Writer. Thinker. Advocate. @southwestpolicy https://teapaw.org/t.co/ESUPIml3sW https://teapaw.org/t.co/WVtX1xxpnG
Joined February 2021
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Progress Residential will pay $49.8M to settle FTC and state claims of hidden rental fees, Arizona and Colorado among the states. It admits no wrongdoing. That's the right tool: police the fees, not who owns the house. housingwire.com/articles/pro…
The median first-time homebuyer is 40, tied for the oldest on record, per NAR. First-timers are 22% of buyers, about half the pre-2008 norm of 40%. That's what a housing shortage looks like. Build more. nar.realtor/news/economists-…
Washington opened 13.1 million acres of federal land to coal leasing and cut royalty rates. Coal-fired generation still fell 10% in the first half of 2026. Before blaming asset managers for energy prices, listen to what the market is saying. From October: southwestpolicy.com/markets-…
a rent freeze doesn't freeze the mortgage. lenders are pulling back on nyc rent-stabilized buildings under the two-year freeze, the real deal reports. freddie mac denies any pause; fannie says it's still lending. cap the rent, shrink the loan. therealdeal.com/new-york/202…
Altos counts 902,740 single-family homes for sale, down 12,093 on the week but up about 7% from a year ago. About 43% of listings carry a price cut. That is what more supply does: sellers bend on price. Want affordable homes? Build more of them. housingwire.com/articles/rat…
From May: Georgetown's retirement center found modest exposure to private real assets, private credit and private equity could improve retirement outcomes by 7% to 8%. My 403(b) is locked out of all three. Fees are a fair worry. Compared to what? realclearmarkets.com/article…
California's likely next insurance commissioner wants a state-run nonprofit to take wildfire risk. Funding would need the Legislature, possibly ordering insurers to put up capital, the Chronicle reports. A public pool still has to pay for the fire year. yahoo.com/news/politics/arti…
About 68 million Americans live in a county with no community bank headquartered there. Yet the OCC got as many charter applications in 2025 as in the prior four years combined. Demand exists; the fight is over who gets to say yes. From August: southwestpolicy.com/report-a…
Eight Maine towns voted this week to cap or freeze mobile home lot rents, most tying increases to a share of inflation, the Press Herald reports. A cap holds rent on lots that already exist. It adds none, and it makes the next park harder to finance. pressherald.com/2026/11/07/m…
Patrick M. Brenner retweeted
Public pensions and university endowments routinely put 20 to 30 percent of their portfolios in private markets. Most 401(k) savers get public stocks, bonds and target-date funds, because sponsors fear the lawsuit. From February, still true: southwestpolicy.com/national…
Patrick M. Brenner retweeted
jane kim, who declared victory in california's insurance commissioner race, said she doesn't "buy the narrative" that raising rates is the only way to keep insurers there. a price insurers can't charge is a policy they won't write. calmatters.org/politics/2026…
Patrick M. Brenner retweeted
From February: lenders pull all three credit reports because credit data is scattered. Research cited in Newsmax found dropping one can move a score as much as 45 points. A cheaper check that misprices the loan is "a talking point with a delayed bill." southwestpolicy.com/weakenin…
Patrick M. Brenner retweeted
Massachusetts's new rule on shared appreciation mortgages for owners 90+ days behind sets no cap. It requires the maximum payment in dollars and the effective rate up front. NCLC wants caps. Disclosure lets a borrower decide; a cap can mean no deal. housingwire.com/articles/mas…
Patrick M. Brenner retweeted
Bellingham voters are approving a ban on rent-pricing software by a wide margin, My Bellingham Now reports. It won't add one apartment. Landlords agreeing on rents was already illegal under antitrust law. What lowers rents is more homes. mybellinghamnow.com/news/297…
Patrick M. Brenner retweeted
From February, still true: a Federal Reserve study found card rewards redistribute wealth, "but not along income lines." The transfer runs from less savvy cardholders to savvier ones. Cutting the swipe fees that pay for rewards shrinks them for both. southwestpolicy.com/the-wash…
Patrick M. Brenner retweeted
the labor department's final 401(k) rule went to the white house thursday: a process-based safe harbor for choosing plan investments, alternatives included. judge fiduciaries on how they decided, not on hindsight in a complaint. 401kspecialistmag.com/dols-f…
Patrick M. Brenner retweeted
Card networks don't split out the sales tax or the tip when they approve a purchase. That's why Illinois's ban on swipe fees for those portions works like a ban on the whole fee. Lawmakers voted to push its start to July 1, 2027. From May: southwestpolicy.com/dc-journ…
Patrick M. Brenner retweeted
A 50-year mortgage on a $400,000 home at 6% cuts the monthly payment only 12%, from $2,398 to $2,105. Total interest: $863,000 vs. $463,000.
@patrickmbrenner in Nov. 2025: policymakers "should target the price of housing, not the duration of debt."
southwestpolicy.com/the-case…
