States increase enforcement against deed theft amid rising property fraud.
Deed-theft protections enacted in Maryland and Alabama: implications for private lenders with enhanced title checks, filing safeguards and risk mitigation.
Two Harbors countersues UWM over hedging dispute and merger breach.
The REIT is pursuing the return of a $25.4 million breakup fee tied to a failed transaction, framing the dispute as a contractual question over entitlement and proper retention. That posture elevates the matter beyond negotiation to likely formal recovery efforts, including litigation or [...]
Better ends challenge to Garg’s bid to oust directors and reclaim control.
A special committee’s decision to drop its challenge to a preliminary independent inspection report signals a meaningful shift in corporate oversight and dispute resolution. By stepping aside, the committee effectively removes a procedural barrier that had delayed formal acceptance and follow-up on the inspector’s [...]
Christine Jensen discusses HECM reform and borrower misconceptions.
Jensen frames the 2% upfront mortgage insurance premium as a strategic affordability lever: it raises initial cash needs but can meaningfully reduce recurring mortgage insurance costs and monthly payments for borrowers who intend to hold the loan long-term. She cautions that the upfront option [...]
Mortgage rate outlook: Will rates rise to 7%, 8%, or 9%?
Mortgage rates sitting at 7.57% have pushed borrowing costs into a range that is increasingly constraining activity, and demand softened further last week as buyers and refinancers reacted. Refinance volumes have remained especially muted, with few homeowners finding sufficient incentive to trade up or [...]
AI governance functions as instrumentation rather than insurance.
Relying on quarterly fair‑lending tests leaves lenders vulnerable to model and performance drift that can alter disparate‑impact patterns between reviews. Market dynamics, rapid product changes, portfolio mix shifts and evolving applicant behavior can produce material changes in underwriting and pricing that episodic snapshots miss. [...]
ENRG Realty partners with Trust & Will on estate planning.
Mortgage and real estate agents can convert closings and annual follow-ups into meaningful estate-planning conversations by introducing wills and trusts tools at those moments. Closing is a high-attention event where ownership transfer and beneficiary considerations are top of mind, so brief, well-framed information about [...]
Berkshire Hathaway acquires an additional $53.9 million of Lennar stock.
Berkshire Hathaway bought $53.9M (660,410 shares) of Lennar, raising homebuilder exposure—implications for private construction lenders' pipeline and risks.
Study finds 43,000 affordable Pennsylvania homes may lose restrictions.
PHFA: 43,000+ fed-assisted PA rental units in 980 properties face expiring affordability restrictions—potential private-lender opportunities for investors.
California expands townhome and factory-built housing regulations.
California rules expand townhome eligibility and alter inspections, codes & financing for factory-built housing—key implications for private lenders' credit