Real estate news

• Florida also alleges widespread servicing failures at Ocwen

  20-04-2017 23:54
  
  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the members of the Multi-State Mortgage Committee were not the only ones to take action against Ocwen Financial on Thursday for the nonbank’s mortgage servicing practices. The state of Florida also sued Ocwen, along with the company’s subsidiaries Ocwen Loan Servicing and Ocwen Mortgage Servicing, for “mortgage servicing misconduct.”
  
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• Survey: Homebuyers Value Reliable Wireless Service Over Home Prices

  20-04-2017 23:28
  
  Editor’s Note: This was originally published on RISMedia’s blog, Housecall. See what else is cookin’ now at blog.rismedia.com:If You’re Ready Come and Get It: Selena Gomez’s Texan Mansion Is for Sale
  Change Your Mindset, Change Your Business
  4 Quick DIY Projects for a Healthier Home
  Sure, price matters a lot when a buyer is in the market for a new home. But do you know what matters more? Wireless service.
  A consumer survey commissioned by CTIA found that h
  
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• Climate change looms over waterfront real estate - The Boston Globe

  20-04-2017 23:22
  
  Climate change looms over waterfront real estate
  The Boston Globe
  Flood insurance for more buildings, elevating homes onto pilings, building a sea wall around Boston? What are we thinking? “Heads in the sand?” is the right headline for Jon Gorey's April 16 warning about sea level rise, ocean-front real estate, and ...
  
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• Global Pros Shaping an Industry

  20-04-2017 23:20
  
  Today’s real estate industry is more global than ever. No surprise there; we all know that.
  But if you look more closely at global real estate, you’ll find a lot more going on than just home sales and purchases. In countries around the world, real estate is becoming more refined, transparent and professional. This transformation isn’t due to any far-reaching regulations or policies; it’s emerging from the ground up—from agents and brokers themselves.
  In March, more
  
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• Mortgage Rates Back Under 4 Percent for First Time Since Election

  20-04-2017 23:14
  
  Mortgage rates moved back under 4 percent for the first time since the presidential election, according to Freddie Mac’s recently released Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®). The average 15-year and 30-year fixed mortgage rates both toppled 11 basis points, with the 15-year at 3.23 percent and the 30-year at 3.97 percent. The average 5-year, Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable mortgage rate is 3.10 percent.
  “The 30-year mortgage rate fell 11 basis points this week to 3.97
  
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• Take Pet Pampering to the Next Level With These Fabulous Dog Houses

  20-04-2017 23:05
  
  Editor’s Note: This was originally published on RISMedia’s blog, Housecall. See what else is cookin’ now at blog.rismedia.com:Survey: Homebuyers Value Reliable Wireless Service Over Home Prices
  If You’re Ready Come and Get It: Selena Gomez’s Texan Mansion Is for Sale
  Change Your Mindset, Change Your BusinessDog owners are infamous for providing their furry ones with a better lifestyle than their own. For instance, you might recall the time Paris Hilton had a replica
  
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• Real estate tech company attacks planning and zoning process - Miami Herald

  20-04-2017 23:04
  Miami Herald
  Real estate tech company attacks planning and zoning process
  Miami Herald
  Efficient isn't a word most people would use to describe a planning and zoning process, but a Miami-based real estate technology startup wants to change that. Gridics, a real estate data and software development company, announced Thursday that it has ...
  
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• New Yorkers hit the streets to protest HUD budget cuts

  20-04-2017 22:53
  
  New Yorkers marched Thursday through the streets to protest President Trump’s budget, specifically the section that proposes to cut $6.2 billion from HUD funding. Even one of New York’s own representatives joined the gathering, calling for no cuts.
  
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• Ocwen accuses CFPB of playing politics with lawsuit, vows to defend itself

  20-04-2017 22:45
  
  Ocwen Financial took the gloves off in responding to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s allegations that the nonbank “failed borrowers at every stage of the mortgage servicing process,” arguing that the CFPB’s lawsuit is politically motivated and vowing to defend itself against claims that are “inaccurate” and “unfounded.”
  
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• Randall real estate firm moves up in national sales ranking - The Westerly Sun

  20-04-2017 22:40
  
  Randall real estate firm moves up in national sales ranking
  The Westerly Sun
  CHARLESTOWN — The Randall Family of Companies, a tri-state real estate firm headquartered in Charlestown, said it has again earned placed in the Real Trends 500 survey, an industry report ranking the top U.S. residential real estate firms. Randall ...
  
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• Does the MBA’s GSE reform plan finally address a key roadblock?

