its wait-and-see mode. View the full article

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employees — most of whom are on administrative leave — were asked in an email to list what they accomplished last week. National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 335 said workers should list all the tasks they were told not to perform. View the full article

Investment properties are the primary properties backing the collateral pool, at 80.3%, while second homes account for 19.7% of the pool. 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

The state bill would also mandate third-party appraisal of properties and offer a three-day window for consumers to withdraw from agreements. View the full article

Ice storms, straight-line winds and tornadoes occur more frequently than hurricanes and earthquakes and those insurance claims can stack substantially. View the full article

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who was named to be acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has told the agency's staff to put a halt to all rules, enforcement actions and hiring. View the full article

The private mortgage insurers reported just 5% less business versus the third quarter and 33% more new insurance written over the fourth quarter 2023. View the full article

The Federal Reserve's preferred measure of underlying inflation remained muted in December and real incomes were soft, which should support further reductions in interest rates this year. View the full article

The Coalition for Financial Ecosystem Standards, a fintech group co-founded by Sima Gandhi, is publishing guidelines for how banks and others can assess them. View the full article

The newly created entity, Rithm Acquisition, is a possible, albeit unlikely, way to finally take its NewRez mortgage lending business public. View the full article

Allegations of gender discrimination and improper loan origination practices against LoanDepot were dismissed on Feb. 7. View the full article

Vista Equity Partners put funds into the regulatory technology firm, which Asurity Technologies has partnered with since 2015. View the full article

Experts said the government-sponsored enterprises could change their tack on some of the innovation seen since the pandemic in loss mitigation, lending and technology. View the full article

Consumers expect prices will climb at an annual rate of 3.5% over the next five to 10 years, according to the final February reading from the University of Michigan. View the full article

As the Federal Reserve's overnight reverse repurchase agreement program nears zero, pressure could mount on the central bank to slow or stop its asset runoff as it fights inflation. View the full article

The 30-year fixed rate mortgage continues to slip away from the 7% mark, Freddie Mac said, but experts still expect them to stay higher for longer. View the full article

For the first time in almost two years, mortgage products available for consumers are at a level established in 2012. View the full article

When a house is lost, so is much of the collateral on the mortgage. Here's how both lenders and homeowners can bounce back. View the full article

Mr. Cooper is set to launch a pilot program by midyear, integrating previously released components into a unified platform. View the full article

West Virginia has the lowest monthly mortgage payment of $1,838. View the full article

The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage of 6.85% is just five basis points lower than the same time last year, following wider swings in the past 12 months. View the full article

The program Better Forever rewards returning mortgage customers by discounting the fee charged on their future refinance or purchase loans. View the full article

The rapid rise in the cost of both insurance coverage and taxes leaves close to half of homeowners worried about their ability to make payments. 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