Housing completions held hostage by rising mortgage rates

On Tuesday, the U.S. Census Bureau released their report for March, showing a solid number of housing permits and starts — but these were boosted by multifamily construction. In addition, this data lags behind the current reality of a housing market dealing with much higher mortgage rates. The previous month’s

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Redwood Trust reveals five new VC deals

At an investor conference last fall, Redwood Trust Inc. CEO Christopher Abate outlined the company’s strategy to expand its reach in existing markets while also seeking out strategic investments in new markets. Those new investments include venture capital plays, particularly in the financial-technology arena. Abate described technology as being key to

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FHA adds 40-year loan term to COVID-19 arsenal

The Federal Housing Administration told mortgage servicers that they can now offer a 40-year loan term as a COVID-19 recovery option. Servicers for FHA-insured mortgages can offer the modification immediately, according to the latest update to FHA’s mortgage lending policies. For now, only borrowers financially impacted by the pandemic can

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Better.com institutes third major layoff

A force reduction of about 4,000 workers since December apparently wasn’t enough to stop the bleeding for Better.com. The digital lender on Tuesday morning announced that it would be executing its third major layoff, though it did not disclose how many workers would be shown the door. Sources familiar with

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Fannie Mae executes fourth CIRT deal of 2022

Fannie Mae has wrapped up its fourth Credit Insurance Risk Transfer (CIRT) deal of the year, transferring nearly $845 million in mortgage credit risk to a group of private insurers and reinsurers. The transaction, CIRT 2022-4, involved a pool of 76,600 single-family mortgage loans with an outstanding principal balance of

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Blend lays off 200 workers as mortgage industry sputters

Publicly traded mortgage tech company Blend Labs laid off 10% of its workforce amid major headwinds in the mortgage industry. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday morning, the Nima Ghamsari-led fintech said its “workforce reduction plan” would eliminate approximately 200 positions across the company. The

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