August 2025

MBA opposes GSE merger, supports explicit government guarantee

In the debate over whether Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should merge, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has remained consistent: “We don’t think that would be a good idea,” chief economist Mike Fratantoni said. The trade group supports a stock offering that preserves stability in the secondary mortgage market while advocating for privatization with an […]

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Tech Pulse: AI Summit delves deep on housing industry impacts

Welcome back to Tech Pulse — HousingWire‘s weekly series rounding up the latest in technology news, including tools, integrations and trends that impact mortgage and real estate. Read on for a rundown of speakers who shared expert insight at this past week’s HousingWire AI Summit in Dallas. Talk ranged from use of “digital twins” among eXp Realty executives to artificial

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LeadingRE adds Rejig.ai to preferred vendor program

Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LeadingRE) has added Rejig.ai to its Solutions Group, a collection of preferred business resources available to its global network of 550 real estate firms. Rejig.ai provides automated digital marketing tools for real estate agents, teams and brokerages. Its platform supports multiple channels — offering services such as artificial

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Redfin: Multifamily housing permits fall from pandemic highs

Permits for new multifamily housing construction have declined from the pace set during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Redfin analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. Developers secured an average of 12.8 permits for buildings with at least five units per 10,000 people from July 2024 through June 2025. That is down 23.1% from the

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Hurricane season arrives amid homeowners insurance hikes

As Hurricane Erin becomes the first hurricane of the 2025 season, homeowners in many parts of the U.S. are already facing double-digit insurance rate hikes, and insurers in some areas continue to pull out altogether. In high-risk, catastrophe-prone regions, homeowners’ premiums are projected to rise more than 15% this year, according to Hub International’s 2025

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Mortgage lenders urged to build AI compliance foundations

Mortgage lenders deploying artificial intelligence should prepare now for Colorado’s comprehensive AI law that will take effect in February 2026 and rethink how they manage compliance risk. That’s according to Mike Brown, chief product officer at Xactus, and Wendy Lee, managing partner at LOGS Legal Group, who appeared on stage this week at HousingWire‘s AI

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Better’s Kevin Ryan adds Houlihan Lokey role amid executive shake-up

Several senior executives in Better’s control and finance teams, including chief financial officer Kevin Ryan, have taken additional jobs or left the company as it navigates financial pressures, according to public announcements and updates to social media profiles.  In July, Ryan also joined investment bank Houlihan Lokey as a managing director in its capital solutions

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TidalWave’s Diane Yu on AI’s impact to mortgage jobs

The promise that artificial intelligence brings to the mortgage ecosystem through faster processes and reduced expenses is also accompanied by the potential threat it poses to human roles. While the next two years could see an acceleration of AI-related job losses, Diane Yu urges mortgage professionals to adopt a “mindset of abundance” when approaching the

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CFPB cleared to fire 90% of staff by appeals court decision

The CFPB can go ahead with plans — announced in April — to fire 90% of its staff, a federal appeals court panel ruled on Friday. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit found that “the district court lacked jurisdiction to consider the claims predicated on loss of employment, which must proceed through

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Highest Rates This Week, But Close Enough to Long Term Lows

Friday proved to be the weakest day of the week for the underlying bond market and, thus, the highest day of the week for mortgage rates. Retail sales data was generally stronger than expected, especially when considering revisions and when focusing on the “core” numbers that strip out more volatile categories such as autos/fuel and

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