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What’s the goal of ending the Fannie and Freddie conservatorship?

The government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) have been under the conservatorship of the federal government since the 2008 financial crisis, and for some time now many in the mortgage industry have thought this should end. But what is the goal of ending the conservatorships for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? GSE reform was up for debate at […]

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National home prices reached record high in April: First American

First American Data & Analytics released its April 2025 Home Price Index (HPI) report on Tuesday, revealing that house prices nationally are now 57.2% higher compared to pre-pandemic levels. Month over month, the HPI changed +0.4% and tear over year the HPI changed by +2.0%. The report noted that home-price growth reported in last month’s

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Rocket has regionalized consumer direct channel

Rocket Companies, traditionally known for its call center model, is diversifying its channel strategy amid its deals to acquire Redfin and Mr. Cooper, according to Chief Operating Officer Heather Lovier. “When we think about how we’re diversifying, obviously, Rocket is very consumer-direct — we have our direct-to-consumer channel. But we’re also diversifying in the field

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MBA’s Bob Broeksmit: ‘The CFPB is listening’ to industry concerns

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) highlighted the deregulatory efforts of the Trump administration at its Secondary and Capital Markets Conference in New York this week, including work at the CFPB. But on the topic of releasing the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) from conservatorship, MBA president and CEO Bob Broeksmit said he isn’t expecting action anytime soon.

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Bill Pulte is putting ‘obese’ Fannie and Freddie ‘on the treadmill’

It won’t be Federal Housing Finance Administration (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte or Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent making the decision about removing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from conservatorship. That’s entirely up to President Trump, Pulte told Mortgage Bankers Association Chair Laura Escobar in a freewheeling conversation at the MBA Secondary Mortgage Marketing conference in New

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Brokerages are sleeping on AI: Here’s the playbook to wake them up

Let’s call it what it is: most brokerages are way behind on AI. Agents? They’re scrappy. They’re downloading ChatGPT apps, playing with Canva AI, and asking Midjourney to crank out listing flyers in 30 seconds flat. They’re moving fast because they have to. Meanwhile, broker-owners are still asking, “So… how exactly would we even use

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America’s top reverse mortgage professional practices what he preaches

When George Vrban recently took out a reverse mortgage himself, some eyebrows were raised. But his decision wasn’t born out of financial desperation — it was part of an overall strategic retirement plan. George Vrban, a name synonymous with expertise and trust in the reverse mortgage industry, reached a personal and professional milestone by obtaining

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Debt is derailing homeownership for a generation — here’s how we can fix it

The path to homeownership in America has never been easy. But for many millennials — the largest generation in the U.S. workforce — it’s not just a challenge. It’s an increasingly distant goal, and the biggest obstacle standing in the way isn’t always high home prices. It’s often debt. We’ve seen a sharp rise in

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House passes bill to give VA borrowers a partial mortgage claim option

Following about 20 minutes of debate on the floor of the House of Representatives on Monday, H.R. 1815 — known as the V.A. Home Loan Program Reform Act — was passed by voice vote and will now be given to the Senate for additional debate. The passage by the House keeps the bill moving through

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Homebuilder sales incentives are in full bloom this spring

The spring homebuying season is in full swing. But what is typically the busiest time of year for homebuilders has not lived up to the hype in 2025.  As builders struggle to close sales, resulting in declines in builder confidence and in company revenues, many have started to pile on buyer sales incentives.  According to

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