Top Headlines
Travelers to Raise California Homeowner Insurance Rates by 15%
On average, California homeowners pay $1,452 a year for home insurance coverage. Continue Reading Travelers to Raise California Homeowner Insurance Rates by 15%
Ex-Ginnie Mae Chief Alanna McCargo to Lead FHLBank San Francisco
McCargo became Ginnie Mae’s 18th president and first female leader in December 2021. Continue Reading Ex-Ginnie Mae Chief Alanna McCargo to Lead FHLBank San Francisco
John ‘Buz’ Gorman, Longtime General Counsel for the CSBS, Has Died
Gorman started his career at CSBS in 1996 and served as its general counsel for the last 15 years. Continue Reading John ‘Buz’ Gorman, Longtime General Counsel for the CSBS, Has Died
A Phil Hall Op-Ed: Four More Years of Jerome Powell?
Editor Phil Hall considers the Trump and Biden approaches to giving Jerome Powell another four years at the Fed helm. Continue Reading A Phil Hall Op-Ed: Four More Years of Jerome Powell?
CBRE Acquires J&J Worldwide Services for $800 Million
The acquisition deal includes a potential earn-out of up to $250 million, payable in 2027. Continue Reading CBRE Acquires J&J Worldwide Services for $800 Million
Volume-hungry mortgage lenders loosen credit standards
Source: Housing Wire --- Mortgage credit availability increased by 2.2% in April as mortgage lenders fight for borrowers in an increasingly competitive market. The Mortgage Bankers Association said Tuesday that the Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI) — which...
Experts Say Home Prices Will Continue to Appreciate
Source: Keeping Current Matters --- It’s clear that consumers are concerned about how quickly home values are rising. Many people fear the speed of appreciation may lead to a crash in prices later this year. In fact, Google reports that the search for “When is the...
Zillow Looks Ready to Dominate the Online Real Estate Market
Source: Barron's --- Zillow’s first-quarter results came in strongly ahead of estimates, as Premier Agent revenue growth accelerated again, amid continued housing-market tailwinds. The Homes segment also experienced strong growth and delivered another quarter of...
How hard is it to buy a home right now? “Beyond crazy and frustrating.”
Source: CBS News --- The pandemic-era real estate market has emerged as a windfall for sellers and a headache for buyers. A shortage of for-sale homes continues to boost prices across the nation by double-digits — and is pushing house hunters to go to extremes to win...
Mortgage rates remain under 3 percent for third week in a row
Source:The Washington Post --- At the start of the year, it looked like mortgage rates were headed nowhere but up. But lately, they have backslid. According to the latest data released Thursday by Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate average slipped to 2.96 percent...
Desperate buyers are going to extremes to land a home
Source: CNN --- With the inventory of homes for sale historically low and prices higher than ever, the battle to buy a home has been taken to a whole new level. The number of available homes to buy in April dropped by 40% from a year ago and 50% from 2019, according...
What Is a Wraparound Loan, and Is It Right for You?
Source: Realtor . Com --- While home buyers might hope that they will qualify for a mortgage from the usual financial institutions, like a bank, they may find that their spotty credit score is an obstacle that prevents them from qualifying. What then? One Plan B may...
FHFA finalizes rule on living wills for Fannie and Freddie
Source: Housing Wire --- The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) finalized a rule on Monday that will require Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to develop plans that would ensure upon their eventual exit from conservatorship, they won’t do any large scale harm to the...
Lenders, economists question first-time homebuyer bills
Source: Housing Wire --- While the first-time homebuyers welcomed news of a down payment assistance grant or tax credit, the mortgage industry and housing experts expressed deep skepticism. Two proposals under consideration in Congress aim to give first-time...
FHFA launches new refinancing program for low-income homeowners
Source: Realty Biz News --- This week, the FHFA announced an upcoming program for low-income homeowners with government-backed mortgages to refinance at a lower rate in order to reduce the amount they have to pay back each month. FHFA said the program is aimed at...















