Gone, not forgotten: The Oklahoma City bombing 29 years later

Kari Watkins, Chris Fleming and Donna Weaver were forever changed by the April 19, 1995, Oklahoma City bombing. Twenty-nine years later, they reflect on life since. Continue reading

Housing Secretary Marcia Fudge stepping down March 22

The surprise announcement comes as the Biden administration rolls out a $7.3 trillion budget proposal that would provide $258 billion to expand access to affordable housing. Continue reading

New-home sales show promise with 1.8% annual growth

New-home sales improved across the board in January, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development on Monday. New-home sales, which include when a homebuyer makes a deposit or signs a sales agreement, increased… Continue reading

David Stevens, influential leader in mortgage finance, dies at 66

The former FHA commissioner also held executive positions at World Savings Bank, Freddie Mac, and The Long and Foster Companies before leading the Mortgage Bankers Association. Continue reading

Mortgage groups urge FHA to ditch ‘life of loan’ premium payments

Having just slashed annual mortgage insurance premiums on new FHA loans by 35 percent in March, and with total insurance in force growing faster than reserves, HUD officials show no signs of giving in to long-standing industry demands. Continue reading

Biden administration backs plan to convert more offices to homes

Initiative provides new financing and technical assistance to developers and local government, and highlights grants and tax incentives that can make conversion projects more attractive. Continue reading

FHA will consider rent from ADUs when qualifying borrowers

Policy change is intended to help more first-time homebuyers, seniors, and inter-generational families tap the wealth building potential of homeownership. Continue reading

Will chatbots make housing discrimination worse?

New artificial intelligence technology can recommend real estate listings based on neighborhoods’ ethnic makeup. Experts are worried about the tech’s potential for discrimination. Continue reading

Audits find fault with help provided to FHA borrowers during pandemic

Loan servicer Mr. Cooper is ‘deeply disappointed’ that the HUD OIG audit focused on problems it says were mostly technical, rather than on borrower outcomes. Continue reading

Housing starts post rebound in April but inventory remains tight

Housing starts rose 2.2 percent month over month in April, as homebuyers increasingly turn to new construction to combat low inventory in the resale market, the US Census Bureau reported Wednesday. Continue reading