The inspector general position at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is currently vacant after the reported ouster of Joe Allen. 

Allen, who was appointed as acting inspector general in April 2025, also served as chief counsel for the Office of Inspector General (OIG). It remains unclear when he left the position or whether he continues to serve in his counsel role, according to a report published Monday by Reuters that cited three anonymous sources who weren’t authorized to discuss the matter.

The FHFA didn’t immediately replied to HousingWire‘s request for comment.

FHFA Director Bill Pulte has made mortgage fraud enforcement a central focus of his tenure. He has established a public hotline for fraud tips and has issued referrals to the Department of Justice (DOJ) that involve several public figures — including New York Attorney General Letitia James and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. 

In recent months, Democratic members of Congress have sent letters to Allen expressing concern over what they described as the “unprecedented politicization of the agency’s investigative functions.” They wrote that “the circumstances, timing, and selection of these investigations raise serious questions about their independence and legitimacy.”

Lawmakers also warned that Pulte’s direct referrals to the DOJ run “contrary to the agency’s standard investigations and referral procedures and statutorily granted authorities,” since such actions are typically initiated by the inspector general’s office.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration fired more than a dozen inspector generals, including Rae Oliver Davis at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These moves often spark controversy, with concerns of damage to the independence of these agencies.

Despite the government shutdown, U.S. Reps. Mike Flood (R-Neb.) and Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), leaders of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, have introduced the HOME Reform Act of 2025 — a bill promising to streamline the HOME Investment Partnerships Program administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The measure represents the first major update to the HOME program since its creation in 1990 under the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act.

It aims to expand affordable housing supply by providing states and local governments with greater flexibility to fund housing development and preservation.

“America is in the midst of a housing crisis as families struggle to live the American dream due to the shortage of millions of homes,” said Flood. “The HOME program is a federal program that builds housing supply, but it has previously been weighed down by regulatory burdens that make it hard to build housing.

“Thanks to the insights of those who work directly with HOME, and the invaluable teamwork of my colleague Ranking Member Cleaver, I believe the HOME Reform Act of 2025 will cut the red tape that has been holding this program back. The reforms in this legislation will result in more homebuilding across the country as we work to tackle our nation’s housing shortage.”

New legislation follows months of bipartisan collaboration between the two lawmakers.

In April, Flood and Cleaver issued a joint request for stakeholder feedback on both the HOME and Community Development Block Grant programs. In July, the subcommittee held a hearing titled “HOME 2.0: Modern Solutions to the Housing Shortage.”

“Americans in every community are struggling to stay afloat financially due to the high cost of housing, which is limiting opportunities for families to get ahead and weighing down local economies,” said Cleaver. “This is a crisis that demands immediate bipartisan action to lower costs, and I’m pleased to join Chairman Flood in the effort to provide relief nationwide.

“By revamping and revitalizing the HOME Program — one of our greatest tools to expand the supply of affordable housing for working-class families — we can ensure that affordable housing and the American Dream of homeownership are once again attainable from the heartland to the coasts.”

Aivre has launched a new artificial intelligence (AI)-driven appraisal platform, becoming the first in the U.S. to complete the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) 3.6 verification process with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

UAD 3.6 calls for electronic submission of appraisals to align with the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization (MISMO)’s version 3.6 reference model for mortgage industry data, in addition to other reforms that aim to improve information standardization and reporting.

“This is a watershed moment for the appraisal industry,” said Jake Lew, CEO of Aivre. “As UAD 3.6 reshapes the field, appraisers deserve technology that supports their judgment while improving speed and accuracy. We’re proud to have the backing of DGB, whose belief in human-centered innovation mirrors our mission to ensure AI advances — not replaces — human expertise.”

Early testing indicates appraisers can save more than three hours per report and reduce revisions by nearly 30%, all while maintaining oversight necessary to ensure valuations remain accurate and defensible, company leaders said.

“I could not be prouder of the tireless work of Jordan and the entire development team,” Lew added, referring to Jordan Lesson, Aivre’s chief technology officer, who led the platform’s development. “They’ve built a platform that balances AI innovation with regulatory rigor, ensuring appraisers are supported under the new UAD.”

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac highlighted the platform’s potential to improve transparency and efficiency in residential appraisals.

“We are excited to see solutions like Aivre supporting the new UAD residential appraisal report by fostering data-driven innovation,” said Kenneth DeFeo, senior manager of single-family collateral risk at Fannie Mae. “Verification tools like this augment appraisers’ expertise, helping them produce consistent, transparent, and efficient appraisals.”

Daniel Miller, senior director of strategic technology relationships at Freddie Mac, said the collaboration with Aivre adds to a continued focus on digital tools.

“(Tools) improve speed and efficiency while facilitating more reliable risk analysis and helping drive lenders’ data-driven underwriting decisions,” Miller said. “Aivre’s implementation of the UAD Compliance API within their platform will offer appraisers valuable, early insight into these rules before the appraisal report is completed.”

