Wed.Apr 24, 2024

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DOJ charges one of America’s top LOs in alleged mortgage fraud scheme

Housing Wire

Two former New Jersey -based mortgage loan originators have been charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey according to an announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger. Christopher Gallo has been noted as a top-producing loan originator, at one point being Scotsman Guide ‘s fourth-ranked LO in the country.

Mortgage 543
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What’s the Deal with Short Term Rentals?

Appraisal Buzz

Today, host Hal Humphreys chats with Jason Ferris, MAI, SRA and owner of Bell Ferris, Inc. Ferris discusses his background in the industry and his experience with Short Term Rentals. It seems like bringing up Short Term Rental valuation is the quickest way to start a fight on social media. Why is there such wild variance of opinions on how to handle these?

Valuation 368
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Technology’s role in rental property investment market

Housing Wire

The rental segment has been marked by strong demand and looks to continue on this trajectory given mortgage rates that continue to hover around 7% and record property prices across many U.S. regions. In spite of some slowdown, rents have continued to appreciate, being nearly 30% higher than prior to the pandemic, with February levels up 3.5% as compared to the previous year.

Investing 476
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Mortgage Applications Fell Last Week as 30-Year Increased to an Average 7.24 Percent

Appraisal Buzz

Mortgage application volume decreased 2.7% during the week ended April 19, as the average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage increased to 7.24%, up from 7.13% the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey. Applications for refinances decreased 6% compared with the previous week but were up 3% compared with the same week one year ago.

Mortgage 367
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In its war on ‘junk fees,’ CFPB targets mortgage servicing

Housing Wire

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on Wednesday released a new edition of its Supervisory Highlights publication, which includes the agency’s actions to combat what it calls “ junk fees charged by mortgage servicers , as well as other illegal practices.” Examinations conducted by the bureau found mortgage servicers levied charges it deems “illegal,” including prohibited property inspection fees, the issuance of “deceptive” notices to borrowers, and violations of loss-mitigation rule

Mortgage 476
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The insurance crisis is affecting the housing market

Sacramento Appraisal Blog

Insurance has been a glaring mess in California, and it’s really starting to affect the housing market. Today, I want to share some things I’m hearing from the real estate community after asking for feedback on my social channels about home and fire insurance. The goal is to give some perspective and advice to sellers […] The post The insurance crisis is affecting the housing market first appeared on Sacramento Appraisal Blog.

Insurance 343

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Zillow CEO: ‘Keep your head down and deliver for your customers’

Real Estate News

At the T3 Leadership Summit, Rich Barton discussed what’s in store for Zillow and the industry — and encouraged the audience to “resist the urge to chaos.

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HUD aims to help protect communities from extreme heat

Housing Wire

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Wednesday announced new initiatives to bolster community protections against severe heat, an issue that has become more common nationwide. “For the first time in its history, HUD published a webpage on Extreme Heat that serves as a hub highlighting actions communities can take to prepare and respond to extreme heat events and available resources to help fund climate resilience projects,” the department said.

Insurance 465
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Tech Bytes: T3 Sixty announces Fusion Website Award finalists

Real Estate News

Awards recognize residential real estate brokerage sites for excellence in website design, functionality and performance.

Brokerage 279
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Figure names Michael Tannenbaum as CEO

Housing Wire

Figure Technology Solutions , the parent company of Figure Lending LLC , named Michael Tannenbaum as its new CEO, the company announced on Tuesday. Tannenbaum will also be a member of the board of directors. Meanwhile, Mike Cagney, the company’s co-founder and previous CEO, will continue to serve as executive chairman of the company. “With its proven ability to develop cutting-edge technological solutions to streamline the HELOC lending process, Figure has cemented itself as one of the most exci

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Realty ONE, @properties reach settlements in commission cases

Real Estate News

The brokerages are the first to settle following preliminary approval of the NAR agreement by a Missouri judge earlier this week.

Realty 264
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Announcing the 2024 Class of Rising Stars!

