Real estate news

• Hensarling wants CFPB’s Cordray investigated for potential election law violations

  01-08-2017 23:14
  Rumor has it that Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray plans to leave his position and run for Ohio governor at some point soon, but according to one of the top Republicans on Capitol Hill, Cordray is already making moves to prepare for his run in Ohio – some of which include violating federal election law by mixing his current job with the job he supposedly wants next.
  
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• Maximize Your Online Presence With MVP and .REALTOR

  01-08-2017 22:06
  NAR PULSE—Your next NAR Member Value Plus (MVP) Program reward is here! Members who sign up for the .REALTOR email newsletter by Aug. 15 will earn free access to 5 Tech and Marketing Tools to Win Listings Webinar – Download and be automatically entered to win a $50 REALTOR® Store gift card from MVP. Act now to ensure you are maximizing the benefits of your .REALTOR web address.
  Receive $500 Cash Allowance for the All-New Jeep® CompassNAR members receive a $500 cash allowance
  
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• Starkey Mortgage launches reverse mortgage division

  01-08-2017 22:04
  Plano, Texas-based Starkey Mortgage announced it launched a Reverse Mortgage Division in order to help borrowers who are 62 years of age or older to use their home equity as a retirement asset. Through the program, Starkey Mortgage hopes seniors will be able to take advantage of their home equity for things like moving closer to family or reducing their square footage.
  
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• Great Spaces: House of the Rising Sun for Sale

  01-08-2017 22:03
  Editor’s Note: This was originally published on RISMedia’s blog, Housecall. See what else is cookin’ now at blog.rismedia.com:How to Create Compelling Property Listings That Generate Sales
  Home Safety: Best Places to Put Security Cameras
  Prospecting: Online and Offline Lead Sources That Dominate in Today’s Market
  There is a house in Mexico they call the Rising Sun. That’s how the song goes when you’re looking at the Casa Salida Del Sol, a stunning hacienda in
  
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• Ten-X predicts minor decrease in July existing home sales

  01-08-2017 20:44
  Existing home sales are predicted to decrease in July, Ten-X predicted in its monthly Nowcast. The lack of housing inventory is pulling home sales lower as first-time homebuyers on the East Coast have no inventory to choose from.
  
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• HUD to provide $179 million to help states recover from recent disasters

  01-08-2017 19:09
  The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced it will provide an additional $179 million to states hit by disasters over the past two years. The states will target the grants toward the most affected areas.
  
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• Fiserv acquires PCLender

  01-08-2017 18:44
  For the second time in the last two months, Fiserv is growing its suite of financial services technology solutions. In June, Fiserv announced that it reached an agreement to acquire Monitise, London-based provider of financial services technology, for $90 million. Now, Fiserv, a provider of financial services technology solutions, is growing its mortgage technology platform by acquiring PCLender, a provider of internet-based mortgage solutions for community banks and credit unions.
  
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• Senate Appropriations Committee housing bill saves doomed affordable housing programs

  01-08-2017 18:20
  The Senate Committee on Appropriations unanimously approved the fiscal year 2018 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. This new bill, passed by the committee, shifts away from Trump’s budget proposal and includes additional resources to prevent and end homelessness among veterans and youth, as well as to maintain existing rental housing assistance for nearly 5 million households nationwide.
  
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• CoreLogic: Rising home prices overheating these 4 major housing markets

  01-08-2017 17:13
  Home prices increased from last year and last month, and the increase is expected to continue, according to the latest report from CoreLogic. Already, home prices in four of the top 10 largest metros are so high they may be overheating those markets.
  
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• CoreLogic: Rising home prices overheated these 4 major housing markets

  01-08-2017 17:13
  Home prices increased from last year and last month, and the increase is expected to continue, according to the latest report from CoreLogic. Already, home prices in four of the top 10 largest metros are so high they may be overheating those markets.
  
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• Radian: New mortgage insurance written surges 43% in second quarter

  01-08-2017 16:06
  Despite recording a net loss for the second quarter, private mortgage insurer Radian Group managed to report a strong quarter for new mortgage insurance written. According to the company’s financial results, new mortgage insurance written surged 43% from the first quarter of 2017 and 11% from the prior-year quarter.
  
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• In this super-competitive real estate market, some buyers are bidding on homes without setting foot in them - Washington Post

  01-08-2017 15:02
  Washington Post
  In this super-competitive real estate market, some buyers are bidding on homes without setting foot in them
  Washington Post
  One in 3 people who bought a home in the last year said that they made an offer without seeing it in person. Millennials were even more likely to have made an offer sight-unseen, with 41 percent saying they had done so, compared with 30 percent of ...
  
