NYC Council aims to limit rental broker fees, security deposits

Members of the New York City Council took aim at the fees associated with renting an apartment in New York City, which sometimes requires prospective tenants to spend thousands of dollars in deposits and charges to obtain. Continue reading

Blend wants to speed up getting home equity loans, credit lines

Digital mortgage startup Blend announced that it will soon expand to offer customers home equity loans and lines of credit. Continue reading

Two of Austin’s largest indie brokerages are joining forces

Realty Austin, the largest independent brokerage in Austin, said its acquisition of Reilly Realtors should give it 10 percent of the market in the city. Continue reading

Mortgage software company Ellie Mae to be acquired for $3.7B

Ellie Mae, founded in 1997, processes 35 percent of all mortgage applications in the U.S., according to Banking Tech. Continue reading

NAR wants to replace Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) wants to replace Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with a new entity that would be private, but regulated like a utility, that the organization believes would ensure the mortgage industry keeps running long-term. Continue reading

Amazon acquires Wi-Fi startup Eero, furthering smart home ambitions

Presumably, Amazon could also use the Eero acquisition to keep tabs on the web browsing habits of all customers who use the router system as well… Continue reading