Housing Wire

HousingWire is excited to announce this year’s Rising Stars, representing the next generation of leaders in mortgage and real estate. This year 80 honorees were selected. The Rising Stars award recognizes the emerging leaders in the industry who have demonstrated rapid career growth and an ability to lead, achieving remarkable milestones all before the age of 40.

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Judge says yes to consolidation of Missouri cases

Real Estate News

The court approved an April 19 request filed by the Gibson and Umpa plaintiffs to merge the lawsuits, which were both under the purview of Judge Stephen Bough.

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Freedom Mortgage founder addresses ’extraordinary’ credit profiles, profitability and products 

Housing Wire

Mortgage lenders should get used to the concept of ”higher for longer” interest rates and work to bring profitability to their businesses, according to Stan Middleman, founder, president and CEO at Freedom Mortgage. ”Your interest rates are going to be higher for longer ,” he said. ”This year will look a lot like last year. Next year is going to look a lot like this year.

Mortgage 459
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Sign a buyer brokerage agreement to see a property? No way!

Inman

Buyers and sellers are confused about the new rules of the road. Trainer Bernice Ross and Jeff Lobb discuss how agents can change up the conversation and add clarity and confidence.

Buyers 195
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What are the potential home equity and tax strategies for wealthy seniors?

Housing Wire

Seniors could choose to employ home equity through a reverse mortgage or other equity-tapping product to manage a series of expenses in retirement , but when it comes to managing their tax burden , it can get more complicated. Steve Resch, vice president of retirement strategies at industry-leading lender Finance of America Reverse (FAR), told Financial Advisor that the utility can vary when it comes to tax savings.

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Truv Now Integrated With BeSmartee

Appraisal Buzz

Truv , a provider of income, employment and asset verification solutions, is now integrated with BeSmartee , a provider of point-of-sale (POS) software for mortgage lenders. The integration will automate manual verification processes and transform the mortgage experience for lenders and borrowers with easier mortgage approvals, heightened data transparency and faster closings.

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Top Producer Review: Features, pricing & alternatives

Housing Wire

Vetted by HousingWire | Our editors independently review the products we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. While the real estate industry is forever in flux, one constant is that it’s a relationship business. One of the biggest challenges for agents is finding new clients and staying top-of-mind until they are ready to buy or sell.

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Biased Unbiasedness?

George Dell

Biased thinking, biased analysis — a part of the appraisal process? The Appraisal Institute is starting to address some bias-related critical issues — head on. Cindy Chance, the CEO of the AI, in her recent posts noted the role of human bias as a natural phenomena of the survival of the species. She cited the […] The post Biased Unbiasedness?

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Pennymac posts first-quarter profit of $39M

Housing Wire

Pennymac Financial Services earned a profit of $39.3 million in the first quarter of 2024, the California -based multichannel lender and servicer announced Wednesday. The company’s pretax gain in the first quarter was $43.9 million. That was less than the $38.1 million figure it posted during the same period last year but a significant improvement from the pretax loss of $54.2 million it incurred in fourth-quarter 2023.

Lending 448
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Once bright buyer hopes plummet as agents process NAR changes

Inman

Agent optimism over future buyer pipelines fell from 44 percent before the deal to 27 percent afterward — one of the starkest monthly shifts in sentiment that Intel has recorded in the last year.

Buyers 192
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Side’s Hilary Saunders discusses the evolution of brokerage models

Housing Wire

Hilary Saunders speaks at The Gathering by HousingWire on Monday, April 22. Photo credit: AJ Canaria Hilary Saunders , the co-founder and chief broker officer at Side , sees the current challenges facing the real estate industry as yet another opportunity for brokerage models to further evolve. “I think what we are definitely going to see is a fall-off of the old way of doing things,” Saunders told attendees at HousingWire ’s The Gathering.

Brokerage 448
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Decades of NAR membership data has vanished amid enrollment dip

Inman

Each month, the trade group publicly reports the size of its ranks and other data on its official website. But as recently as this month, state-by-state and national data is nowhere to be found.

