COVERAGE INFORMATION:
California Department of Real Estate (DRE) NEWS CLIPS service coverage:
Monday through Friday (except state holidays) each week includes electronic format articles retrieved from newspapers or news services that report real estate related news in California and some national services. Coverage is for California newspapers that are available electronically via the Internet - and any significant related breaking news.
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Copyright © , California Department of Real Estate
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Thursday, November 13, 2025
Top Stories
President Trump signs government funding bill, ending shutdown after a record 43-day disruption
KEVIN FREKING, JOEY CAPPELLETTI & MATT BROWN, The Orange County Register (subscription)
The White House says it is considering backing a 50-year mortgage to help alleviate the home affordability crisis in the country. But the announcement drew immediate criticism from policymakers, social media and economists, who said a 50-year mortgage would do little to resolve other core problems in the housing market, such as a lack of supply and high interest rates.
Fannie Mae ethics team gutted as they investigated FHFA head Pulte
THERESA BRAINE, The Orange County Register (subscription)
Anti-DEI measures cited to justify laying off 62 Fannie Mae employees last month may have been a foil for firing ethics investigators looking into whether director Bill Pulte improperly obtained mortgage records for New York Attorney General Letitia James and other targets of President Trump, according to a new report.
National News
Brooklyn Investor Who Stole Homes Faces Years Behind Bars
RUKMINI CALLIMACHI, The New York Times (subscription)
Sanford Solny built a fortune by convincing vulnerable homeowners to sign away the deeds to their homes. On Wednesday, the Brooklyn real estate investor was sentenced to up to seven years in prison, closing a long and tangled case that left families in financial ruin.
California News
Transamerica Pyramid owners hit with RICO allegations for funding ‘lavish’ lifestyles via investments
LAURA WAXMANN, San Francisco Chronicle (subscription)
An ongoing legal dispute between the ownership group of San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid and a glitzy members-only club that was supposed to fill the iconic building’s first three floors reached new heights this week, with claims that investments into the group’s holdings were used to fund their “lavish” lifestyles.
‘Herd immunity’: Pushing a coastal community to become fireproof after the Palisades fire
JACK FLEMMING, Los Angeles Times (subscription)
Sunset Mesa, the scenic neighborhood tucked on a bluff between Malibu and Pacific Palisades, might never be the same in the wake of the Palisades fire. But resident Karen Martinez sees one potential change as a good thing. The January fire torched about 80% of the community’s 500 homes — almost all of them wood-framed. Now, as residents begin the long process of rebuilding, Martinez is pushing her neighbors to chuck the lumber and build with noncombustible materials instead.
Industry News
Builders’ Cheap Mortgages Are a Bad Deal for Home Buyers
CAROL RYAN, The Wall Street Journal (subscription)
Bargain mortgages originated by builders are helping more people get onto the property ladder. The hidden cost is inflated home values and underwater loans. Big home builders are offering the cheapest mortgages in the market. America’s largest builder, D.R. Horton DHI -0.49%decrease; red down pointing triangle, can give buyers a 3.99% rate on a 30-year loan, compared with 6.22% from a primary lender, based on Freddie Mac FMCC -4.12%decrease; red down pointing triangle data. D.R. Horton’s latest promotion in certain housing communities is a temporary rate buydown where buyers can get a 0.99% mortgage for the first year, rising to 3.99% by year four.
Zillow defends private listing rule, criticizes Compass in new filing
JIM DALRYMPLE II, Inman (subscription)
The portal argued that it is allowed to display whatever it wants on its own website, that it’s not a monopoly and that its rule governing private listings does not hurt Compass.
FHFA eyes assumable and portable mortgages, raising questions for lenders
FLÁVIA FURLAN NUNES, HousingWire (subscription)
Bill Pulte said this week that the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) may allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to offer assumable or portable mortgages — part of ongoing discussions inside the Trump administration on ways to address housing affordability.
CFPB funding deemed unlawful by Trump administration
SARAH WOLAK, HousingWire (subscription)
The Trump administration declared in a court filing on Monday that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)’s funding is unlawful and that the agency cannot legally request funds from the Federal Reserve under the Dodd-Frank Act.
Real Estate Technology
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Property News
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In Case You Missed It
‘We feel alone’: LA fire survivors call for California’s insurance chief Lara to resign
LEVI SUMAGAYSAY, The Orange County Register (subscription)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is also facing pressure to oust Commissioner Ricardo Lara as insurance policyholders struggle with delayed and denied claims months after the Los Angeles fires. Survivors of the deadly Los Angeles County fires, some of whom have been unable to rebuild because their insurance claims have been delayed or denied, are calling for California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to resign.
Resources, Webinars, and Other Items of Interest
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