By KIMBERLEY HAAS The CEO of California-based America’s MoneyLine is fighting back after being slapped with a $2.8 million lawsuit from lending giant United Wholesale Mortgage. In a statement released on Friday morning, Shawn Nevin claimed that UWM uses illegal, anti-competitive practices. At issue is the “All In” policy implemented by UWM CEO Mat Ishbia. Ishbia said in a Facebook Live message last March that brokers who work with Fairway Independent or Rocket Mortgage could no longer work with UWM. “Mat Ishbia’s ‘ultimatum’ is a blatant and desperate attempt to maintain his company’s grip on the throat of mortgage brokers across the country,” Nevin said. “As he works tirelessly to craft a false narrative around being champions of brokers, his…
By DARIA BACHMANN United Wholesale Mortgage is facing more public scrutiny as court battles — and backlash from brokers — mount. The second-largest mortgage lender in the nation, UWM has come under criticism over how it treats both its employees and its customers. UWM announced in April it would force brokers to sign an agreement that they will not work with Rocket Mortgage or Fairway Independent Mortgage – or else be banned from work with UWM, the largest wholesale mortgage lender. Mortgage industry leaders called the ban “unethical and uncompetitive.” Bob Broeksmit, head of the Mortgage Bankers Association, said at the time, “MBA does not condone activities designed to thwart competition in the mortgage market and limit loan options available to borrowers.” UWM,…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS It’s Super Bowl weekend and The Mortgage Note is taking a look at which city would win if Los Angeles and Cincinnati’s housing markets were pitted against each other. With sports commentators picking the Rams over the Bengals and the notoriously high-priced homes in the Los Angeles market, such as “The One” on sale now for $295 million, people might assume the California city would be the automatic winner. But that depends on how the two markets are lined up. As Tyler Sullivan says in his recent predictions for CBS Sports, both teams are worthy champions in their respective conferences and the Bengals have been a fantastic Cinderella story with their line-up of young faces. Is the same true for Cincinnati? Let’s look…
Good Morning! Today is Wednesday, February 9. New York State will drop its indoor mask mandate this week. Mitch McConnell denounced the RNC’s characterization of Jan. 6 as “legitimate political discourse.” The House passed a bipartisan bill to keep the Postal Service solvent and to reduce mail delays. The Mortgage Note Reports Gearing Up For The Big Game: Leaders at Rocket are inviting people to take a peek at the homes they could buy if they win the world’s largest official game of Super Bowl Squares and they have revealed which stars will appear in their ad. 2022 Expectations: Home price appreciation and stock shortages are likely to continue through the first few months of 2022, as December saw price growth pick back up…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS With the big football game coming up this weekend, leaders at Rocket are inviting people to take a peek at the homes they could buy if they win the world’s largest official game of Super Bowl Squares and have revealed which stars will appear in their ad. Rocket Mortgage will give two grand prize winners $500,000 each for a home purchase during the game. $50,000 will be awarded every time the score changes. Rocket Homes, their sister company, has published an article highlighting what type of home a potential winner could select in various parts of the country. According to the article, the median sale price of a house in America is $335,212. The average house has…
Good Morning! Today is Thursday, January 13. Donald Trump endorsed booster shots and said politicians who hid their vaccination status were “gutless.” Kevin McCarthy, the top House Republican, said he would not cooperate with the House committee investigating the Capitol riot. More than 8,000 unionized employees at Kroger’s King Soopers stores in Denver went on strike on Wednesday. And in mortgage and housing news… Mortgage Applications Up: Mortgage loan application volume rose 1.4% from last week, though refis once again fell, MBA reported. All-Time Low: ATTOM’s Year-End Foreclosure Market Report found foreclosure filings dropped to an all-time low in 2021, down 95% from a peak of nearly 2.9 million in 2010. Forty-Year High: The BLS’s Consumer Price Index reported that…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS Leaders at Rocket Mortgage say entries are open for the world’s largest official game of Super Bowl squares. The Detroit-based company announced on Wednesday that two grand prize winners will receive $500,000 each that can go toward a dream home. $50,000 will be awarded every time the score changes. Bob Walters, CEO of Rocket Mortgage, said watching the Super Bowl has been a staple of American culture for the last 55 years. Introducing the Rocket Mortgage Super Bowl Squares in 2020 has elevated that experience for millions of viewers across the country, he said. “Past winners have had their lives transformed and we are eager to give more Americans that opportunity again this year,” Walters said in…
Good Morning! Today is Thursday, January 6. It’s the anniversary of the January 6 riot, and President Biden will speak today on steps to strengthen democracy in the US. A Philadelphia fire left at least thirteen dead and two hospitalized. The CDC recommended Pfizer boosters for children aged twelve and up. And in mortgage and housing news… Check Out The Photos!: These are the most expensive homes in 2022’s hottest housing markets. Second Home Demand Stays High: December demand for vacation homes topped pre-pandemic levels by 77% as affluent Americans continue to take advantage of remote work and low-interest rates. But it’s so hard to get into the game, some people are comparing it to finding their way into an…
Rocket Mortgage announced several leadership changeups, including a new title for Jay Farner, the company announced. Farner, currently Vice Chairman and CEO of Rocket Companies, will now have the title of CEO for Rocket Central, the hub for the Rocket Companies fintech platform. The title change will not impact his role at the company, allowing him to “continue driving the growth of the entire ecosystem from mortgage and real estate to car sales and personal finance,” according to the statement. The former CEO of Rock Central, Angelo Vitale, will now focus exclusively on his role as General Counsel and Secretary at Rocket. Rocket Mortgage veteran Bob Walters will take over the role of Rocket Mortgage CEO. Prior to this promotion,…
By SCOTT KIMBLER Prices of single-family homes and rental costs continue to rise in the United States. But officials in China have been lowering interest rates and over the last few months, the Asian county has seen a drop in property price tags as well. Here in the U.S., many companies—including Bloomberg—are reacting by predicting a possible rally in 2022. Especially in the bond market. Bond prices have an inverse relationship with mortgage interest rates. As bond prices go up, mortgage interest rates go down and vice versa, according to an article on Rocket Mortgage’s website. “These sorts of events cause uncertainty,” said Elizabeth Rose of Mortgage 300 in Dallas, Texas. “Their (China) money is going to seek a better return, so we’ll potentially have more buying in the…
