Palo Alto, California, Dec. 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Point, the leading home equity investment platform making homeownership more valuable and accessible, today announced a $2.5 billion capital commitment from funds managed by Blue Owl Capital, a leading global alternative asset manager. The new capital will expand Point’s ability to help thousands of homeowners unlock the wealth in their homes without taking on additional debt, while offering institutional investors access to a rapidly growing and resi ...

Core Insights - Experts express concerns that tariff policies may lead to an economic recession, which could reduce homebuyer demand and lower home values, although major job hubs might be less affected [1][2] - The U.S. housing market is experiencing a gradual normalization of inventory, which may stabilize or reduce home prices, despite high mortgage rates keeping many homeowners from selling [3][4] Housing Market Trends - In February, housing inventory increased by 5.1% month-over-month and 17% year-over-year, indicating a growing supply that could help stabilize home prices [3] - The median home price in the U.S. for Q2 2025 was $410,800, a decrease of $12,300 from the previous quarter, with expectations from major real estate organizations that home price growth will slow in 2025 [4] - The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index reported a year-over-year increase of 4.1% in January, followed by a 3.8% annual increase in existing home costs reported by the NAR for February [4] Economic Considerations - Concerns about a potential recession are rising, with a Deutsche Bank survey indicating a 43% probability of a U.S. recession occurring between now and June 2026 [10] - Mortgage rates have remained stable or decreased since January, with the Federal Reserve maintaining an overnight interest rate of 4.00% to 4.25% as of September 8 [2] Home Equity and Investment Opportunities - As of Q3 2024, the average U.S. homeowner had approximately $311,000 in home equity, suggesting potential for leveraging this equity through options like home equity lines of credit (HELOC) [5][6] - Homeshares is providing a new avenue for accredited investors to gain exposure to the $36 trillion home equity market without the burdens of property management, allowing investments starting at $25,000 [11][12] - Homeshares offers risk-adjusted target returns ranging from 14% to 17%, presenting a low-maintenance alternative to traditional property ownership [13]

Core Insights - The artificial intelligence boom presents a multitrillion-dollar investment opportunity, but the real estate sector also holds significant potential, particularly with $35 trillion in home equity available to U.S. homeowners [1][3][14] Real Estate Market Opportunity - U.S. homeowners currently possess an all-time high of $35 trillion in home equity, largely due to rising home values and low refinancing activity [3][13] - A potential decline in mortgage rates could trigger a surge in refinancing volume, possibly reaching trillions of dollars [3][13] Company Analysis: Rocket Companies - Rocket Companies is the leading mortgage originator in the U.S., and a rise in refinancing volume could significantly boost its business [5][6] - In the most recent quarter, Rocket closed on $26.1 billion in loan origination volume, a decrease from $103.5 billion in the same quarter of 2021 when rates were lower [6] - The company is expanding its all-in-one real estate platform and has recently acquired Redfin, with a pending acquisition of Mr. Cooper [7][8] - Rocket has a 97% client retention rate and aims to capture a larger market share in a highly fragmented mortgage market, which sees $5 trillion to $6 trillion in home sales annually [8] Company Analysis: Upstart - Upstart focuses on improving loan repayment predictions compared to traditional credit scoring models, utilizing extensive data points [9] - The company is expanding into auto loans and home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), with home loan volume increasing by 52% sequentially in the first quarter [10][11] - Upstart's current annual run rate for HELOC origination is about $160 million, representing a small fraction of the overall market opportunity [12] - Capturing even a small percentage of the HELOC market could yield significant benefits for Upstart if interest rates decline [12][14]