  20-04-2017 22:00
  
  Nearly eight years of conservatorship has turned talks of reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Macinto a myth that the industry might discuss but doesn't believe will actually happen. So what’s the main factor stopping GSE reform? No one really understands it. This problem is exactly what the Mortgage Bankers Association is trying to fix.
  
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• Fresno County real estate is strong | The Fresno Bee - Fresno Bee (blog)

  20-04-2017 21:22
  Fresno Bee (blog)
  Fresno County real estate is strong | The Fresno Bee
  Fresno Bee (blog)
  Real estate in Fresno County is strong and expected to continue its steady streak this year, according to a panel of local experts at the 2017 Fresno County Real ...
  Optimism, e-commerce, millennials driving Fresno real estateFresno Business Journalall 2 news articles »
  
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• Nuveen Adds Direct Real Estate to TDFs - PLANSPONSOR

  20-04-2017 21:08
  The 401(k) Specialist (blog)
  Nuveen Adds Direct Real Estate to TDFs
  PLANSPONSOR
  The firm is promoting these funds as the first of its kind to offer access to direct real estate through a target-date mutual fund. By Javier Simon [email protected] | April 20, 2017. print button · reprint button; email; facebook button ...
  April 20, 2017 | Why Adding Real Estate to Target Date Funds Makes SenseThe 401(k) Specialist (blog)all 2 news articles »
  
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• 'Act like you belong,' exec tells women in real estate industry - Baltimore Business Journal

  20-04-2017 20:57
  'Act like you belong,' exec tells women in real estate industry
  Baltimore Business Journal
  The male-dominated field of commercial real estate has often served as both a blessing and curse for women trying to navigate their careers, a panel said. Subscribe to get the full story. Already a subscriber? Sign in. Subscribe to get the full story ...
  ​How new technology is changing the face of luxury real estatePacific Business News (Honolulu)all 232 news articles »
  
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• Real estate investment firm set to relocate to downtown Stamford - The Advocate

  20-04-2017 20:41
  
  The Advocate
  Real estate investment firm set to relocate to downtown Stamford
  The Advocate
  Real estate investment firm Waypoint Residential is moving to 9 W. Broad St. in downtown Stamford, where it will take about 11,500 square feet on the eighth floor. Photo: Michael Cummo / Hearst Connecticut Media. Buy this photo. Image 2 of 2. Buy photo.and more »
  
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• CFPB sues Ocwen, alleges total failure of mortgage servicing process

  20-04-2017 20:13
  
  April 20, 2017 is turning into D-Day for Ocwen Financial. Earlier, a group of state banking regulators issued a series of cease-and-desist orders prohibiting the acquisition of new mortgage servicing rights. Now, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is suing the nonbank for "failing borrowers at every stage of the mortgage servicing process."
  
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• This real estate analyst remains an optimist during the Trump era — for now - GeekWire

  20-04-2017 19:59
  
  GeekWire
  This real estate analyst remains an optimist during the Trump era — for now
  GeekWire
  Donald Trump How will President Trump's policies affect the economy and real estate industry? (White House via YouTube). Long before he became real estate powerhouse CBRE's head of research for the Americas, Spencer Levy was a young lawyer in ...
  
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• Mild winter gives spring home remodeling a head start

  20-04-2017 19:59
  
  A new report from NAHB shows remodeling is on the rise, getting an early start this spring after a mild winter. Many homebuyers are taking out HELOCs for remodeling purposes as the loan rises in popularity with the fall of refinances. However, experts explain there is one problem blocking the increase in the new trend.
  
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• State banking regulators crush Ocwen's business with sweeping new restrictions

  20-04-2017 19:28
  
  Citing numerous issues with consumer escrow accounts and a “deficient financial condition,” a consortium of state banking regulators just put Ocwen Financial’s mortgage business on life support. A bombshell announcement from the North Carolina Commissioner of Banks claims that more than 20 state mortgage regulators issued cease-and-desist orders to Ocwen, which prohibits the acquisition of new mortgage servicing rights and the origination of mortgages.
  
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• MBA to Congress: Here’s the roadmap you need to tackle GSE reform

  20-04-2017 19:26
  
  On Sept. 6, 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency placed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into conservatorship. Nearly nine years later, this is where the two government-sponsored enterprises remain, with little meaningful effort over the years to change the status quo. Until now. As the largest trade group in the mortgage finance space, the Mortgage Bankers Association released a white paper to stay in front of the conversation and address the biggest hole in reform: the transition.
  
