Fortune, March 22, 2022, Housing boom loses steam? Home sales may drop 25% by the end of summer, says analyst While housing prices aren’t showing any signs of leveling off in the near future, one analyst says he expects total sales to drop precipitously in the coming months. Ian Shepherdson, chief economist and founder of research consulting

CNN, March 23, 2022, Rent jumped 17% since last year, hitting a new record  The cost of monthly rent reached a new high in February, with the typical apartment now $283 more expensive each month than it was two years ago, before the onset of the pandemic. The national median rent was $1,792 last month, up

The New York Times, March 21, 2022, Remote Appraisals of Homes Could Reduce Racial Bias The majority of appraisals on home purchases in the United States can now be conducted without an appraiser ever stepping foot into the home — a move that some lawmakers and real estate professionals say could address pervasive racism against Black

US Department of Housing and Urban Development, March 23, 2022, Biden-Harris Administration Unveils Action Plan of Wide-Ranging Set of Reforms to Advance Equity in Appraisals The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced the delivery of the Interagency Task Force on Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity (PAVE) Action Plan to President Biden. The PAVE

The New York Times, March 22, 2022, Bitcoin Miners Want to Recast Themselves as Eco-Friendly Facing criticism from politicians and environmentalists, the cryptocurrency mining industry has embarked on a rebranding effort to challenge the prevailing view that its electricity-guzzling computers are harmful to the climate. All five of the largest publicly traded crypto mining companies

Bloomberg, March 18, 2022, Wells Fargo Sued by Black Borrower for Refinance ‘Redlining’ Wells Fargo & Co. was sued for discriminating against Black homeowners by relying on a modernized version of “redlining” that allegedly denied them lower interest rates through refinancing and forced them to pay more for loans. The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal

The New York Times, March 18, 2022, Where State Farm Sees ‘a Lot of Fraud,’ Black Customers See Discrimination Dozens of employees, customers and agents of color are accusing State Farm of racial discrimination. One pending lawsuit, filed in 2020, describes a pattern of discrimination against seven agents by the company, the nation’s largest property

CNN, March 18, 2022, US House passes CROWN Act that would ban race-based hair discrimination The US House on Friday passed legislation that would ban race-based hair discrimination in employment and against those participating in federally assisted programs, housing programs, and public accommodations. The Democratic-led House voted 235-189 to pass the CROWN Act, which stands for “Creating a Respectful

Fox Business, March 16, 2022, Here’s how banking will evolve amid the ‘death’ of overdraft fees, according to J.D. Power Many top U.S. banks have begun eliminating their overdraft fees on checking and savings accounts, a move that data analytics company J.D. Power says will shift the banking industry toward a more customer-centric strategy. “Recent moves