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.

Thursday, November 5, 2026

Top Stories

Fresno Executive Indicted for $65 Million Fraud Scheme that Defrauded Farmer MAC and Others

PRESS RELEASE, United States Attorney's Office

Ron Cook, 58, of Fresno, has been indicted on multiple charges of making false statements to the federal government, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering for running a nearly $65 million fraud scheme through his company, Corporate America Lending (CAL), U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced today.

Weekly Housing Trends: U.S. Market Update (Week Ending Oct. 31, 2026)

JOEL BERNER, Realtor.com

What this week’s data shows: active inventory climbed 8.8% year-over-year; homes spent 1 day longer on the market compared to a year ago; new listings, a measure of sellers putting homes up for sale, fell 5.2% year-over-year; and the median listing price fell 2.1% year-over-year.

National News 

Newly Pending Listings Fell 17% In October, The Biggest Year Over Year Drop Since 2023 (Zillow October Market Report)

MISCHA FISHER, Zillow Research

Zillow’s preliminary measure of existing home sales fell 8.7% year over year in October. Newly pending listings — a leading indicator of next month’s closed sales — fell 16.8% year over year, the biggest decrease since August 2023. 

Today's first-time buyers are waiting on an inheritance, and it’s pushing them into middle age

MARIAN MCPHERSON, Inman (Subscription)

Homeownership is slipping further out of reach for young Americans, according to the National Association of Realtors’ 2026 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.

Banks are turning cautious on lending, according to the Fed. What it means for the economy

HUGH LEASK, CNBC

U.S. banks tightened lending standards for small firms and major commercial real estate loan categories during the third quarter, according to a new Federal Reserve bank lending survey.

California News

City closes affordable housing loophole in Midway Rising deal

JENNIFER VAN GROVE, The San Diego Union-Tribune (Subscription)

New language added to the proposed redevelopment deal with Midway Rising now prohibits, without explicit city and state permission, the developer from getting credit for an affordable unit if the unit is part of an off-siting arrangement with another developer.

Election results: Half Moon Bay farmworker housing Measure Q falls behind; Palo Alto sales tax Measure J maintains lead

RYAN MACASERO, The Mercury News (Subscription)

Measure Q was placed on the ballot as a referendum after the local group “Let Half Moon Bay Voters Decide” gathered signatures to challenge an ordinance that allows developers to lease the land for $1 a year for 99 years.

They Built a $600 Million Luxury Tower in Downtown L.A. Now They’re Walking Away.

REBECCA PICCIOTTO, PAUL KIERNAN, The Wall Street Journal (Subscription)

Brookfield’s willingness to abandon the project also reflects mounting financial pressures that stretch across the country—the enormous strain that rising interest rates pose for commercial real-estate developers.

Industry News 

CFPB Closes 40% Of Investigations, Keeps Mortgage Enforcement In Focus

CZARINNA ANDRES, National Mortgage Professional

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) closed 66 of its 80 open examinations and 86% of outstanding supervisory actions as part of a sweeping overhaul of federal oversight, according to its latest report to Congress.

Real Estate Technology 

AI Is Making Mortgage Fraud Easier – and Easier to Catch

MARYALENE LaPONSIE, U.S. News

A "double-edged sword" is how Christopher John, senior vice president in the mortgage division of BOK Financial, describes the impact of AI on mortgage lending. While it is helping lenders streamline systems, it has also made it easier for those trying to commit mortgage fraud.

Property News 

High-End Homes Keep Selling, Shrugging Off Pied-a-Terre Tax

ELIZABETH A. HARRIS, The New York Times (Subscription)

When New York lawmakers passed a tax on $5 million second homes, opponents worried wealthy buyers would flee. So far, that hasn’t happened.

New Culver City development will add hundreds of apartments, two parks and restaurants

ROGER VINCENT, Los Angeles Times (Subscription)

The project, expected to open in late 2028, will house as many as 500 people and include 52 apartments with subsidized affordable rents.

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