Initial claims filed with the Labor Department totaled 1.3 million last week, a decrease of just 10,000 from the previous week and a stark reminder of how the coronavirus pandemic has upended the U.S. economy.

Family-oriented rental housing supply has fallen behind other multifamily options as developers focus on young, often single renters rather than families who require larger units, said the Urban Land Institute and RCLCO.

Redfin, Seattle, said home sales surpassed pre-pandemic levels for the first time the week ending July 5, up 2% on a seasonally adjusted basis compared to January and February levels.

In the last five years, lenders have made great strides with significant investments in best-in-class borrower experiences, navigating a plethora of new digital tools, all while adeptly navigating the ups and downs of the market. In my experience, unfortunately, most initiatives to cut costs and improve quality are short-lived or merely incremental. What I have found over my 25 years in this industry is that transformational growth only occurs when senior leadership commits itself to reevaluating their entire operating model.

(One of a continuing series of profiles of participants in the MBA Education Path to Diversity (P2D) Scholarship Program, which enables employees from diverse backgrounds to advance their professional growth and career development.)

two years ago, mortgage industry advisory firm STRATMOR Group published data illuminating just how important it is for loan officers to attend their closings. We live in a very different world than we did two years ago, and while the nature of closings may have changed in 2020, the impact of the closing on the overall borrower experience has not.

In this ongoing article series, we report on mortgage and credit union vendor marketplace events and trends, and we then share our viewpoints. Today we highlight three very unique tech vendors that help in attracting and retaining borrowers, while improving your customer care model via a variety of newer entrants in our service provider market.

Grandbridge Real Estate Capital, Charlotte, N.C., secured $50.2 million for multifamily and retail properties in three states.