Scaling from Freelancer to Business Owner

The number of homes with default notices, scheduled auctions or bank repossessions last month was down from January but up 20% from a year ago. View the full article

Housing starts increased 7.2% to an annual pace of 1.49 million homes in January, according to government figures out Thursday. View the full article

While federal examination and investigative activity has all but stopped, the regulator is still providing regulatory guidance to the industry. View the full article

Agency MBS investors have had limited information about primary loans coexisting with home equity products, and may want to get more now, according to Experian. View the full article

A near-record share of homeowners unable to sell their properties are renting them out instead, with "accidental landlords" accounting for 2.3% of listed rental stock in October, per Zillow data. View the full article

Residents in more than half of U.S. counties need greater than one-third of income to successfully manage major housing costs, according to new Attom research. View the full article

Radian Group was looking to sell the aggregator, along with its title and real estate units, following a business model pivot related to the Inigo buy. View the full article

Some of the best mortgage companies to work for discuss how they incorporate community service in their plans and the resulting business and personnel benefits. View the full article

The increase in borrowing costs coincides with a sharp rise in the 10-year US Treasury yield, which is correlated with mortgage rates, as war with Iran disrupted oil flows and sparked concerns about inflation. View the full article

On an adjusted basis, reverse mortgage company Finance of America reported $14 million in net income, down from $33 million in the third quarter. View the full article

CEO Anthony Hsieh said refinances should provide notable benefit to its direct lending unit a day after LoanDepot announced a return to the wholesale channel. View the full article

Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould said that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency would continue to pursue its view on federal preemption of state banking policy in court and in Congress. View the full article

Civil rights groups object to a $68 million settlement between the Department of Justice and Colony Ridge Development in Texas, calling the deal a sham for funneling $20 million into immigration enforcement and surveillance of victims. View the full article

Nonagency underwriting is expanding but the public sector is a different story due to recent performance issues, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. View the full article

UWM raised its Q1 and full-year 2026 revenue guidance ahead of Two Harbors' March 16 shareholder vote, citing AI efficiency gains, amid stock volatility since the merger announcement. View the full article

Several mortgage wholesale and partnership channel announcements came out coincidentally following loanDepot's return to the broker channel. View the full article

PHH Mortgage's new name comes after a recent sale of reverse lending assets and also arrives less than two years after Onity Group itself rebranded. 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

The offering marks a fresh attempt by Ackman to bring his long-term investment strategy to a broader base of investors, with a vision inspired by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. View the full article

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell below 6% at the end of last month for the first time since 2022, bringing purchase borrowers back to the market. View the full article

Mortgage servicing rights are one of the most notoriously volatile assets in financial markets. The Federal Reserve's plan to loosen their capital treatment could foretell major problems in the future. View the full article

Former CEO Michael Strauss, who's left a wake of debts in New York, has no assets of value for plaintiffs to recover even if they secured default judgment. View the full article

Surveyed employees at top mortgage companies say pay is solid: 83% feel fairly compensated, with bonuses, benefits, and flexible options helping recognize hard work. View the full article

In the highest-priced housing markets, some buyers see adjustable-rate mortgages as the only loan they may initially qualify for, Cotality found. View the full article

San Francisco-based Anthropic is challenging a decision by the department and other federal agencies like the Federal Housing Finance Agency to shift their AI work to other providers. View the full article