Real estate

Banks could shed as much as 20 million square feet of office space over the next five years as they shift many functions to high-tech operations centers in markets with cheaper rents.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has dropped its investigation into allegations that Zillow Group Inc. violated Section 8 of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act.

The $219 million deal will expand RealPage's geographic and digital footprint in a market that still relies on paper-based payments.

Mortgage borrowers collectively hold more equity in their homes than at any other time on record, but while some analysis shows they've been slow to borrow against this newfound wealth, credit union home equity lending was up significantly last year.

Money launderers are opportunists and the real estate sector is a weak link when it comes to regulation, writes Jay Ryan, an executive vice president at Accuity.

The company will still use the building for its main office, but it will move its administrative staff to another building.

The legislation, a similar version of which passed in the last Congress, would give favorable regulatory treatment to certain loans even if real estate-related fees were paid to an affiliate of the lender.

Dueling blockchain stories — one arguing it was virtually useless, the other saying it could change real estate lending — seized the top spots this week, while readers also focused on tax reform aftermath and a key Senate retirement.

Readers react to President Trump considering a credit union regulator to head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, debate a delay for top banking nominees, opine on the value of blockchain, and more.

The maximum loan amount for Federal Housing Administration mortgages will go up in more than 3,000 counties for 2018.