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• The Amazing Brentwood Welcomes New Strategic Development Partner, L Catterton Real Estate - GlobeNewswire (press release)

  01-08-2017 15:01
  GlobeNewswire (press release)
  The Amazing Brentwood Welcomes New Strategic Development Partner, L Catterton Real Estate
  GlobeNewswire (press release)
  The Amazing Brentwood is a 28-acre master planned community at the heart of Metro Vancouver. SHAPE. The Amazing Brentwood Construction. shape_brentwood-4. Construction is underway at The Amazing Brentwood - photo taken July 2017. SHAPE ...and more »
  
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• Freddie Mac second quarter net income declines to $1.7 billion

  01-08-2017 14:43
  Freddie Mac’s financial results remained steady during the second quarter, as it reported net income of $1.7 billion for the second quarter of 2017. This is slightly down from the first quarter of 2017. Donald Layton, Freddie Mac CEO, commented on the stability of the GSE, saying, “Our continued very solid financial results and strong business fundamentals reflect the company’s transformation into a well run commercial enterprise.”
  
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• What $300K buys you in real estate in Hudson County's 12 towns - NJ.com

  01-08-2017 14:03
  NJ.com
  What $300K buys you in real estate in Hudson County's 12 towns
  NJ.com
  It's one of the most densely populated areas in the country and fastest growing counties in the state. From North Bergen to Bayonne, Hudson County offers a wide range of properties available for sale. However, with the median home price in New Jersey ...
  
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• Bay Area's shocking home prices are the talk of the nation - The Mercury News

  01-08-2017 13:11
  The Mercury News
  Bay Area's shocking home prices are the talk of the nation
  The Mercury News
  Cute and cozy in Pleasanton, this mobile home is relatively dirt cheap in a region covered with very expensive dirt: you must be a senior to buy it and then pay monthly rent of about $1,200, but it's all yours for under $200,000. Expand. By Patrick May ...
  
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• There are no good guys in this cutthroat real estate battle - New York Post

  01-08-2017 11:34
  New York Post
  There are no good guys in this cutthroat real estate battle
  New York Post
  Which side are you going to root for — brazen traffickers in ivory from elephants massacred by poachers, or a developer who would speed the ruin of Manhattan's grandest crosstown boulevard? In a 57th Street struggle without heroes, landlord Sheldon ...and more »
  
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• What real estate agents should know about zero-down loans - Inman.com

  01-08-2017 11:04
  What real estate agents should know about zero-down loans
  Inman.com
  No longer do you have to be a qualified veteran or live in a rural area to get a mortgage without putting down a penny. For nearly a decade, only buyers who qualify for VA or USDA Rural Development mortgages have been able to buy a home with zero down.
  
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• Real estate expansion: 3 traits teams need for successful business growth - Inman.com

  01-08-2017 10:33
  Real estate expansion: 3 traits teams need for successful business growth
  Inman.com
  Real estate expansion is one of the few ways to boost a real estate business's profits exponentially and ensure its long-term success. Without certain key components, however, plans for real estate expansion are doomed to fail. If you plan on expanding ...and more »
  
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• 7 habits of highly effective real estate agents - Inman.com

  01-08-2017 10:01
  7 habits of highly effective real estate agents
  Inman.com
  Stephen Covey You've most likely heard of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, written by Stephen Covey in 1989. It has been adapted and has sold millions of copies over the years. Covey defines effectiveness as ...
  
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• Investment bank taps storage veteran to lead real estate division - SpareFoot (blog)

  01-08-2017 07:28
  SpareFoot (blog)
  Investment bank taps storage veteran to lead real estate division
  SpareFoot (blog)
  Jeff Weber well serve as the managing director of The McLean Group and head up the firm's new real estate practice out of its Newport Beach, CA office. Weber has more than three decades of commercial real estate investment and development experience.
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Wendy Peel

  01-08-2017 06:01
  Not content to simply lead the sales and marketing efforts of ReverseVision, Wendy Peel has made it a priority to right the reputation of the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage product and encourage mortgage lenders of every stripe to add HECMs to their product mix.
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Twyla Hankins

  01-08-2017 06:01
  Twyla Hankins leads nationwide lender American Financial Network as executive vice president of operations. Under her leadership, AFN has experienced booming growth, going from lending in fewer than 20 states and funding under $1 billion in 2010 to lending in more than 40 states and funding $4.8 billion in 2016. 
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Tracey Hirt