Dr Phil has an estimated personal wealth of $460 million (AUD $704 million).

Television legend Dr Phil’s attempt to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for his media start-up, Merit Street Media, has been denied by a judge, who has ordered that he liquidate the fledgling company.

Dr Phil’s bankruptcy move came despite the star’s staggering personal wealth of $460 million (AUD $704 million), including his $39 million (AUD $60 million) property portfolio, Realtor reports.

The list of assets include three homes across Texas and California.

The 75-year-old, whose full name is Phillip Calvin McGraw, filed for Chapter 11 for Merit Street in July, a move that would have enabled him to engineer a path forward for the company.

However, a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Scott Everett has now turned down Dr Phil’s request for Chapter 11 — accusing the longtime TV personality of failing to reveal the full truth about his company’s finances and how they ended up in such a dire state.

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The longtime TV show host owns a sprawling abode in Dallas, which is situated on 1.64 acres and measures over 14,719 square feet. Picture: Google Maps

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He stated that Dr Phil had displayed a lack of “candour” throughout proceedings, adding that “there is no hope for rehabilitation” for the TV host’s company — adding that he believes Merit Street was already “dead as a doornail when the bankruptcy was filed,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Everett ordered that the case be moved to a Chapter 7 liquidation, which will see a trustee placed in control of the sale of Merit Street’s assets, which will be used to pay off companies and creditors that are owed money.

The judge made his ruling after it was revealed that Dr Phil had deleted text messages in which he laid bare plans to favour certain creditors over others.

“This case is an anomaly,” Everett said, claiming that Dr Phil “favoured creditors and not pay disfavoured creditors, as his own texts show that he want to do.”

However, a spokesman for Dr Phil’s production company, Peteski Productions, told the Hollywood Reporter: “We take great exception to the court’s improper assertions regarding the alleged destruction of evidence, which simply did not happen.

“We will not let this stand given all that Dr Phil and Peteski Productions have done to protect Merit Street employees, distributors, and other interested parties and to resolve this unfortunate situation.”

At the time of the initial bankruptcy filing, Merit Street Media reported assets of between $100 million and $500 million (AUD $153 million and AUD $765 million).

However, it is unclear what assets remain currently after the company launched a lawsuit against Christian broadcasting giant Trinity Broadcasting Network, with which Dr Phil had previously inked a $500 million (AUD $765 million) distribution deal.

Merit Street sued TBN for breach of contract, accusing the network of “abusing its position as the controlling shareholder.” TBN then countersued, levying fraud allegations against Dr Phil.

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Outside of the Lone Star State, Dr Phil holds the keys to a six-bedroom, 8.5-bathroom abode in Calabasas, CA, which he picked up in 2011 for $6.58 million. Picture: Realtor

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During that trial, which is ongoing, Dr Phil took to the stand to defend his actions, which were called into question again when it was revealed that he had launched another new media venture, Envoy Media, just one day before the Merit Street Chapter 11 filing.

TBN’s attorneys had suggested that the bankruptcy case was filed as a means to secure funding for Envoy, allegations that Dr Phil vehemently denied.

“I’m like the little engine that could. I’m doing everything I can to keep Merit up and running. This theory, that this was all a ploy to set up Envoy Media, is absurd,” he said.

Under their deal, TBN was meant to handle production and distribution of Merit Street content, while Dr Phil’s company would produce new content.

However, things quickly went south when Dr. Phil allegedly failed to deliver new content while still taking the money. However, Dr Phil’s company claimed that it was TBN that failed to deliver production support.

The bankruptcy filing is made all the more intriguing when you examine Dr Phil’s extraordinary personal fortune.

According to multiple reports, the TV host has amassed an estimated net worth of around $460 million — a hefty chunk of which he has poured into establishing an extraordinary property portfolio that is worth close to $39 million.

Here, we examine the staggering dwellings that make up his real estate collection — and a significant portion of his net worth.

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The dwelling, which was built in 2006, features stunning archways on its facade and interior. Picture: Realtor

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Dr Phil’s palatial Texas mansion

The longtime TV show host owns a sprawling abode in Dallas, which is situated on 1.6 acres and measures over 14,719 square feet.

The property offers seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and five half-baths.

Upon entering, guests are greeted with 25-foot soaring ceilings, stylish crown moulding, and marble floors.

It boasts seven living areas, an elegant dining room with handpainted walls, a library, seven fireplaces, and a chef’s kitchen with marble countertops and backsplash, and state-of-the-art appliances.

There is also a lavish primary suite with a walk-in closet.

Elsewhere, there is a full bar, theatre room, 5,000-bottle wine cellar, and a four-car garage.

Outside, there is a large pool and spa in a resort style.

The TV host picked up the property in 2022 for $13.9 million (AUD $21 million). Estimates suggest that it is now worth more than $14 million (AUD $721.42 million).

