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Helen Anderson

HousingWire Spring Summit 2021

Spring 2020 was ravaged by a pandemic. The housing industry made the best of it – figured out remote work, adopted technology and charged forward with a resilient mindset. This perseverance was rewarded with a robust Summer, Fall and Winter purchase AND refi market. But what does this seasonal anomaly mean for Spring and Summer 2021? A demographic tsunami and new technologies may forever change seasonal buying patterns. Click on the buttons below to view the full sessions on-demand. The full session videos are only available to HW+ members. Not a…

Helen Anderson

Commercial insurance prices gains slow – Marsh

Global commercial insurance prices rose 18% in the first quarter, according to Marsh’s latest Global Insurance Market Index. That follows average annual increases of 22% in Q4 2020 and 20% in Q3 2020. The first quarter of 2021 was the first to show a drop in the average rate of increase since the index reported the first rise in global rates in the fourth quarter of 2017. Increases across geographies moderated due to generally slower rate rises in property insurance and financial and professional lines, according to Marsh. The UK,…

Helen Anderson

A third of Realtors bought or sold a ‘green’ home in the past year

Thirty-two percent of respondents of a National Association of Realtors survey say they were involved in buying or selling a property that had eco-friendly features in the past year Thirty-two percent of respondents of a National Association of Realtors survey say they were involved in buying or selling a property that had eco-friendly features in the past year. At a time when people are hyper-focused on their home and its livability due to the pandemic, properties with “green” or eco-friendly features are of growing interest among consumers, according to the…

Helen Anderson

Fannie/Freddie Creates Opportunity for Higher Risk Borrowers Who Missed Refi Boom

Earlier this month the Urban Institute pointed out that the unprecedented low interest rates of the pandemic era have not benefitted everyone. Their research showed that tightening credit access has meant that low income homeowners, and those with high loan to value (LTV) ratios or low credit scores have largely been left out of the rush to refinance. The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has now announced a new refinancing option to address that situation. FHFA says it has directed the GSEs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to implement an…

Helen Anderson

MarshMcLennan Fills Its Talent Pool in the Wake of Aon-Willis Merger

It has not happened yet but the proposed merger of large global insurance brokers Aon and Willis Towers Watson is already being felt at competitor MarshMcLennan. MarshMcLennan is capitalizing on the marketplace disruption brought about by the pending marriage of the two rivals to add to the pool of talent that it already has. According to MarshMcLennan President and CEO Dan Glaser, his firm added 500 new employees in the fourth quarter of last year, many of whom were people from Aon and Willis. “The 500 net headcount increase in…

Helen Anderson

Personal income just hit a record high — here’s where the spending is going

Personal income jumped by more than $4 trillion last month, a record 21.1 percent increase. Personal income jumped by more than $4 trillion last month, a record 21.1 percent increase, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported on Friday. Economists had been predicting a spike as stimulus payments reached people’s bank accounts and the improving economic picture pulled more displaced workers off the sidelines, but the increase exceeded even their optimistic projections. “All the stars are aligning,” said Megan Horneman, director of portfolio strategy at Verdence Capital Advisors. “You have the…

Helen Anderson

Песков обвинил США в сдерживании сотрудничества в экономике и науке

США искусственно сдерживают сотрудничество с РФ в экономике и науке, и это плохо, заявил пресс-секретарь президента РФ Владимира Путина Дмитрий Песков. “Это очень важный компонент всего комплекса взаимоотношений. Мы очень часто сожалеем в связи с тем, что, например, наши американские визави искусственно сдерживают этот трек: бизнесменам настоятельно рекомендуют отказаться от участия в форумах, которые проходят у нас, ученым настоятельно рекомендуют отказаться от взаимодействия с коллегами из РФ. Это плохо”, – сказал Песков журналистам, отвечая на вопрос о том, насколько в Кремле рассчитывают на взаимодействие с США через научные проекты, ученых,…

Helen Anderson

Красиво и бесплатно: природные чудеса Северной Калифорнии, которые стоит увидеть

Многие не против заплатить за вход в замечательные национальные парки штата Калифорния. В конце концов, эти деньги идут на поддержание красоты парков! Тем не менее, иногда бывает настроение для простой прогулки, во время которой не хочется беспокоиться в входных билетах или плате за парковку. Вот какие природные чудеса Северной Калифорнии можно увидеть совершенно бесплатно, пишет Only in Your State. Фото: Shutterstock 1. Гора Шаста Видимую практически из любой точки Северной Калифорнии, красоту горы Шаста невозможно недооценить. Возвышаясь над ландшафтом на высоте 14 179 футов (4,3 км), она считается пятым по…

Helen Anderson

Automakers Support Guidelines for Advertising Partially Automated Vehicles

DETROIT —The trade association representing most major automakers is offering guidelines for manufacturers to advertise partially automated driving systems and to make sure drivers are paying attention while using them. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation says its members support the voluntary principles, which come as two federal agencies increase scrutiny of Tesla’s Autopilot diver-assist system after two men were killed in a fiery crash near Houston. Such systems can keep vehicles centered in their lane and a safe distance behind traffic in front of them. But Teslas on Autopilot have…

Helen Anderson

Беспорядки в Колумбии привели к ранению 200 полицейских

По меньшей мере 209 сотрудников полиции пострадали за два дня столкновений с противниками налоговой реформы в Колумбии, 185 человек задержаны, сообщается в пресс-релизе Национальной полиции Колумбии. “По состоянию на утро пятницы, с 28 апреля в общей сложности 209 полицейских пострадали в результате нападений вандалов, 71 из них в Боготе и 68 в Кали”, – говорится в сообщении. Отмечается, что в последние дни 185 человек были задержаны за акты вандализма и преступные деяния. Среди них было восемь иностранных граждан и 16 несовершеннолетних. Власти предлагают до 20 миллионов колумбийских песо (около 5357…

Helen Anderson