UWM alleges Two Harbors rigged shareholder outreach before vote
United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) filed a lawsuit on Monday that accuses Two Harbors Investment Corp. (TWO) of willfully breaching its merger agreement and committing fraud while pursuing a competing deal with CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM). UWM alleges TWO’s leadership deliberately undermined the stockholder process for UWM’s transaction, including by sabotaging the March 16 meeting scheduled to […]
Unison closes $235M securitization
Home equity investment provider Unison announced on Monday the closure of its UNSN 2026-2 securitization. Issued through the Unison Midgard Fund, the deal backed $235 million in assets and is the company’s eighth such transaction to date. The securitization also received a formal credit rating from DBRS Morningstar. Barclays served as lead bank. “This securitization […]
KBW raises Ellington Financial EPS outlook to $2.12
Following a strong second-quarter earnings report, analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW) released a positive forecast for Ellington Financial and its reverse mortgage subsidiary, Longbridge Financial. In a note to investors published over the weekend, KBW said that it was “moderately raising” its guidance for Ellington’s earnings per share (EPS) to $2.12 by the […]
Grand Rapids leads Midwest housing surge
The Midwest is no longer simply a lower-cost alternative for homebuyers priced out of coastal markets. Increasingly, it is becoming a destination in its own right, with Grand Rapids, Michigan, emerging as one of the clearest examples affordability redirecting housing demand across the country. According to HousingWire Data, Grand Rapids has seen a 93.3% year-over-year […]
Douglas Elliman narrows loss in Q2 2026, launches an AI overhaul
Douglas Elliman reported improved financial results during the second quarter of 2026 compared to a year ago as the company looks toward the future of the real estate industry. According to an announcement on Friday, Douglas Elliman recorded a 4.5% annual increase in revenue for Q2 2026, with revenue for the quarter coming in at […]
Real estate’s consolidation wave is coming for proptech
“Brokerage consolidation creates real risk for the large established proptech vendors at the top of the market, where there will be fewer buyers with greater negotiating leverage,” Russ Cofano, a co-founder of Alloy Advisors, said. “Consolidating firms will also likely have a corporate mandate to consolidate their technology platforms, creating a clear headwind for vendors.” […]
Realty of America grows with anchor partner hires in the Carolinas
Charles Boyett and Allison Watkins have joined Realty of America as anchor partners to launch and lead the brokerage’s expansion into North and South Carolina from its national platform based in Chicago, the company announced on Monday. Realty of America (ROA), founded in September 2024, has grown to more than 3,500 agents across 25 markets […]
HighTechLending's Paul Fiore on growing beyond reverse mortgages
HighTechLending (HTL) continues to be a key player in the reverse mortgage market as evidenced by its top 10 ranking for Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) endorsements. But the California-based lender does much more than that. In the home equity lending space, HTL has sought to distinguish itself through a diverse product set that includes […]
Smith Douglas Homes doubles down on pace despite margin pain
Most homebuilders grinding through a weaker-than-expected first half of 2026 have slowed their new-home production pace to protect margins, work through standing inventory and rebalance starts with new orders. Smith Douglas Homes, ranked 27th on HousingWire’s Homebuilder Rankings, wasn’t one of them. During the builder’s Q1 earnings call in April, Smith Douglas Homes executives stated […]
Mortgage spreads keeping housing demand intact for now
Mortgage spreads are once again playing our friendly neighborhood housing hero by keeping mortgage rates under 7% in a crazy, hectic year. This has allowed housing to stay intact, sales-wise. While sales in our weekly tracker data have slowed down,as they typically do once mortgage rates get above 6.64%, they eked out a small positive […]