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Virginia insurance commissioner issues warning regarding AOLs

HWmember, Legal, Real Estate, Title, Title insurance /

Scott White, Virginia’s commissioner of insurance, has issued a warning to both title insurance companies and consumers in his state about attorney opinion letters (AOLs). In a letter sent Tuesday addressed to all title insurance companies, agents and entities in the state of Virginia, and obtained by HousingWire, White explains the applicable law, differences between […]

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LitFinancial introduces stablecoin to ‘modernize’ mortgage lending

Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, HWmember, Mortgage, Technology /

Mortgage lending fintech LitFinancial announced on Wednesday the launch of litUSD, a U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin built on the Ethereum blockchain in partnership with Brale and Stably. The company said the token is designed to “modernize” mortgage lending, streamline treasury operations and increase transparency in mortgage finance. It also complies with the federal GENIUS Act, a

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FNF partners with CLEAR Secure on real estate fraud prevention

Cybersecurity, Fidelity National Financial, Homebuying, HWmember, Real Estate, Real Estate Fraud, Title, Title insurance, Wire Fraud /

Fidelity National Financial (FNF) has partnered with CLEAR Secure to use biometric identity verification in real estate transactions to mitigate real estate fraud, the companies said Wednesday. The initiative integrates CLEAR’s identity platform into FNF’s inHere digital system, which manages title and escrow processes. Leaders said the move is intended to address rising cases of

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Consumers are increasingly self-reporting rent payments, TransUnion says

Credit Score, FHFA, HWmember, Mortgage, Real Estate, Renters, TransUnion, VantageScore /

The number of consumers whose rent payments are reported to credit reporting agencies rose to 13% in 2025, according to TransUnion‘s latest Rent Payment Reporting analysis, released on Wednesday. That number is up from 11% in 2024. In a press release, the company suggested that this trend may gain momentum after the July 2025 directive

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Mortgage applications jump nearly 10% as rates drop

HWmember, Joel Kan, Mortgage, Mortgage applications, Mortgage Rates, Origination, Purchase Applications, Refinancing /

Lower mortgage rates prompted mortgage applications to increase 9.2% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s weekly mortgage applications survey for the week ending Sept. 5. Last week’s results include an adjustment for the Labor Day holiday. On an unadjusted basis, the index decreased 3% compared with the previous

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Occupancy fraud: Not as simple as you think

Contributors, HWmember, Opinion, Real Estate Fraud /

The facts uncovered in fraud investigations are often shocking, revealing stories of both tragedy and comedy. And those stories inform how we help our clients to navigate the landscape of risk, regulation, and management. Stories about occupancy fraud, until very recently, never made the news. Then in the Spring of 2024, a top producing loan

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‘Zillow, show me this house with mid-mod furniture’

Agent, Artificial Intelligence, HWmember, Real Estate, Technology, Zillow /

Consumers shopping for a home on Zillow can now virtually stage properties in their specific design style, as long as those properties are using Zillow Showcase. The listing portal giant announced the integration of Virtual Staging with Zillow Showcase on Wednesday. The integration enables homebuyers using Zillow to view rooms — in listings that are

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Federal judge blocks Trump’s attempt to fire Lisa Cook

Department of Justice, Federal Reserve, HWmember, Legal, Mortgage, Mortgage Fraud, Politics, Trump administration /

A federal judge blocked President Donald Trump’s effort to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, granting Cook’s request for a preliminary injunction on Tuesday evening. In her ruling, Judge Jia Cobb said that Trump’s reasons for removing Cook did not meet the standard for sufficient cause, noting the alleged conduct occurred before her tenure as

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Homeownership among Black Americans drops to 4-year low

Affordability, Black Homeownership, Home Prices, Homeownership, HWmember, Mortgage Rates, Real Estate, Redfin, Unemployment /

The homeownership rate among Black Americans fell to 43.9% in the second quarter of 2024, the lowest level since late 2021, according to Redfin. That was down from 45.3% a year earlier and marked the steepest annual decline since the third quarter of 2021. By comparison, the Hispanic homeownership rate rose slightly to 48.8% from

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Fannie Mae: Consumer housing sentiment slips in August

Consumer confidence, Data & Visuals, Fannie Mae, Home Prices, Homebuying, Housing Market, HWmember, Mortgage Rates, Unemployment /

Americans grew slightly less confident about the housing market in August, as more consumers expressed concerns about job stability, selling conditions and future home prices, according to Fannie Mae’s monthly National Housing Survey. The agency’s Home Purchase Sentiment Index (HPSI) fell 0.4 points to a reading of 71.4 — with four of its six components

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