Thu.Jul 25, 2024

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Mr. Cooper to acquire Flagstar’s servicing and TPO businesses for $1.4B in cash

Housing Wire

Mr. Cooper Group has struck a deal to acquire a third-party origination (TPO) platform and $356 billion in mortgage servicing rights (MSRs), advances and subservicing contracts from Flagstar Bank , owned by New York Community Bancorp (NYCB). As part of the deal, the Dallas-based servicer and lender will pay $1.4 billion in cash, funded via available cash and drawdowns of existing MSR lines.

Business 453
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Luxury Home Prices Reach All-Time High

Appraisal Buzz

Redfin reports that the typical U.S. luxury home sold for a record $1,180,000 in Q2 2024 , up 8.8% from a year earlier—the biggest increase in nearly two years. Non-luxury home prices grew at less than half that pace, rising 3.8% to a record high median of $342,500. Redfin defines “luxury homes” as those estimated to be in the top 5% of their respective metro area based on market value, and non-luxury homes as those estimated to be in the 35th-65th percentile based on market value.

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What’s the rationale behind the Mr. Cooper-Flagstar deal?

Housing Wire

If closed as expected, the acquisition of Flagstar Bank ‘s servicing businesses has the potential to make the mortgage servicing rights (MSR) portfolios of Mr. Cooper Group reach the $1.56 trillion mark in unpaid principal balance (UPB), consolidating the company into the top mortgage servicer in the country. Mr. Cooper executives are deploying the strategy of increasing their servicing book to take advantage of an extensive customer base that is likely to refinance their mortgages when i

Business 413
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Customer Satisfaction With Servicers Improves 

Appraisal Buzz

Mortgage servicers have improved overall client satisfaction this year by effectively overcoming the challenges of continuously high interest rates and financial instability, but there are still big hazards ahead. The overall financial health of borrowers has sharply declined, and more and more borrowers are paying their bills after the due date, according to the J.D.

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It can be a ‘trap’ to carry mortgage debt into retirement: USA Today

Housing Wire

As the numbers of seniors carrying mortgage debt in retirement has increased, so too has the potential financial burden of a regular monthly mortgage payment. Increases in inflation and the cost of living can overwhelm those living on a fixed income, according to an article published this week in USA Today. “Retirement researchers warn that mortgage debt in retirement can be a trap,” the article explained.

Mortgage 401
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Buyers continue to hold out as rates stay put

Real Estate News

Mortgage rates remained nearly flat as the market awaits the Fed’s next move. Meanwhile, inventory is still growing — but “sellers are pulling back.

Buyers 256

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Spotlight on Q2 2024 Commercial Property Mortgage Delinquency Rates 

Appraisal Buzz

Mortgage delinquency rates for commercial properties declined modestly in the second quarter of 2024, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) latest commercial real estate finance (CREF) Loan Performance Survey. The survey indicated that the balance of commercial mortgages that were not current decreased slightly in Q2 2024. By the end of the quarter, 97.0% of outstanding loan balances were current or less than 30 days late, up from 96.8% in the first quarter.

Mortgage 195
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eXp Realty welcomes top-producing Philly team

Housing Wire

The largest brokerage in the nation based on transaction sides has strengthened its presence in Philadelphia. On Thursday, eXp Realty announced that the top-producing Matt Fetick Team was making the move from Keller Williams to eXp. The team is led by Fetick and David Maio Williams, who bring more than 20 years of real estate industry experience to eXp.

Realty 336
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Freddie Mac: Mortgage Rates Basically Flat

Appraisal Buzz

Mortgage rates were basically flat this week compared with last week, as the average rate for a 30-year increased slightly to 6.78%, up from 6.77%, according to Freddie Mac. A year ago at this time, the average rate for a 30-year was 6.81%. “Mortgage rates essentially remained flat from last week but have decreased nearly half a percent from their peak earlier this year,” says Sam Khater, chief economist for Freddie Mac, in a statement.