  01-08-2017 06:01
  In 2016, Tracey Hirt oversaw the integration of three newly acquired mortgage banks, which grew RPM’s funded volume to $6.7 billion for 2016. She also reorganized RPM’s banking operations around the company’s signature Advance Approval program to underwrite purchase loans before clients make offers, enabling them to win bidding wars with cash-like offers. 
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Tara Smith

  01-08-2017 06:01
  Tara Smith leads strategy development and implementation for Stewart Agency operations, and provides guidance to other leaders across the title industry – resulting in improved financial performance in 2017. 
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Suzanne Zinn Mueller

  01-08-2017 06:01
  Suzanne Zinn Mueller has been at realtor.com less than two years, but is already making a significant impact by deepening relationships and forging new ones in a business whose success relies on positive people-to-people interactions. 
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Sherri Meadows

  01-08-2017 06:01
  Sherri Meadows has served on the board of directors of the National Association of Realtors since 2007 and in 2016 she became the vice president of NAR’s region 5. In 2014, the Florida Association of Realtors elected her president and she chose to tackle homelessness.
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Sherri Goodman

  01-08-2017 06:01
  Sherri Goodman joined Ocwen Financial in 2014 and was initially only responsible for Ocwen’s customer care center. But over the next two years, her scope expanded to encompass all of Ocwen’s call center operations, as well as back office processes for payoffs and written requests. 
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Sara Millard

  01-08-2017 06:01
  In early 2016, Sara Millard led the initial publishing of UGC’s S-1 with the SEC, which marketed the company’s initiative to go public and ultimately positioned the company to strategic buyers. During this time, her role shifted from heading the legal activities for the initial IPO to Arch MI’s purchase of the company. She currently leads functions responsible for M&A activities, including negotiating the stock purchase agreement, due diligence, negotiating contracts and ob
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Nida Haji

  01-08-2017 06:01
  As the director of consumer lending at Tavant Technologies, Nida Haji possesses a deep understanding of the mortgage industry and a vision of the future that is changing the landscape of mortgage technology. Haji led the design and development of voice interaction for Tavant’s VELOX product suite, which is possibly the first in the industry. The unique Alexa voice-based app was selected to be presented at Mortgage Banker Association conferences as well as FinovateSpring 2017. 
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Neenu Sohi Kainth

  01-08-2017 06:01
  Neenu sohi Kainth has led the development and deployment of several game-changing innovations at Nationstar as the company continues its journey to become Mr. Cooper. She is dedicated to improving the customer experience at Nationstar through all facets of the business and has individually transformed the way the company thinks about technology and using digital tools to help its customers better understand and manage their home loan. 
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Nancy Pratt

  01-08-2017 06:01
  Nancy Pratt’s 32-year career includes more than 12 years of experience specifically in the eMortgage/eClosing space. She helped perform the first complete eMortgage with lenders and conducted the first-ever FHA and VA eClosing. 
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Michelle Steinmetzer

  01-08-2017 06:01
  Since July 2016, when Michelle Steinmetzer joined Chronos Solutions through the acquisition of UPF Services, she has been instrumental in increasing productivity and reducing operational expenses across several divisions within the enterprise. 
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Michele McGovern

  01-08-2017 06:01
  In 2016, CEO Michele McGovern led Alight through substantial growth — doubling the customer base and staff at Alight, and significantly ramping the firm’s revenues. During the past year, Alight has run over $80 billion in originations through its platform. And in July, Alight announced the closure of a Series A funding round for $11 million that included Caterpillar Venture Capital Inc.
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Kristen Sieffert

  01-08-2017 06:01
  Kristen Sieffert focuses on responsible and ethical lending while nurturing a culture at Finance of America Reverse that empowers team members to do the right thing when originating reverse mortgages.
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Kelli Yarbrough

  01-08-2017 06:01
  Kelli Yarbrough is responsible for the organic development of RoundPoint Mortgage Servicing Corporation’s originations department, creating more than 100 roles in the process. Building this team from scratch required Yarbrough to design and implement all the policies, procedures, systems, and training programs that were needed to successfully establish this new department.
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Karen Lanning

  01-08-2017 06:01
  After First American acquired Forsythe Appraisals, TD Service Financial and RedVision in 2016, Karen Lanning supported the transition of employees into the larger First American family, which required her to develop unique approaches that highlighted the values the companies shared and First American’s heritage as a family-run company. The impact that people from both companies have had since the acquisitions is a reflection of the skill and creativity Lanning brings to her role.
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Kara Lamphere