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• Fairfax's Watsa Warns Toronto Real Estate Bubble Will Burst - Bloomberg

  20-04-2017 18:45
  
  Bloomberg
  Fairfax's Watsa Warns Toronto Real Estate Bubble Will Burst
  Bloomberg
  Prem Watsa, head of Canadian investment firm Fairfax Financial Holdings Inc., said the Toronto property market is in a bubble that will end with pain for banks that financed the growth. "Most banks can't survive a 50 percent drop in real estate values ...and more »
  
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• Now is the time — Make housing reform a priority

  20-04-2017 18:00
  
  Today, MBA is releasing a plan detailing how a future secondary mortgage market can work – describing a post-conservator end state for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  Our proposal includes transition steps detailing how to get from here to there and is the only paper that comprehensively addresses how the reformed secondary market would serve all Americans along the broad continuum of affordable housing needs.
  
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• MGIC net income grew 23% in Q1 2017

  20-04-2017 17:17
  
  MGIC saw an increase of nearly 23% in the first quarter of 2017. New insurance written saw losses of nearly 30% from the last quarter, however it is still up from last year, and the company CEO explained this drop was expected.
  
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• Here's what will happen in housing and mortgages regardless of what Trump does next

  20-04-2017 17:00
  
  Trump news is everywhere. Most of it is speculation as to what he will do next, and what it will mean for the mortgage and housing markets. But, here's how to find out what will happen in the housing and mortgage markets regardless of what Trump does.
  
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• Freddie Mac: Mortgage rate falls below 4% mark

  20-04-2017 16:03
  
  Mortgage rates fell below to 4% mark and landed at their lowest point since November 2016. As international relations grow more tense, investors are pulling out of more risky investments, bringing interest rates down further as they follow the Treasury yield.
  
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• Here are the South Florida neighborhoods where home and condo prices are rising — and falling, too - Miami Herald

  20-04-2017 15:50
  Miami Herald
  Here are the South Florida neighborhoods where home and condo prices are rising — and falling, too
  Miami Herald
  The overall cost of buying a home in South Florida continues to climb, according to a report released Thursday reflecting sales prices in the first quarter of 2017. But prices vary significantly by neighborhood. In mainland Miami-Dade, the median sales ...
  Miami Real Estate Market Stabilizing After a 'Reset' YearMansion Globalall 6 news articles »
  
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• Chicago's hottest real estate markets - Crain's Chicago Business

  20-04-2017 13:40
  
  Crain's Chicago Business
  Chicago's hottest real estate markets
  Crain's Chicago Business
  Photo by KellerWilliams Chicago O'Hare A two-bedroom condo in a mid-century building on North State Parkway lasted just eight days on the market. The first three months of the year were very good to sellers in Irving Park, the Near North and suburban ...
  
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• Vineland property sells for $800K | South Jersey real estate - NJ.com

  20-04-2017 13:33
  
  NJ.com
  Vineland property sells for $800K | South Jersey real estate
  NJ.com
  ALLOWAY TWP. -- 305 Garton Road, Michael A. and Janeen M. Hitchner to Sarah Lynn Hitchner and Dustin K. Wilson for $180,000. -- 20 Cedar St. #22, Paul S. and Carol Ann Wentzell to Paul LaRoy for $120,000. BRIDGETON. -- 8 S. West Ave., Federal ...
  
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• Commercial real estate mixed even as local economy recovers ... - Houston Chronicle

  20-04-2017 06:35
  
  Houston Chronicle
  Commercial real estate mixed even as local economy recovers ...
  Houston Chronicle
  Houston's office market is stabilizing and investors' appetite for commercial real estate is growing, but cracks are starting to show in the city's long-robust retail ...
  Houston Commercial Real Estate Market 'Slower But Not Sluggish'Houston Public Mediaall 2 news articles »
  
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• Mortgage Cadence to provide one-stop-shop mortgage platform

  20-04-2017 06:01
  
  Mortgage Cadence announced its license with a new software, FirstClose, that will allow third parties to integrate with the company’s current mortgage program. Mortgage Cadence explains what this means for its platforms, for lenders and what new services it will offer.
  
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• Ellie Mae: Average closing times now sit at lowest level in two years

  20-04-2017 00:11
  
  The average time to close a loan spent a lot of 2016 fluctuating around the high 40s, but this is no longer the case. The survey found that the average time now sits at the lowest level in two years. The report also found that the purchase market is heating up, as March ushers in the start of the spring home-buying season.
  
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• Create Engaging Campaigns on Instagram

  20-04-2017 00:00
  Learn how to develop a content strategy and hone your brand’s marketing efforts on this growing social platform.
  
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