Realtors 190
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Special report: The brokerages gaining or losing market share in Dallas

Housing Wire

Few cities have benefited as much from the recent trend of Americans increasingly moving south as Dallas. The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area had the largest increase in population count between 2021 and 2022 of any metro area in the country, adding more than 170,000 people , according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s a lot of new Texans in a state that already has three of the nation’s 10 largest cities.

Brokerage 446
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Fed’s ‘higher for longer’ gambit may yet cool home price gains

Inman

Fannie Mae and MBA economists are now in agreement that mortgage rates will come down only gradually this year and next but that home price appreciation will slow.

Mortgage 190
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Court allows Gibson and Umpa suits to consolidate

Housing Wire

Judge Stephen R. Bough ruled Tuesday that the Umpa and Gibson commission lawsuits can consolidate. “The Court finds that consolidation is appropriate given that the instant case and Gibson, et al. v. National Association of Realtors , et al., involve common questions of law and fact, consolidation will conserve judicial resources and promote efficiency, and consolidation will not cause undue delay, confusion, or prejudice,” Bough wrote in his ruling.

Realtors 445
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Homebuyers falter as mortgage rates hit new 2024 highs

Inman

Requests for purchase loans were down 1 percent week over week and 15 percent from a year ago, according to the latest Mortgage Bankers Association survey.

Mortgage 186
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A&D Mortgage names new servicing manager

Housing Wire

Florida -based wholesale lender A&D Mortgage appointed Satish Vishwakarma to the role of servicing manager, the company announced on Tuesday. In this new role, Vishwakarma will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the mortgage servicing department. He will ensure the successful management of mortgage servicing teams while leading efforts to streamline operations, enhance quality and reduce costs.

Mortgage 444
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All-Cash Sales Dropped to Lowest in 3 Years

Eyes on Housing

NAHB analysis of the most recent Quarterly Sales by Price and Financing report reveals that the share of new home sales backed by VA loans climbed substantially in the first quarter of 2024, while all-cash sales share fell by nearly 30%. However, the median purchase price of homes bought with cash continued to increase in.

Finance 179
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Reverse mortgage veteran offers advice for bringing new partners aboard

Housing Wire

As any professional involved in it will know, bringing new people into the fold of the reverse mortgage business can be a difficult task. Reputational challenges , the narrow focus of the product and low mortgage market penetration are just a few of the reasons why. With the right ambassador, that task is made simpler. The partner engagement program at Finance of America Reverse (FAR) aims to bring new people and professional relationships into the orbit of the nation’s top reverse mortgage lend

Mortgage 442
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New San Francisco showroom offers private islands and yachts

Inman

Demand for some of the most exclusive luxuries remains, even as the city of San Francisco itself grapples with plunging home prices and an all-time high in office vacancies.

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American Financial Resources announces two executive hires

Housing Wire

Multichannel lender American Financial Resources (AFR) appointed Michael Brenning as its head of production and Brian Collins to the role of executive vice president of capital markets, the company announced Tuesday. Brenning will be responsible for driving loan volume growth and enhancing sales productivity. Most recently, he served as the president of Fairway Central at Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp.

Lending 410
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California Association of Realtors CEO resigns after 2 years

Inman

Two years after taking the helm, California Association of Realtors CEO John Sebree has stepped down from his post. His resignation went into effect immediately, with C.A.R. subsidiary Real Estate Business Services (REBS) CEO Debra Ferrier taking over as interim CEO as the Association launches a nationwide search for a new leader.

Realtors 175
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Mr. Cooper delivers $181M profit in Q1 2024 

Housing Wire

Mr. Cooper Group unveiled strong financial results during the first quarter of 2024, buoyed in part by a strong servicing and subservicing business. The firm reported $450 million in revenue and $181 million in net income during the first three months of the year. Additionally, its return on tangible common equity rose to 14.5% in Q1 2024, up from 12.5% in the fourth quarter of 2023.