HW+ provides career-making insights and analysis for those in Mortgage, Real Estate and FinTech. This long-form digital content provides members with news nowhere else and digs deeper into the “why” behind the daily news cycle. To join the HW+ community, click here.
Mortgage and real estate battle for the top of the funnel
With interest rates in a higher-for-longer environment, mortgage and real estate companies have realized that long-term survival requires market share growth via M&A.
HUD pilots robotics-built housing and automated permitting
A pair of ultra-modest, little-noticed funding opportunities from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development may signal a new strategy taking shape in Washington. The Builder’s Daily has learned that HUD recently opened applications for two new demonstration programs totaling $13 million that target two of the industry’s chronic obstacles to delivering housing at […]
How Nicholas Hartigan helps turn strategy into execution
Nicholas Hartigan, director of program management at DocMagic and a 2025 HousingWire Insider, discusses the experiences that shaped his career, the future of digital mortgage adoption and the leadership principles that help drive successful execution across complex initiatives.
Lower rates boost applications, mortgage intent rebounds
Mortgage applications rose 7.9% weekly as the 30-year fixed fell to 6.35%, purchases up 10% and refis up 6%.
Opinion: FICO, the 3Bs: Fruit from a rotten tree. Here’s how we fix It.
In November 2025, Equifax published a statement making the case that FICO is the villain in the mortgage credit cost story. It was just one more shot across the bow from the 3Bs at FICO; a battle we’ve been watching play out in real time for years.
The numbers don’t lie: FICO’s per-score price has gone up 1,800% since 2020. It’s damning. It’s also a bureau pointing a finger at the single competitor to VantageScore, an entity Equifax co-owns with Experian and TransUnion.
Two Harbors hit with shareholder lawsuit over CCM acquisition
Shareholder Michael Koblentz filed another lawsuit against Two Harbors Investment Corp. and its board of directors, alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act tied to the company’s pending acquisition by CrossCountry Intermediate Holdco.
IRVE: The independent brokerage that grew $2B in five years
Iron Valley Real Estate ranks No. 10 nationally for five-year volume growth and No. 3 for five-year transaction side growth.
Real estate brokers own the listing data, says Realtracs
Realtracs replaced its MLS agreement with a brokerage pact affirming broker ownership of listing data and restricting redistribution.
Houston Association of Realtors, Repliers form data access partnership
As part of the agreement, HAR.com will integrate additional proprietary datasets into the Repliers platform at no cost to subscribers.
