Seattle housing market wrestles with crippling affordability concerns

Seattle is wrestling with a problem that is more acute than all but a handful of metropolitan areas — crippling affordability issues.

Comfortable city living usually requires a six-figure salary

Nine of the top 10 cities where homeowners need the highest incomes are located on the West Coast or in the Pacific region.

Americans are divided over housing impacts of immigration, tariffs

Opinions fell mainly along party lines, with Republicans having a rosier view of tariffs and new immigration policies than Democrats.

In Chicago, a reverse mortgage scammer left a lasting scar

Mark Diamond was sentenced to 17 years in prison for his crimes against elderly homeowners, but the damage in Chicago is still visible.

Tech Pulse: UWM challenges industry AI fear; Optimal Blue automates refi opportunities

Key news this week includes comments on "AI fear," Zillow Rentals adding conversational AI and Optimal Blue revealing a new refinance tool.

First American: Rising costs squeeze homeownership for millions

Borrowers have seen their housing cost burden edge up slightly, from 19.8% of household income in 2020 to 20.3% in 2023.

MBA, FHFA explore single credit report for mortgages

The trade group is “engaging with the Trump administration, and specifically FHFA, to conduct the assessments needed to reform this process and align…

HUD signs agreement with South Korean housing finance agency to spur MBS investment

HUD and Ginnie Mae signed an MOU with a South Korean housing finance authority, with the goal of increasing investment in U.S. agency MBS.

How midsize lenders are surviving the mortgage squeeze

While expense control has been a survival strategy for many mortgage lenders, growth now hinges on finding new revenue streams beyond the traditional…