Wall Street Journal, Oct. 23, 2020–Te-Ping Chen (subscription)Home sellers with the upper hand are asking for odd-ball contingencies.https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-tight-housing-market-sales-comewith-lots-of-conditions-including-skeletons-11603467767?mod=hp_featst_pos5
Category: Top National News
Manafort Mortgage-Fraud Case Dismissed, Again
The Real Deal (New York), Oct. 23, 2020A New York appeals court has ruled that Paul Manafort could not be charged with mortgage fraud and other felonies because of the …
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Role in Getting Woment Fair Access to Mortgage Loans Paved the Way for Female Homeownership to Rise
Yahoo! News, Oct. 23, 2020–Hannah Herrera Greenspan (Chicago Tribune)Single women in the United States have outpaced single men when it comes to home ownership since the late 1980s, according to …
Some Agents Are ‘Packing Heat’
UExpress, Oct. 23, 2020–Lew SichelmanOf the 3,000 members who responded to NAR’s latest safety poll, 14% said they carry a firearm on their person. Male agents were more likely than …
Racist Housing Covenants Haunt Property Records Across the Country. New Laws Make Them Easier to Remove
Washington Post, Oct. 22, 2020–Justin Wm. MoyerFacing a national reckoning amid protests and Black people’s deaths at the hands of law enforcement, lawmakers and homeowners are grappling with the legacy …
Stewart Title Acquires Valuation Services Company Pro Teck
HousingWire, Oct. 22, 2020–Kelsey RamirezStewart Appraisal Management announced on Thursday it acquired valuation services company Pro Teck Valuation Intelligence.https://www.housingwire.com/articles/stewart-title-acquires-valuation-services-company-pro-teck/
Reverse Mortgages Available to Borrowers as Young as 60
Orange County Register, Oct. 22, 2020–Jeff LazersonCan’t wait two years to get a reverse mortgage? Now you don’t have to. People as young as 60 can get these looking-glass loans …
Landlords Challenge U.S. Eviction Ban and Continue to Oust Renters
Bloomberg, Oct. 22, 2020–Kriston CappsA lawsuit backed by the National Apartment Association and other challenges aim to undo the national eviction moratorium ordered by the CDC.https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-22/landlords-launch-legal-attack-on-cdc-eviction-ban?srnd=premium
Do Lending Institutions Have a Discrimination Problem?
Mortgage Professional America, Oct. 22, 2020–Ryan SmithSeveral Senate Democrats on Wednesday introduced a bill that would prohibit financial institutions from discriminating against customers.https://www.mpamag.com/news/do-lending-institutions-have-a-discrimination-problem-236942.aspx
Docutech Purchase Drives First American Information Revenue Up 38%
HousingWire, Oct. 22, 2020–Kelsey RamirezEarlier this year, First American made its latest move toward a fully digital mortgage with its purchase of mortgage tech firm Docutech. Now, that purchase is …