CMBS Trust Sues Starwood, Alleges $54.5m Loan Backed by Crumbling Garage
A CMBS trust has sued Starwood Mortgage Capital over a $54.5 million loan that was allegedly secured by a parking garage deemed unsafe. The trust claims Starwood misrepresented the collateral as free of material damage, despite a 2021 safety report and a 2023 city inspection ordering the garage’s closure. Starwood refused the trust’s request to repurchase the loan, arguing the garage was never part of the pledged collateral. The dispute highlights the legal weight of seller warranties in securitized commercial mortgage transactions.
Investors Sue Texas Agents over Undisclosed Stake in $850k Syndication Deal
Two Texas-licensed real‑estate agents, Christopher Aldridge and Harry Gibbs, organized an $850,000 private syndication to buy a 5.057‑acre parcel in Jarrell, Texas, while secretly holding an undisclosed interest in the land. The investors allege the agents failed to disclose the...
Midwest Heat, Sunbelt Chill as 2026 Home Prices Barely Budge
The Cotality Home Price Index reported U.S. single‑family home prices rising only 0.74% year‑over‑year in January 2026, a sharp slowdown from the 3.43% pace seen early 2025. While the Midwest posted a 3.56% annual gain and the Northeast saw pockets of...
How Brokers Can Position Private Lending as a Strategic Advantage
Real estate brokers can turn private lending into a strategic advantage by offering faster, more flexible financing than traditional banks. Private lenders specialize in distinct property types and deal sizes, allowing brokers to match investors with the right capital source....
Homeowner Sues Rocket Mortgage over Shredded Money Orders, Wrongful Foreclosure
A Columbus homeowner has filed a federal lawsuit against Rocket Mortgage, alleging the servicer shredded two money orders totaling $1,700 and proceeded with a foreclosure despite internal confirmation that the account was not in default. The loan, originated in 2006,...
Small Town Commercial Prices Rise as Big City Prices Fall
CoStar’s January Commercial Repeat‑Sale Indices show a split between market tiers: smaller, secondary‑market properties rose 1.3% month‑over‑month, while premier assets in major cities slipped 0.4% in the value‑weighted gauge. Over the past year the equal‑weighted index gained 1.1% versus a...
A Condo Surge? As Rates Enter 5s, Veteran Investor Reveals the Hottest Markets for Brokers
Mortgage brokers targeting investors are scouting hot markets as rates dip below 6%. Veteran investor Danny Fishman highlights South Florida’s condo boom, driven by international buyers, as the top opportunity. He also points to strong fundamentals in Nashville, West Palm...
Two Mortgage Veterans Boost Business Growth with Proactive Referral Partnerships
Mortgage veterans Craig Andriulli and Michael LiPari launched Fortress Mortgage Advisors to transform traditional referral relationships into true partnerships. They argue that sharing marketing expenses alone does not create a bond; instead, they train real‑estate agents, CPAs and financial advisors...
Building Broker–Lender Partnerships That Actually Work
Tom Ahles, a mortgage broker, outlines how effective broker‑lender partnerships require consistency, transparency, and direct access to decision‑makers. He highlights the use of AI to decode lender guidelines, service‑level agreements for communication, and technology integrations that accelerate loan processing. The...
New York Court Wipes U.S. Bank Mortgage Off the Books in FAPA Ruling
A New York appellate court ruled that U.S. Bank’s mortgage on homeowner John Williams is permanently cancelled because the bank filed a foreclosure action beyond the six‑year limit set by the Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act (FAPA). The bank’s four attempts...
Artificial Voice Cold Calls Spark Class Action Against Mortgage Lender
Mortgage One Funding LLC, a Michigan‑based lender, faces a federal class‑action lawsuit alleging it used artificial‑voice technology to cold‑call consumers about cash‑out refinancing without prior consent. The calls targeted numbers listed on the National Do Not Call Registry, violating the...
Rocket Announces Partnership with Compass Alongside Strong Q4 Financial Report
Rocket announced a three‑year strategic alliance with Compass, linking Rocket Pro brokers to Compass’s nationwide real‑estate agents and offering an 80‑basis‑point purchase credit. The partnership promises to feed more than 500,000 new listings into Redfin, expanding the searchable inventory for homebuyers....
