I built a dashboard to compare mortgage rates across 120 credit unions
https://finfam.app/blog/credit-union-mortgages
#HackerNews #mortgage #rates #credit #unions #dashboard #financial #tools #home #buying
Lisa Melton
boosted
Rep #EricSwalwell (D-CA), one of Trump’s most vocal critics in the #House, said Thurs that he was being targeted by the #Trump admin after news reports that he had been referred to the #DON for a potential #criminal investigation.
An accusation that Swalwell had committed #mortgage & #tax #fraud was made on Wednesday by #BillPulte, director of the #FHFA. Pulte, a Trump crony, has made similar allegations against Trump’s other perceived enemies.
#law #RevengePolitics
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/us/politics/trump-mortgage-fraud-eric-swalwell.html?smid=url-share
Alex Akselrod
boosted
…The Wall Street Journal reported this week that some #FannieMae #ethics & #oversight officials who were fired last month had been investigating whether #BillPulte improperly obtained #mortgage information for #LetitiaJames, who was charged last month with bank fraud after Pulte sent a criminal referral to the #DOJ. She said the charges, which she denies, are politically motivated.
#law #scammers #housing #HousingCrisis #affordability #CostOfLiving #WealthGap #Trump
Rep #EricSwalwell (D-CA), one of Trump’s most vocal critics in the #House, said Thurs that he was being targeted by the #Trump admin after news reports that he had been referred to the #DON for a potential #criminal investigation.
An accusation that Swalwell had committed #mortgage & #tax #fraud was made on Wednesday by #BillPulte, director of the #FHFA. Pulte, a Trump crony, has made similar allegations against Trump’s other perceived enemies.
#law #RevengePolitics
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/us/politics/trump-mortgage-fraud-eric-swalwell.html?smid=url-share
…Soon, a team at #FannieMae was overseeing an effort to pull together a tranche of #mortgage data, according to emails reviewed by the AP. Smith played a central role and shared the #confidential lender-level pricing information with #FreddieMac, which set off alarms at both companies, according to the emails.
#law #scammers #housing #HousingCrisis #affordability #CostOfLiving #WealthGap #BillPulte #Trump
In the Oct 11 message to Smith, Evans, the #FannieMae #mortgage executive, also added others to the email chain because they “were involved with this week’s efforts to compile this information” & he wanted to “make sure you do not exacerbate this issue.”
Danielle McCoy, Fannie Mae’s general counsel, weighed in, adding that the information Smith provided to #FreddieMac should “never be shared” & “could put the company at risk.”
The 3 competing roles present the potential for a #ConflictOfInterest that is detailed in emails reviewed by AP. Like many matters of public policy in Trump’s Washington, it appears to have begun with a social media post.
In October, #Trump criticized the homebuilding industry….
“They’re sitting on 2 million empty lots, A RECORD,” Trump posted to his social media…. “I’m asking #FannieMae & #FreddieMac to get Big Homebuilders going.”
“On it,” #BillPulte posted in response on X.
…Soon, a team at #FannieMae was overseeing an effort to pull together a tranche of #mortgage data, according to emails reviewed by the AP. Smith played a central role and shared the #confidential lender-level pricing information with #FreddieMac, which set off alarms at both companies, according to the emails.
#law #scammers #housing #HousingCrisis #affordability #CostOfLiving #WealthGap #BillPulte #Trump
…The Wall Street Journal reported this week that some #FannieMae #ethics & #oversight officials who were fired last month had been investigating whether #BillPulte improperly obtained #mortgage information for #LetitiaJames, who was charged last month with bank fraud after Pulte sent a criminal referral to the #DOJ. She said the charges, which she denies, are politically motivated.
#law #scammers #housing #HousingCrisis #affordability #CostOfLiving #WealthGap #Trump
#BillPulte ’s power over the #mortgage lending industry is unusual. Not long after his #Senate confirmation, he appointed himself chairman of both #FannieMae & #FreddieMac, which hold trillions of dollars in assets. The companies serve as a crucial backstop for the home lending industry by buying up mortgages from individual lenders, which are packaged together & sold to investors.
