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July 2025

Younger homebuyers turn to social media, AI and each other

Affordability, Artificial Intelligence, First-Time Homebuyers, Gen Z, Housing Market, HWmember, Millennials, Social Media, Technology /

Faced with high housing costs, economic instability and declining trust in traditional lending institutions, younger generations are redefining how they approach homeownership. A newly released NextGen Homebuyer Report — compiled by National Mortgage Insurance and financial literacy nonprofit FirstHome IQ — highlights how Gen Z and millennials are creatively navigating a changing real estate landscape. […]

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Which is better for mortgage — FICO or VantageScore?

Credit Score, Fannie Mae, FHFA, FICO, Freddie Mac, HWmember, LendingLife, Mortgage, Origination, Regulatory, VantageScore /

VantageScore and FICO have escalated their rivalry in the mortgage space following the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) decision to allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase loans underwritten with VantageScore 4.0 as an alternative to the Classic FICO score.  Both companies published analyses this week from their data scientists. Naturally, each claims their score more

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Mutual of Omaha expands proprietary reverse mortgage offering

HECM, Home Equity, HWmember, Lenders, Mortgage, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, Reverse /

After launching a new proprietary loan product this spring, one of the nation’s leading reverse mortgage lenders has expanded the offering this week to more states. Mutual of Omaha Mortgage announced on Friday that its SecureEquity+ product, which became available in April to eligible California and Florida residents, is now available in 12 additional states.

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Single-family home construction declines are accelerating

Construction, Data & Visuals, Homebuilder Confidence, Homebuilders, Housing Market, HWmember, New Home Sales, U.S. Census Bureau /

New-home sales have been a relative bright spot in an otherwise stagnant housing market. But that’s changing and homebuilders recognize it. According to June 2025 data released Friday by the U.S. Census Bureau, single-family home construction is down year over year at every stage of the process. This includes permits (-8.4%), starts (-10%), completions (-15.5%)

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Stagnant home sales likely to be a drag on US economy

Economy, Housing markets /

The ongoing slump in existing home sales is quite likely to curb consumer spending in the U.S. in the not-too-distant future, economists at First American Financial warn. With the exception of the fourth quarter of 2024, existing home sales have declined year-over-year for 15 consecutive quarters. But durable goods purchases tied to housing are still

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Foreclosures exceed last year’s pace by 6%

Distressed, Foreclosures, Servicing /

Foreclosures in 2025 are exceeding last year’s pace, but servicers are also managing to turn around the process more rapidly, according to a new report. Total filings, including default notices, auctions and bank repossessions, surged to 187,659 properties by midyear, up 5.8% compared to the first six months of 2024, according to the latest report

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Figure to recombine lending arm and marketplace into one entity

Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Industry News, Politics and policy /

The founder of Figure is moving to recombine the company he split into two parts just a year ago Mike Cagney, the head of the fintech firm, announced via LinkedIn that Figure, the firm’s lending arm, and Figure Markets, a blockchain-powered financial marketplace, will become one entity again. “I split the company in two last

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Housing starts rebounded in June on apartment construction

Homebuilders, Housing Inventory, Originations /

US housing starts rebounded in June on the strength of multifamily building, while weakness in the larger single-family market pointed to ongoing struggles with bloated inventories and affordability constraints. New residential construction increased 4.6% to an annualized rate of 1.32 million homes last month, picking up after an almost 10% slide in May, according to

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Appraisal bill introduced to counter HUD’s PAVE repeal

Appraisals, Politics and policy, Racial bias, Regulation and compliance /

Sen. Raphael Warnock, D–Ga., introduced legislation Thursday to address what he called “systemic bias” in the home appraisal process. The proposal comes just one week after the Trump administration disbanded a Biden-era task force that had been focused on addressing racial bias in the housing system. The bill, called the Appraisal Modernization Act, would require

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