Digital Mortgage Direct Page

Drop in new contracts and waining interest point to a slower Q3 as consumers grow cautious about a recession.

Megan Murdock is a Director in CBIZ’s National Learning & Development Practice.

Also: Freddie Mac accepts positive rental data, CFPB urges states to play hardball and report finds prices rise higher in disaster-prone areas

John Starling is the senior vice president of Northern Bank’s 1031 Exchange and helps people and business entities preserve profit and build wealth faster through tax-deferred exchange.

Randy Kaston is the director of Business Law Group at Ligris + Associates. Her practice concentrates on all aspects of commercial and residential transactions, including representing lenders in closing complex commercial, asset-based, real estate, construction and SBA loans, as well as business lines of credit.

But second home sales — which were below pre-pandemic levels for the first time in 24 months during May — may slow in the future as those in vulnerable areas get tougher to insure.

Even with another annual surge of over 20%, the pace of home-price growth eased in May and experts anticipate even further moderation over the next year.

Lamine Zarrad is the founder and CEO of StellarFi, a credit builder that reports unlimited bill payments to the three major credit bureaus. Since 2008, Lamine has worked in various financial services roles, launching his career with Merrill Lynch and later transitioning to the public sector as a National Banker Examiner at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Prior to Stellar, Lamine founded FinTechs Tokken and Joust. The latter was acquired by ZenBusiness where Lamine led the product organization through two fund raises, minting the company as one of the few Austin Unicorns. At StellarFi, Lamine and his team are on a mission to disrupt the U.S. poverty cycle and provide credit access to 132 million Americans with low or no credit. Lamine has been awarded a Bachelors in Business Administration in International Business and Russian Studies from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Masters of Public Affairs degree with a focus on Policy Analysis/Public Finance from the University of Texas at Austin. Lamine was born in the former Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan and came to the United States as a refugee prior to serving in the Marine Corps. Lamine speaks four languages and resides in Austin, Texas with his family.

And in other consolidation news, HomeServices of America’s Pickford Escrow Co. picks up competitor Legendary Escrow Services.

The use of rent data in credit models is allowing people with low credit scores or thin credit files to get loans. But consumer advocates warn the use of that data could harm the very people it’s supposed to help.