There’s a new unicorn in the fintech space, as Plaid announced this week that it raised $250 million in its Series C funding round at a reported valuation of $2.65 billion. Plaid, a technology platform that connects various applications with users’ bank accounts, has a growing presence in the mortgage space. And now, the company plans to grow exponentially thanks to a massive new capital injection.

After previously hinting that he might run for president in 2020, former HUD Secretary Julián Castro just took a big step towards making it a reality. Castro announced on Wednesday that he is forming an exploratory committee for the purposes of determining whether he’s going to run for the Democratic nomination for president in the next election, which is considered to a be a significant step in the process of running for president.

[Expert commentary] The digital mortgage promise is compelling: new technology and better workflow to meet all needs and requirements — all built for compliance and protecting participants from unnecessary risk but it's not guaranteed. As technology is evaluated and implemented, chief compliance officers must have a seat at the table.

Late Tuesday night, President Donald Trump announced his choice to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Mark Calabria. Calabria’s nomination must still be approved by the Senate, but with his extensive background in housing, and a Republican majority in the Senate, that isn’t expected to be a problem.

The legal battle between Airbnb and the Apartment Investment and Management Company over Aimco’s claims that Airbnb was encouraging residents to violate their leases by renting out their apartments on the short-term rental platform is now over. And everyone appears to be pleased.

In the last few days of his leadership at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Mick Mulvaney moved to further ease the bureau’s enforcement of the industries that it oversees. Additionally, the CFPB proposal would create a “Product Sandbox,” which would allow and encourage companies to create and test new products and services under safe harbor provisions from the bureau itself.

The Trump administration has officially nominated Mark Calabria to be the next director of the FHFA when Mel Watt’s term is up early next year. But what would Calabria bring to the FHFA and what might that mean for the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Here's a look at what's next, from those in the know.

Over the summer, the Department of Justice gave up its five-year pursuit of former Jefferies managing director and mortgage-backed securities trader Jesse Litvak, ending the DOJ’s effort to jail the trader for allegedly lying to customers about mortgage bond trades. And now, the Securities and Exchange Commission has done the same thing.