National Mortgage Professional, Mar. 15, 2021–Navi PersaudFairway Independent Mortgage Corporation has broken its silence following the ultimatum that was issued to brokers by United Wholesale Mortgage. The company is reaffirming …
Category: Top National News

The Pandemic Ignited a Housing Boom—but It’s Different From the Last One
Wall Street Journal, Mar. 15, 2021–Nicole Friedman (subscription)Residential home sales are hitting peaks last seen in 2006, just before the bubble burst, but this time mortgages are stricter, down payments …

In UWM’s War with Rocket, Brokers Must Choose a Side
HousingWire, Mar. 15, 2021–James KleimannMat Ishbia, whose company went public in January and is valued at $16.58 billion, made arguably the biggest hardball play in the history of the broker …

Adopting Alternative Data in Credit Scoring Would Allow Millions of Consumers to Access Credit
Urban Institute, Mar. 15, 2021–Karan KaulEven though credit scores play a key role in determining who gets a mortgage and at what terms, the current credit system disadvantages a disproportionate …

Weekly Mortgage Q&A: Virtual Closings and the Importance of Title Insurance
Bankrate.com, Mar. 15, 2021–Zach Wichter“Because there wasn’t a widespread network platform to be able to do virtual closings or other real estate transactions, it wasn’t as widely adopted. We partnered …

The Strange Saga of Amazon’s Virginia Real Estate Deals
Bloomberg, March 15, 2021–Brad StoneA thicket of legal cases emanating from the real estate division of Amazon.com’s fast-growing cloud services unit seems pulled from a John Grisham novel. The saga …

As Mortgage Rates Keep Surging, Borrowers Shouldn’t Delay
Yahoo! Finance, Mar. 14, 2021–Clayton JarvisIf the current trend continues, it won’t be long until the last year’s worth of drops are erased. A year ago, 30-year rates averaged 3.36%, …

Some Would-be Buyers Giving Up
UExpress, Mar. 12, 2021–Lew SichelmanBuyers throw in the towel for any number of factors. Maybe they tire of racing out to see the latest listing, only to find it’s in …

The Immeasurable Impact of Women’s Mentorship
HousingWire, Mar. 12, 2021–Yvette Gilmore, Miriam MooreMentorship can be a tremendously important aspect of a successful career; its positive impacts on the growth and development of professional women — particularly …

End Date for Some Contingencies Related to Mortgages
National Mortgage News, Mar. 12, 2021–Bonnie Sinnock (subscription)The Federal Housing Finance Agency plans to retire certain contingencies around employment verification, condominium project reviews, and expanded power of attorney after extending …