Origination

Residential starts increased 7% last month after falling by the most in over a year in August, according to government data released Wednesday.

Providing support to affordable rental developments is a key component in the Biden administration's efforts to increase housing supply.

But the industry will still have to go through some pain in 2024, Wharton Professor Susan Wachter told attendees at the Mortgage Bankers Association annual convention.

Homebuilder sentiment fell to a nine-month low in October, the latest indication of the toll on residential real estate from soaring mortgage rates and declining affordability.

The bottom five cities in the ranking have an average total score of 30.48.

The lucrative broker commission system at the heart of the residential housing market is facing unprecedented antitrust scrutiny from the Justice Department and two private class-action lawsuits that risk weakening the National Association of Realtors, the industry's powerful lobbying group.

Paul Hindman, industry veteran and recruiter, recommends for top executives to be "be humble, quick and over-communicate."

It's been a rocky few years for senior housing as the sector recovers from its COVID occupancy drop and its profitability takes a hit. But bankers see long-term opportunities amid an aging U.S. population and say their portfolios are healthy.

Expected income earned through rental of the units will be considered in underwriting for FHA-backed mortgages and rehabilitation loans.

While the latest change applies specifically to COVID forbearances, the agency is looking at more options for alternatives that can be offered on a regular basis, Director Sandra Thompson said.