Mortgage 195
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Lower’s Craig Montgomery talks growth goals for mortgage originator mentorships

Housing Wire

On a recent episode of the Power House podcast , HousingWire CEO Clayton Collins chatted with Craig Montgomery, chief strategy officer at Lower and former chief production officer at CrossCountry Mortgage. Collins and Montgomery discussed Lower’s plans for growth, its strategic partnerships and how it looks to adopt an originator-first mindset to push the company toward top-five lender status.

Mortgage 335
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MBA: Share of Mortgages in Forbearance Increased for First Time Since October 2022

Appraisal Buzz

The share of loans in forbearance increased to 0.23% as of June 30, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) monthly Loan Monitoring Survey. “The number of loans in forbearance increased in June for the first time since October of 2022,” says Marina Walsh, vice president of industry analysis for the MBA, in a statement. “Furthermore, the performance of both loan workouts and overall servicing portfolios weakened, particularly for government loans.

Mortgage 195
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Atlantic Coast Mortgage adopts Nextwave CRM

Housing Wire

Virginia -based Atlantic Coast Mortgage announced this week that residential and wholesale banking software company CRMNow ’s mortgage-oriented customer relationship management ( CRM ) product, Nextwave CRM , will be used by its loan originators across the 30 states it operates in. “Nextwave CRM was the clear choice to drive our customer-centric culture and CRM initiative,” Patrick Collins, chief strategy officer at Atlantic Coast Mortgage, said in a statement.

Mortgage 324
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Atlantic Coast Mortgage Using Nextwave CRM

Appraisal Buzz

Atlantic Coast Mortgage is using Nextwave CRM by CRMnow as its enterprise CRM platform for loan officers across all 30 states where it operates. Atlantic Coast Mortgage (ACM) has been a trusted provider of home financing solutions since 2011. Known for its customer-centric approach, ACM offers a wide array of mortgage options, including conventional loans, FHA, VA, USDA loans, and specialized loan products.

Mortgage 195
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HUD, FHA further extend Maui foreclosure moratorium to 2025

Housing Wire

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) on Friday published Mortgagee Letter 2024-15 , which extends a foreclosure moratorium on the Hawaiian island of Maui through Jan. 1, 2025, for FHA-insured forward mortgages and Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs). The moratorium, initially scheduled to expire on May 6 after a previous extension, was pushed into August earlier this year.

Insurance 322
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Investing in Dedicated Mortgage Servicing Software

Appraisal Buzz

BLOG VIEW: To help provide needed liquidity, many lenders sell mortgage loans to government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) or other investors to boost capital and balance portfolio risk. This strategy offers liquidity and frees up funds for additional lending, enabling them to originate more loans. However, the origination market is still dealing with the impacts of the interest rate increases that began at the end of 2021, when average 30-year rates rose from 2.77% in September 2021 to 7.03% at t

Investing 195
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MRI Software throws its hat in the ring to purchase REcolorado

Housing Wire

It appears the sun may not have completely set on the proposed sale of the shares of REcolorado owned by the Denver Metro Association of Realtors (DMAR) and the South Metro Denver Realtor Association (SMDRA) to MAZL LLC. On Wednesday, MRI Software — the parent company of CTM eContracts , which serves nearly 40,000 Colorado real estate professionals — sent a letter to subscribers informing them of the firm’s Indication of Interest (IOI) in the purchase of REcolorado, a multiple listing servi

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'Unfiltered': How agents can win when data meets ‘vibe’

Real Estate News

Watch the conversation as Local Logic’s CEO shares how data on “everything that happens outside the four walls” of a home can turn agents into instant experts.

Agents 208
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Reverse mortgage veteran reflects on his career: ‘Everyone has a story to tell’

Housing Wire

Jim Cullen spent nearly 20 years in the reverse mortgage profession and recently decided that it was time to retire. But as a longtime industry professional who recognizes the potential value of the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage Program (HECM), Cullen previously explained to HousingWire ’s Reverse Mortgage Daily (RMD) that he made the transition from industry professional to customer.

Mortgage 299
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Global software company makes unexpected play for REcolorado

Real Estate News

MRI has offered to buy the nation’s 16th-largest MLS and wants association members to consider them at a July 29 meeting to discuss the sale.

