On Jan. 28, the Senate Banking Committee conducted a hearing on the nomination of Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) to serve as the next HUD Secretary. Also last week, Senz. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Rob Portman (R-OH) introduced S. 98, the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act, a bill that would create a new federal tax credit to fuel development in underserved rural and urban communities across the country.

The Mortgage Bankers Association recently hired mortgage industry veteran Charmaine Brown to fill its newly created position of Director of Diversity and Inclusion. MBA NewsLink spoke with Brown about her goals and objectives with MBA.

The Mortgage Bankers Association’s grassroots advocacy arm, the Mortgage Action Alliance, issued a Call to Action Friday in support of recently introduced legislation to create a federal tax credit to fuel development.

Pending home sales fell in December for the fourth consecutive month, the National Association of Realtors reported Friday—but numbers can be deceiving.

Homeowners’ equity in housing was at a record high of $20.4 trillion in the third quarter. The steady upward trend since 2012 was spurred by accelerating home-price growth and low mortgage rates, which have helped many households build equity in their homes.

CBRE, Dallas, said renewals claimed more large office leases last year than in 2019, indicating many companies are postponing relocations and other real estate changes until they get clarity on the economic recovery and pandemic response.