Why New Housing Bills in Congress May Fall Short on Easing Borrowers' Affordability Woes
Congress is juggling two housing bills—the House‑passed Housing for the 21st Century Act and the Senate’s ROAD to Housing Act of 2025—both aimed at easing affordability pressures. The House bill concentrates on construction regulations and expanding supply, while the Senate...
Get Your Own House in Order to Solve Affordability Crisis, Exec Urges Government
Mortgage‑market veteran Glen Weinberg argues that the United States’ housing‑affordability crisis cannot be fixed by short‑term policy tweaks such as 50‑year loans, 401(k) withdrawals, or banning institutional investors. He links persistently high mortgage rates to the federal deficit, which pushes...
Fed’s Miran Backs Four Rate Cuts
Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran urged a faster easing path, calling for four quarter‑point rate cuts in 2026 to support the labor market. He argued inflation is largely contained and that the Fed should act sooner rather than later. Miran...
Court Slashes $6.85bn Judgment in California Apartment Partnership War
The California Court of Appeal trimmed a $6.85 billion judgment stemming from a family‑run apartment partnership dispute. The Jogani brothers’ oral agreement created a de‑facto partnership that the jury found liable for breach of contract, fiduciary duty and fraud, awarding Shashi...
Court Voids Texas Lien After Servicer's Nine-Year Foreclosure Delay
A federal appeals court ruled that a Texas home‑equity lien that remained unforeclosed for more than four years is void, not merely unenforceable. Houston Prime's $500,000 loan, defaulted in 2014, was sold to Community Loan Servicing, which only initiated foreclosure...
Shellpoint Hit with RESPA Suit After Servicing Transfer Sparks Foreclosure
Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing allegedly failed to carry over a borrower’s successor‑in‑interest information during a March 2022 servicing transfer, creating an artificial default that led to foreclosure. The servicer admitted the boarding error in writing yet continued to assess fees and pursue...
¿Hablas Español? How a Lack of Spanish-Speaking Loan Originators Hurts Hispanic Borrowers
Mortgage brokers are confronting a growing language gap as Hispanic homebuyers surge. Industry veteran Ashlin Endter notes that 70 % of new buyers will be Hispanic, yet less than 1 % of loan officers are Hispanic and 38 % cannot find a Spanish‑speaking...
UWMC Lifts 2025 Revenue but Trails Prior-Year Profit Peak
United Wholesale Mortgage’s parent, UWM Holdings, posted 2025 revenue of $3.16 billion, up from the prior year, driven by a record $163.4 billion in loan originations and higher gain‑on‑sale margins. Net income fell to $244 million, reflecting a $435 million mortgage‑servicing‑rights markdown and a...
Ohio Property Buyer Hit with $150,000 Judgment over Hidden Tenant
In June 2020 DQ Dream Properties purchased a Butler County commercial building after the seller asserted the property was vacant and free of tenant rights. A youth football league, the Lakota Tomahawks, had been leasing part of the site since...
Why New Rules Boosting Bank Mortgage Lending Could Be Good for Brokers
Federal Reserve Vice Chair Michelle Bowman hinted at regulatory tweaks that could pull banks back into mortgage lending, reversing a decline from 60% of originations in 2008 to roughly 35% today. By reconsidering how mortgage‑servicing rights are accounted for, the...
How Brokers Can Use HELOCs to Give Homeowners Protection in a Volatile Economy
Brokers are promoting home‑equity lines of credit (HELOCs) as a financial safety net for homeowners facing job uncertainty in a volatile economy. Matt Stahl of Edge Home Finance highlights that first‑position HELOCs give borrowers unrestricted access to equity for up...
Could the Current Cold Snap Pummel the Eastern Housing Market?
A severe Arctic blast swept the Eastern United States in February, halting in‑person real‑estate transactions and delaying listings, contracts, and closings across major metros. Mortgage applications fell 8.9% that week, with purchase requests down 14%, despite a modest dip in...