  01-08-2017 06:01
  With an eye toward reducing risk and controlling costs, Kara Lamphere provides a unique and innovative perspective that has enabled Mid America to advance the eMortgage and stand out as a leader in digital mortgages. Her work in this area has included helping Mid America successfully execute eClosings and eNotes in its retail and TPO channels.
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Jody Gunderson

  01-08-2017 06:01
  Jody Gunderson’s leadership was crucial in the formation of the Global Home division, a daunting process that required vision to streamline and integrate product lines and the leadership to motivate teams to effectively work together. Gunderson’s extensive industry experience paired with her desire to understand all aspects of the industry has driven her efforts to make Assurant Global Home a trusted partner among its clients.
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Janette Mah

  01-08-2017 06:01
  Janette Mah has played a major role in extending the American dream of homeownership to the underserved Korean-American community during her 30-year career in banking.  In 2016, Mah set a record with more than $450 million in committed facilities, including several top 50 mortgage originators. She’s now implementing a correspondent channel. 
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Jackie Mohr

  01-08-2017 06:01
  Over the last year, Mohr, who has more than 15 years of experience in financial services and lending, has been instrumental in successfully guiding loanDepot through a number of different initiatives, such as TRID implementation, the restructure of the branch oversight program, and legal and compliance oversight over the development of mello, loanDepot’s new end-to-end digital lending platform. 
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Holly Tachovsky

  01-08-2017 06:01
  Holly Tachovsky is the CEO and co-founder of BuildFax, a data and analytics company with nationwide reach headquartered in downtown Austin, Texas. Founded in 2008, BuildFax provides data and insights to some of the largest insurers and lending firms. 
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Doris Raimundi

  01-08-2017 06:01
  Doris Raimundi has spent the past year building a strong first line-of-defense team that was instrumental in strengthening borrower protections and bank practices. Her leadership in the company’s complaint area led to a 22% year-over-year reduction in mortgage servicing complaints, as well as one of the lowest large mortgage company complaint volumes with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Diane Tomb

  01-08-2017 06:01
  In the short time Diane Tomb has been the executive director of the National Rental Home Council, she has built a strong organization consisting of the top companies within the single-family rental space. 
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Dawn Lewallen

  01-08-2017 06:01
  Dawn Lewallen is a game-changer with the breadth and depth of expertise that enables her to craft solutions for even the most complex title issues. Over the past year, she has led Stewart Title Guaranty Co. toward a fully digital closing process while promoting changes to more efficiently serve homebuyers using its services.
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Charlotte Tyson

  01-08-2017 06:01
  As the director of customer consulting for Genworth Financial, Charlotte Tyson tours the country identifying and offering solutions to what she believes is a continual problem: not enough attention is paid to the process work before overlaying new technology into platforms. As she puts it, “the product/loan itself is a commodity, but the operational performance is the differentiator, and technology plays a huge role in that.” 
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Caroline Watteeuw

  01-08-2017 06:01
  During the last year, Watteeuw joined Caliber Home Loans as its executive vice president and chief information officer and has made her mark on the continued transformation of technology to support Caliber’s aggressive growth plans. As CIO, she has directed her enthusiasm for technological excellence in each new endeavor for the national lender, including the successful launch of Caliber’s Ultimate Home Buying Experience. 
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Blythe Hughes

  01-08-2017 06:01
  During the last 12 months, Chief Administrative Officer Blythe Hughes has continued to build world-class programs and teams within her areas of responsibility at Stearns Lending, which include the human resources department, talent acquisition and onboarding, training and development.
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Billi West

  01-08-2017 06:01
  Billi West has been a leader at Network Funding in terms of production volume and branch management for the last eight years. In 2015, West did more than $86 million in volume, but beat that in 2016 by more than 65%, originating $143 million. That production volume landed her at the No. 21 spot on the Scotsman Guide for purchase volume. 
  
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• 2017 Women of Influence: Ali Haralson

  01-08-2017 06:01
  Clients at Auction.com have come to rely on Ali Haralson’s creative thinking and problem-solving abilities to help them navigate an evolving mortgage servicing industry. Her skills come from more than 20 years of experience in the industry, which includes founding a loan servicing company that she grew from four employees to a staff of more than 1,400 with more than $49 billion in assets under management.
  
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