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U.S. Economic Growth Accelerated in Second Quarter

Eyes on Housing

In the second quarter of 2024, the U.S. economy grew twice as fast as it did in the first quarter, supported by consumer spending and private inventory investment. Furthermore, the data from the GDP report suggests that inflation is cooling. The GDP price index rose 2.3% for the second quarter, down from a 3.1% increase.

Inventory 184
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Expect more guidance from NAR — but fewer rules: CMLS CEO Evans

Inman

CMLS CEO Denee Evans revealed why she believes NAR will choose not to create new MLS rules over the next six to 12 months ahead of her appearance next week at Inman Connect Las Vegas.

Realtors 161
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Housing Share of GDP Remains Above 16% Despite Marginal Declines in Residential Investment

Eyes on Housing

Housing’s share of the economy stayed level at 16.1% in the second quarter of 2024. The share remained above 16% after staying constant at 15.9% for all of 2023. The more cyclical home building and remodeling component – residential fixed investment (RFI) – was 4.0% of GDP, level from 4.0% in the first quarter. RFI.

Investing 105
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Keller Williams Realty Metro Atlanta picks up 11:11 Realty Group

Inman

The merger with the team managed by Esther Ozuna continues the growth of an Atlanta team that has ranked among the RealTrends 100 nationally in recent years.

Realty 168
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All-Cash Sales Remained at a Three-Year Low for the Second Quarter

Eyes on Housing

All-cash purchases accounted for 6.9% of new home sales in the second quarter of 2024, the lowest level since the fourth quarter of 2021, revealed by NAHB analysis of the most recent Census Quarterly Sales by Price and Financing report. Among mortgaged home sales, both FHA-backed and VA-backed sales fell while conventional sales remained unchanged.

Finance 100
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Douglas Elliman, Side execs knew of Alexander bros, sources claim

Inman

New reports from "The New York Times" and "The Wall Street Journal" suggest that executives at Douglas Elliman and Side had heard about sexual assault allegations made against the Alexander brothers while they worked for their firms.

Agents 155
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BiggerNews: Multifamily Market Update + Where to Find Deals NOW

BiggerPockets

Multifamily real estate is still offering some significant opportunities to investors—you just need to know where to look!

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Demystifying KPIs and essential marketing metrics

Inman

Embracing data-driven strategies is no longer optional — it's essential, new Inman contributor Tara Meier writes. Make it your mission to understand how these insights can guide your decisions and ongoing processes.

Marketing 151
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What impact will the Bank of Canada's latest rate cut have?

Mortgagebroker News

Central bank lowered rates by a further 25 basis points on Wednesday

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11 more things you should know before going into luxury real estate

Inman

Discover essential insights for aspiring luxury real estate agents with Chris Pollinger of RE Luxe Leaders. Master market knowledge, build strong networks, leverage sophisticated marketing and provide exceptional client service to thrive in the high-stakes world of luxury real estate.

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6 Ways to Raise Rent While Respecting Your Residents

BiggerPockets

Raising rental rates is part of the industry. It can’t be avoided. Whether you’re a solo investor or looking for compassionate, effective property management, this is how to raise rent with respect and keep your properties occupied and producing revenue.

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Number of US cities where starter homes cost $1M spiked since 2019

Inman

California is home to nearly half of all cities where it costs at least $1 million to buy a starter home. Nationwide, 237 cities are now "million-dollar" cities.

Brokerage 153
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'There will be another cut in September': Tal talks BoC path ahead

Mortgagebroker News

Are brighter times ahead for the mortgage market?

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Broker Spotlight: Peggy Olin, OneWorld Properties

Inman

Learn how this South Florida luxury and pre-development specialist forges strong professional partnerships and creates a collaborative environment.

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HUD Ends Investigation of the Appraisal Foundation With Agreement

National Association of Realtors

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a Conciliation Agreement with The Appraisal Foundation (TAF). TAF is the private organization that sets qualifications and standards for the appraisal profession.