Sen. Warren Demands DOJ Records on Probe into Fed Chairman Powell

by Phil Hall | Jan 21, 2026 | Current News & Events, Real Estate News, WRE News Exclusive

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), the ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee, is demanding access to the records related to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell over claims that he may have committed perjury...

Trump Issues Executive Order to Curb Institutional Investor Purchasing of Single-Family Homes

by Phil Hall | Jan 21, 2026 | Current News & Events, Real Estate News, U.S. Housing Market, WRE News Exclusive

President Trump issued an executive order on Tuesday evening that directed federal agencies to stop backing loans and offering incentives that would enable institutional investor purchases of single-family homes. “A growing share of single-family homes, often...

Refinancing Inquiries Spark Upswing in Mortgage Application Activity

by Phil Hall | Jan 21, 2026 | Current News & Events, Mortgage Information, Real Estate News, U.S. Housing Market, WRE News Exclusive

Mortgage application activity was on the rise thanks mainly to an upswing in refinance inquiries fueled by declining mortgage rates, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) for the week ending Jan. 16. The Market Composite Index, the MBA’s...

San Francisco Centre, a Once-Mighty 1.5 Million-Square-Foot Mall, to Permanently Close

by Phil Hall | Jan 21, 2026 | Commercial Real Estate News, Current News & Events, Real Estate News, WRE News Exclusive

The beleaguered San Francisco Centre, a once-grand shopping center that hosted 200 retail stores prior to the pandemic, is permanently closing on Jan. 26. The San Francisco Chronicle reports an employee at Ecco’s, the mall’s last remaining tenant, confirmed the...

New York State Home Sales Up 2.5%

by Phil Hall | Jan 20, 2026 | Current News & Events, Real Estate News, U.S. Housing Market, WRE News Exclusive

New York State closed 2025 with 9,649 home sales in December, a 2.5% increase from 9,416 homes sold one year earlier. According to the New York State Association of Realtors, pending sales were up 2.1% from 6,214 homes under contract one year ago to 9,649 in December....