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CATIC Foundation Announces 25th Anniversary Grant Award Recipients
January 19 2026 | |
The CATIC Foundation, which is the philanthropic arm of CATIC Financial, Inc., recently celebrated 25 years of meaningful service to the community. Since its inception in 2000, the Foundation has provided support to Bar-Related® entities and other nonprofit organizations that exist for the education of lawyers, and for the advancement of the legal profession. The CATIC Foundation has also supported a variety of nonprofit organizations engaged in charitable works in various local communities.
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Builder Sentiment Loses Ground at Start of 2026
January 16 2026 | |
“While the upper end of the housing market is holding steady, affordability conditions are taking a toll on the lower and mid-range sectors,” said NAHB Chairman Buddy Hughes, a home builder and developer from Lexington, N.C. “Buyers are concerned about high home prices and mortgage rates, with downpayments particularly challenging given elevated price to income ratios.”
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Remodeling Market Sentiment Strengthens in Fourth Quarter of 2025
January 15 2026 | |
“Most remodelers are finding reasonably strong market conditions, even with the normal seasonal slowdown during the holidays,” said NAHB Remodelers Chair Nicole Goolsby Morrison, a remodeler from Raleigh, N.C. “However, rising costs and customer hesitation due to economic and policy uncertainty remain key challenges for the industry.”
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December New Home Purchase Mortgage Applications Increased 2.5 Percent
January 15 2026 | |
“December purchase activity for newly built homes continued to run stronger than last year, despite cooling slightly from the prior month,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist. “New homes remain a viable option for many homebuyers given that there is a relatively large number of new homes available for sale, which has prompted incentives and price reductions from builders in some markets."
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Attorney General Brown Announces $850,000 in Restitution for Maryland Consumers in Settlement with Title Insurance Companies
January 14 2026 | |
Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced today that his Consumer Protection Division has entered into a settlement with Maryland-based KVS Title, LLC (KVS Title), a real estate title company, and joint venture companies that KVS formed with real estate agents and brokers in order to sell title insurance to consumers. The joint venture companies were Alliance Title Services, LLC; Clear Title Solutions, LLC; Eversure Title, LLC; Realty Settlement Solutions, LLC; Title Pro Group, LLC; and Washington Title Team, LLC.
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NAR Existing-Home Sales Report Shows 5.1% Increase in December
January 14 2026 | |
"2025 was another tough year for homebuyers, marked by record-high home prices and historically low home sales,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. "However, in the fourth quarter, conditions began improving, with lower mortgage rates and slower home price growth. December home sales, after adjusting for seasonal factors, were the strongest in nearly three years. The gains were broad-based, with all four major regions improving from the prior month."
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Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey
January 14 2026 | |
“Mortgage rates dropped lower last week following the announcement of increased MBS purchases by the GSEs. Lower rates, including the 30-year fixed rate declining to 6.18 percent, sparked an increase in refinance applications,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist. “Compared to a holiday adjusted week, refinance applications surged 40 percent to the strongest weekly pace since October 2025. The average loan size for refinance applications was also higher, as borrowers with larger loan sizes are typically more sensitive to changes in rates.”
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December Jobs Report Commentary from MBA's Mike Fratantoni
January 09 2026 | |
“The pace of employment growth slowed in December to 50,000, in line with the average pace of 49,000 for all of 2025. Employment growth was much slower than the roughly 168,000 pace in 2024. Employment numbers for October and November were revised downwards by 76,000, considerably weaker than initially reported."
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MISMO Publishes SMART Doc V3 Power of Attorney Specification
January 08 2026 | |
“The new SMART Doc V3 Power of Attorney Specification extends the benefits of verifiable, tamper-evident data to a critical loan document,” said Brian Vieaux, MISMO President. “By enabling document data to travel with the PDF and be automatically validated, this specification helps increase trust, reduce risk, and support more efficient, interoperable digital mortgage processes across the industry.”
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MBA Launches Mortgage Banking Bound at Louisiana State University
January 07 2026 | |
“Offering Mortgage Banking Bound at LSU represents another significant milestone for the program and will further strengthen the future talent pipeline for our industry,” said David Upbin, MBA Vice President, Education and Strategy. “We are especially grateful to Tony Turner, CMB, for making the initial connection at LSU and helping move this program forward, as well as to Louisiana MBA President Ashley Logan, who worked closely with us to secure a high-caliber roster of instructors representing the industry from across the Southeast. This collaboration ensures students receive both strong academic grounding and real-world insight into today’s mortgage banking industry.”
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Mortgage Applications Decreased Over a Two-Week Period in Latest MBA Weekly Survey
January 07 2026 | |
“Mortgage rates started the New Year with a decline to 6.25 percent, the lowest level since September 2024. Refinance applications were up 7 percent for the week but were at a slower pace than in the weeks leading up to the holidays,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist. “FHA refinance applications saw a 19 percent increase, although that was a partial rebound from a drop the week before. MBA continues to expect mortgage rates to stay around current levels, with spells of refinance opportunities in the weeks when rates move lower.”
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Kriss Law/Atlantic Closing & Escrow Finalizes Merger With Pino Law Offices
January 06 2026 | |
"This is the latest example of our commitment to sustainably expanding our resources and capabilities throughout northern New England and Massachusetts without sacrificing our emphasis on client service," said KL/ACE President and CEO Scott D. Kriss, Esq. "Pino Law Offices has built a strong reputation for delivering exceptional closing services with a focus on customer convenience and fast turnaround times, demonstrating an alignment between their core values and ours. This partnership only further strengthens what we bring to the table for clients in the Greater Boston area and throughout New England."
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