Let’s be real: the last two years have been brutal for a lot of people in our industry. Production’s down. Pipelines are tighter. Good people have left. But if you’re reading this, you’re still here. And that means something. It means this isn’t just a job to you…it’s your business. Your calling. Yo

Leisure travel to the United States is down this year, but the country is the top destination for international business travelers, according to SAP Concur.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) said Tuesday it has allowed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to approve Rocket Companies’ planned acquisition of Mr. Cooper Group, noting the combined company should not exceed a 20% counterparty risk limit set for the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). Detr

The Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC) has appointed Valerie White to lead its national housing team — expanding her role beyond her current position as senior executive director of LISC New York. White will oversee the organization’s national housing investments — which total $30.4 billion to d

Real estate analytics and valuation firm Clear Capital has formed a partnership with CAPE Analytics, offering a new automated property condition tool for home equity lenders. The collaboration introduces an Automated Property Condition Report (aPCR) and an inspection cascade designed to speed up loa

The Eichner family’s Continuum Company secured a $67 million construction loan for the second phase of its Bay Harbor Islands condo project.  New York and Miami-based Continuum received the financing for La Baia North from S3 Capital Partners, a New York-based alternative lender that provides middle

Howard Hanna Real Estate Services is continuing its growth efforts. On Tuesday, the firm announced its acquisition of Coastal Properties, which serves clients in the Lowcountry regions of South Carolina and Georgia. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.  Howard Hanna said the acquisiti

The Hispanic Organization of Mortgage Experts (HOME) on Tuesday announced the launch of what it claims to be the mortgage industry’s first bilingual learning management system (LMS), HOME Certified, powered by Twiz.io. The organization also introduced Wholesale Search, an AI-powered tool built on Ch

The U.S. land market is rapidly losing momentum, with demand falling to levels not seen since late 2022, according to Q2 2025 data from John Burns Research & Consulting. Only 28% of land brokers describe demand as strong, down sharply from 76% a year ago. The pullback marks a steep reversal after tw

Ram Realty Advisors expanded its South Florida shopping center holdings with a $53 million acquisition in Jupiter. An affiliate of Palm Beach Gardens-based Ram Realty, led by CEO Casey Cummings, acquired The Shoppes at Jupiter, a 197,000-square-foot shopping center at the intersection of Indiantown

A Michigan judge ruled on Friday that Rocket Mortgage’s noncompete provisions are void and unenforceable, dealing a blow to the lender in its long-running legal battle with Swift Home Loans, its founder Andi Numan and several former employees. The decision, issued by Judge Brian R. Sullivan of the T

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook plans to sue President Donald Trump after he attempted to fire her on Monday, citing allegations of mortgage fraud. The case has renewed concerns over the Fed’s independence and added fresh volatility to financial markets. “President Trump has no authority to remov

Thomas Dolan, son of late HBO and Cablevision founder Charles Dolan, has been revealed as the buyer of a $27.1 million oceanfront Hillsboro Beach mansion. Records show an LLC managed by Dolan and his trust bought the home at 1111 Hillsboro Mile from ex-Advanta CEO Dennis Alter. The Real Deal first r

Planet Financial Group LLC, the parent of national mortgage lender Planet Home Lending, on Tuesday reported strong growth across its servicing, origination and asset management channels in the second quarter of 2025. The company — which also does business under the name Planet Loan Servicing and ass

Frontier Airlines has gotten more aggressive for Spirit customers as its rival is on shakier financial footing.

Robert Rivani is doubling down on Miami Beach’s Lincoln Road, acquiring a former theater now anchored by fashion retailer H&M for $37 million. An affiliate of Miami-based Rivani, formerly called Black Lion, bought Lincoln Theatre, a historic Art Deco building at 551 Lincoln Road, a press release sta

A developer won approval in Davie to build a 164-bed assisted living facility, despite opposition from the town’s mayor. All the beds would be occupied by elderly people incapable of independent living who need assisted living services or memory care. “The market is immense,” Manuel Synalovski, the

A Palm Beach townhome that sold for $16.5 million in April topped signed luxury contracts in Palm Beach County last week. Buyers signed 11 contracts between Aug. 18 and Aug. 24 for luxury properties in Palm Beach County, according to a market report from Douglas Elliman’s Eklund-Gomes team. The home

Miami-Dade County’s condo dollar volume dropped last week, despite a boost in sales. Brokers closed 76 condo sales totaling $49 million from Aug. 18 to Aug. 24. The previous week, brokers closed 55 condo sales totaling $94.2 million.  Last week’s units sold for an average of $644,907, lower than the

American Hugo Ortega quit his job in engineering to travel the world. Along the way, he entered the yachting industry and worked up from deckhand to captain.