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July 2025

Lender Toolkit launches IT services for ICE Encompass users

Cybersecurity, Encompass, HWmember, ICE Mortgage Technology, IMBs, Mortgage, Partnerships, Technology /

Lender Toolkit announced Monday the official launch of its IT services offering, designed specifically for lenders that use ICE Mortgage Technology‘s Encompass platform. Lender Toolkit is a mortgage automation technology company and the creator of the industry’s only fully integrated Mortgage Efficiency Cooperative. The company’s new IT services practice adds support for independent mortgage banks […]

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International homebuyers returned to the US in droves

California, Canada, China, Data & Visuals, Florida, HWmember, International buyers, National Association of Realtors, Real Estate /

International homebuyers purchased $56 billion worth of U.S. existing homes between April 2024 and March 2025 — a 33.2% increase from the previous year, according to a report released Monday by the National Association of Realtors. The number of properties bought by foreign buyers rose to 78,100 during the 12-month period, up 44% from the

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Realtor.com parent Move acquires Zenlist

HWmember, Mergers and Acquisitions, MLS, Move, Real Estate, Real Estate Listings, Realtor.com, Technology /

Move Inc., the parent company of Realtor.com, has acquired Zenlist, a real estate technology company known for its collaborative search tools for agents and homebuyers. The acquisition was announced Monday and aims to enhance Realtor.com’s offerings for real estate professionals by integrating Zenlist’s mobile-first platform, which allows agents and clients to search and communicate in

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OCC drops disparate impact enforcement

disparate impact, Donald Trump, Fair Lending, HWmember, LendingLife, Mortgage, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Regulatory, Trump administration /

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced Monday that it will no longer enforce disparate impact analysis in fair lending risk assessments, following a directive from the White House issued three months ago. “Consistent with EO 14281, the OCC supervisory process for fair lending compliance no longer includes examining for disparate impact

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Informative Research integrates Halcyon into verification platform

Halcyon, HWmember, Income verification, Mortgage, Partnerships, Tax, Technology /

Informative Research, a provider of credit and verification solutions to the mortgage lending community, announced on Monday the availability of Halcyon’s IRS tax transcript service within Informative Research‘s verification platform. The enhancement expands Informative Research’s suite of income verification and employment verification options, enabling lenders to access secure, permissioned tax transcript data directly from the

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Mortgage Rates Just a Hair Higher Ahead of Important Inflation Report

Uncategorized /

Today’s movement in mortgage rates, in and of itself, is barely worth mentioning.  The average lender remains close enough to Friday’s levels but is technically just a hair higher.  That fact is offset by the counterpoint that most of the past two months saw higher rates. The future is far more interesting than the present–specifically,

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OCC axes disparate impact oversight

Industry News, Politics and policy, Regulation and compliance /

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is rolling back disparate impact supervision for banks, it announced Monday. As such, the federal agency’s supervisory process for fair lending compliance will no longer include the examination for cases in which neutral policies have an unequal effect on a protected class such as by race or

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Pulte’s social media posts become must-follow for stock traders

Economic indicators, Economic news, FHFA /

For years, investors have found themselves at the whim of President Donald Trump’s social-media posts. Now, traders are being forced to pay attention to an unlikely official: Federal Housing Finance Agency head Bill Pulte. Stocks have swung wildly on Pulte’s comments as he opines on everything from credit score pricing, to cryptocurrencies as mortgage assets,

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Foreign buyers snapping up U.S. homes again

Housing markets, MARKETING TO BORROWERS, Politics and policy /

While some would-be U.S. homebuyers are feeling squeamish about high interest rates and broader economic uncertainty, foreign buyers are increasingly eager to get a slice of the country’s housing market. Foreign buyers bought more than 78,000 homes between April 2024 and March 2025, according to a study from the National Association of Realtors, a 44%

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Arizona man sentenced for HUD housing assistance fraud

Fraud, Regulation and compliance /

An Arizona man was sentenced last week for misrepresenting his employment status to obtain Department of Housing and Urban Development housing assistance.  Jalil Al-Kinani was sentenced to 18 months of supervised probation and must pay restitution to HUD following his sentencing last week in a Maricopa County court, according to a press release. The case

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