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May 2025

Global readiness: Preparing for the luxury summer selling season across markets

Agent, Contributors, HWmember, Opinion, Real Estate /

Preparing for the summer season — typically a peak period in most real estate markets —requires strategic planning and a keen focus on the client experience. Competition can heat up quickly and as a global brokerage, here’s how we’re preparing for a successful luxury summer selling season across the markets we serve — and how […]

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FHFA Director Pulte calls on Powell to lower interest rates

Bill Pulte, Federal Reserve, FHFA, Housing Market, HWmember, Jerome Powell, Mortgage Rates, Politics, Scott Bessent /

On Monday, FHFA Director Bill Pulte called on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to lower interest rates. His exact tweet was: “Jay Powell needs to lower interest rates – enough is enough. President Trump has crushed Biden’s inflation, and there is no reason not to lower rates. The housing market would be in much better

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Mortgage firms reframe DEI amid policy shift

Originations, Politics and policy, Racial bias /

President Trump’s housing regulators have touted their efforts to dismantle federal diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in pursuit of reducing spending and waste. As a result, the conversation around mortgage lenders’ efforts to serve communities identified by specific racial or cultural backgrounds have been further politicized, leaving these shops in the awkward position of determining

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Lisa Cook

Fed’s Cook: More study needed on bank-nonbank interreliance

Economy, Politics and policy, Regulation and compliance /

Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook.Bloomberg News Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook said that financial markets fared well in the face of uncertainty sparked by President Trump’s evolving tariff regime, but that more study is needed to understand how risks from nonbanks affect the banking system and vice versa. Speaking at a conference at New York

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How President Trump can monetize the GSEs

Capital markets, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, GSE Reform, Secondary markets /

Last week, during remarks to the MBA Secondary & Capital Markets event in New York City, FHFA Director Bill Pulte commented that he thought the estimates for the valuations for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were too low.  Pulte then made clear that releasing the GSEs from conservatorship “is a decision for the President of

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Guild Mortgage, Bayview Asset explore servicing M&A

Capital markets, M&A, Originations, Servicing /

Publicly traded lender Guild Mortgage’s parent company, Bayview Asset Management, and a servicing-related affiliate are in talks about a potential deal. Bayview said in a filing that in conjunction with the affiliate it is “engaging in friendly preliminary discussions” with Guild “regarding a broader commercial relationship and potential corporate transaction. One possible outcome is “the

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Building an empire starts with your POS 

Artificial Intelligence, Contributors, HWmember, Mortgage, Opinion, Origination, Technology /

Millennial homebuyers (born between 1981 and 1996) are reshaping the real estate landscape with their strong preference for digital tools and technology-driven experiences. As the largest cohort of homebuyers in the U.S., their tech-first approach influences how properties are marketed, searched and purchased.  Here’s the hard truth. If these buyers are looking online for lenders

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Mortgage rates survive budget bond scare, but end the week higher

Housing Market, Housing Market Tracker /

Last week, we witnessed a pivotal moment for mortgage rates and the bond market, which some pundits have said has grown increasingly aware of our rising national debt and deficits. A bond auction last week was perceived as having soft demand, prompting media outlets and market speakers to suggest that the U.S. could face consequences

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Bessent weighs mortgage rate risk in potential release of GSEs

Conservatorship, Donald Trump, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, GSE Reform, Housing Market, HWmember, Mortgage Rates, Politics, Scott Bessent /

Releasing the GSEs from conservatorship became a hot topic again this week after President Trump posted that he was giving it “serious consideration” on Wednesday, followed by a Bloomberg interview with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Friday. The timing of the president’s announcement took many by surprise, given rising bond yields, an uncertain trade war

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