#law #scammers #housing #HousingCrisis #affordability #CostOfLiving #WealthGap #Trump
…The Wall Street Journal reported this week that some #FannieMae #ethics & #oversight officials who were fired last month had been investigating whether #BillPulte improperly obtained #mortgage information for #LetitiaJames, who was charged last month with bank fraud after Pulte sent a criminal referral to the #DOJ. She said the charges, which she denies, are politically motivated.
#law #scammers #housing #HousingCrisis #affordability #CostOfLiving #WealthGap #Trump
In June, #BillPulte ordered #FannieMae & #FreddieMac to prepare a proposal for the firms to accept #cryptocurrency, another industry #Trump has boosted, as part of the criteria for buying mortgages from #banks. Last week, he persuaded Trump about the allure of a 50-year #mortgage as a way to increase home buying & building—a proposal that was widely criticized because it would drastically increase the overall price of a #loan.
#law #scammers #housing #HousingCrisis #affordability #CostOfLiving
“This is another example of #BillPulte weaponizing his role to do Donald Trump’s bidding, instead of working to lower costs amidst a #HousingCrisis,” said Sen. #ElizabethWarren, of Massachusetts, the ranking #Democrat on the #Senate #Banking Committee. “His behavior raises significant questions, & he needs to be brought in front of #Congress to answer them.”
#law #scammers #housing #affordability #CostOfLiving #WealthGap #Trump
The episode marks the latest example of #BillPulte using what is typically a low-profile position in the federal bureaucracy to enhance his own standing & gain the attention of #Trump. He’s prompted #mortgage #fraud investigations of prominent #Democrats who are some of Trump’s best known antagonists, including Sen #AdamSchiff of California, #NYAG #LetitiaJames & California Rep #EricSwalwell.
#law #scammers #housing #HousingCrisis #affordability #CostOfLiving #WealthGap
Emails reviewed by The AP show that #FannieMae executives were unnerved about what one called the “very problematic” disclosure of data by Lauren Smith, the company’s head of marketing, who was acting on Pulte’s behalf.
#law #scammers #housing #HousingCrisis #affordability #CostOfLiving #WealthGap #BillPulte #Trump
“Lauren, the information that was provided to #FreddieMac in this email is a problem,” Malloy Evans, snr VP of #FannieMae’s single-family #mortgage division, wrote in an Oct 11 email. “That is confidential, competitive information.”
He also copied Fannie Mae’s CEO, Priscilla Almodovar, on the email, which bore the subject line: “As Per Director Pulte’s Ask.” Evans asked Fannie Mae’s top attorney “to weigh in on what, if any, steps we need to take legally to protect ourselves now.”
Cory Doctorow
boosted
The sentiment is spot on:
"As Keen points out, it's not merely that the banks that currently issue mortgages don't "turn a shovel of dirt or contribute a pound of material" – they simply will not issue a mortgage to a median buyer. The median buyer can't get a mortgage, so the system is rigged to make them pay someone else's mortgage through their monthly rents, every month until they die."
"The loser is the investment sector, the City boys who buy and sell mortgage debt. And you know, fuck those guys."
This is the first time I've read a plan for how to reverse the housing bubble. Many people recognise the problem, but here we get to see actual solutions being floated.
The context of this article is the UK, but it's the exact same problem in Australia too. What is lacking of course is political will. In the absence of a strong government and strong leadership, we continue to see the interests of political donors put ahead of everyone else.
https://pluralistic.net/2025/10/13/castles-not-assets/#steve-keen
@pluralistic
#AusPol
The sentiment is spot on:
"As Keen points out, it's not merely that the banks that currently issue mortgages don't "turn a shovel of dirt or contribute a pound of material" – they simply will not issue a mortgage to a median buyer. The median buyer can't get a mortgage, so the system is rigged to make them pay someone else's mortgage through their monthly rents, every month until they die."
"The loser is the investment sector, the City boys who buy and sell mortgage debt. And you know, fuck those guys."