Outlook for US mortgage rates remains stable, housing crunch continues

Mortgage rates will remain stable for the next two and a half years, predicts an economist from the Mortgage Bankers Association. But the national housing shortfall continues to be a problem primarily because of the lack of building sites, according to… Continue reading

Wells Fargo hires mortgage tech chief from JP Morgan

Steve Hagerman will serve as Wells Fargo’s head of consumer lending technology and will be responsible for the bank’s new and emerging technology platforms. Continue reading

Same-sex couples face discriminatory lending practices: Study

Same-sex couples were 73 percent more likely to be rejected for mortgages than heterosexual couples, according to an Iowa State University Ivy College of Business analysis. The study looked at home loans granted over a quarter of a century between 1990… Continue reading

Earnnest app streamlines and protects real estate transactions

Buyers can link accounts from up to 12,000 banks across the country using their existing personal login information, and even link the specific account to the Earrnest workflow. Continue reading

Bank Shot now white labels its proven digital check-deposit app

The 5-year-old financial app continues its growth with a new white label version for real estate brokerages and title companies. Continue reading

Sellers as clueless as buyers when it comes to transaction process

According to a survey of 1,000 homeowners commissioned by SOLD.com, approximately half of owners aren’t aware of the home selling options other than hiring a traditional agent or representing themselves as a for-sale-by owner. Continue reading

Modus wants to make earnest deposits as easy as Venmo-ing

Modus hopes to bring that same ease of use to the process of paying earnest money. In an email, Modus co-founder and chief operating officer Jai Sim told Inman that users can connect Digital Earnest Money Deposit to their bank accounts, though it is no… Continue reading

Feds release long-awaited opportunity zone regulations

The federal government released regulations Wednesday meant to stimulate investment in businesses and real estate projects in financially distressed areas. Continue reading

Real estate has no clear strategy for addressing climate change risks

Climate change poses a significant threat to the real estate industry, which has been slow to adopt standards to deal with the rising threat, according to a study published this week by the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit education and research insti… Continue reading