According to property records, the TV show host listed the home in October 2018 for $9.95 million. However, he removed it from the market after just one day. Picture: Realtor

Dr Phil’s collection of California properties

Outside of the Lone Star State, Dr Phil holds the keys to a six-bedroom, 8.5-bathroom abode in Calabasas, CA, which he picked up in 2011 for $6.58 million (AUD $10 million). Realtor.com estimates show that it is now worth around $11.4 million (AUD $17.44 million).

The home spans 11,127 square feet and is situated on a 3.15-acre lot.

The dwelling, which was built in 2006, is surrounded by lush landscaping and features stunning archways on its facade and interior.

Dr. Phil also has a property in Beverly Hills, which he snapped up in 2020 for $10 million. Picture: Realtor

Upon entering the home, guests are greeted with an open floor plan with arched doorways that open to the courtyard.

The chef’s kitchen comes complete with wooden cabinets, bar seating, and state-of-the-art appliances.

The adjacent living area is lavish, as is the primary suite, which features a spacious and chic layout.

Amenities include a cozy theatre room, tennis court, outdoor kitchen with a fireplace to keep you warm during California’s chilly nights, and resort-style pool.

According to property records, the TV host listed the home in October 2018 for $9.95 million (AUD $15.22 million). However, he removed it from the market after just one day.

The home’s resort-style pool. Picture: Realtor

Dr Phil also has a property in Beverly Hills, which he snapped up in 2020 for $10 million (AUD $15.3 million). Recent estimates place its value at close to $13.6 million (AUD $20.8 million).

The dwelling, which was built in 2020, boasts five bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms, and 6,533 square feet of living space.

It features an expansive floor plan and modern touches that add to its elegant interior.

All three of his home are registered to a family trust.

The post Inside Dr Phil’s $60m property portfolio appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Impressive gardens and an array of wildlife have called 130 Hyslops Rd, Boneo, home for decades.

The Melbourne couple behind one of Victoria’s top tourist destinations have made a heartbreaking decision to sell the $11m garden estate where they “effectively live in a zoo”.

Nick Smith, son of Sale of Century and Channel 9 announcer Pete Smith, and his wife Annemaree Van Rooy bought the Boneo farm on the Mornington Peninsula 30 years ago and have spent the following decades establishing an incredible array of 22 distinct gardens and has regularly featured on shows from Postcards to Gardening Australia.

The spectacular 130 Hyslops Rd property known as Azure on Panorama’s residents include a mob of kangaroos, including a dozen rare albinos, peacocks, swans, geese, emus, wallabies, alpacas, miniature horses, pigs, about 50 chickens, ducks and quails.

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“It’s a very unique situation to walk out your front door in the morning and there’s an emu standing there,” Mr Smith said.

“We effectively live in a zoo. And it’s amazing.”

The pair renamed it from Panorama Garden Estate when they added resort-style features a few years ago, including a heated magnesium bath, sauna and plunge pool.

It’s now regularly booked out a month in advance, has a five-star rating on TripAdvisor and has collected the site’s Traveller’s Choice gong.

Some of the gardens feature sculptures inspired by the owners’ young relatives.

A garden inspired by the universe includes a model of the solar system at its heart.

The owners have established a well-regarded spa destination on the property.

The property’s wildlife is shielded from foxes and feral cats by a 2.5m high electric fence that wraps around 2km of the property, which is more than 22ha in size.

The animals, as well as visiting guests, roam around the property’s 22 different gardens, with Mr Smith’s personal highlights including a 1.6ha “crater” garden: “a 9m deep hole” he excavated himself over the span of a month, then lined with 3000 tonnes of rocks and boulders it took a decade to collect from a local quarry.

“When I finished that hole after a month, the machinery constantly getting bogged as it had been raining, I was thinking what the hell have I done,” he said.

“But it’s the biggest of the gardens and took the most work. And I don’t think anyone would be doing that again.”

The estate’s crater garden was inspired by a collapsed volcano in South Africa.

Panorama Gardens Estate in Boneo (Now Azure on Panorama) have many albino animals including Alexander the white peacock, and this joey born to a brown kangaroo. Picture: Alex Coppel.

A barn at the property is surrounded by impressive gardens.

Other gardens on the property include a rainforest along a fern-lined creek fed by a bore on the farm, an orchard terrace with a mix of fruit trees from apples to oranges, a lavender rockery, a sunken rose garden, a lake filled with Murray cod and yellow belly perch and bass surrounded by 8m-high date palms and even a “universal garden” inspired by the universe and featuring a solar system sculpture at its heart.

There’s also Moroccan reflection ponds, gardens with statues of their grand daughters, a par 3 golf hole and a separate putting green at the very top of the farm where the water views extend across Bass Straight and drink in everything from Lorne and Jan Juc to Point King at Portsea and the Westgate Bridge on a clear day.

Owner and creator Nick Smith with partner Annemaree Van Rooy and their dog Ralph and Molly the sheep with Palm Lake in the background in 2015.. Picture: Jason Sammon.

A rare white peacock at the garden estate. Picture: Jake Nowakowski.

The sprawling estate spans a significant 22ha.

“Half my heart will always be here … it could be more than half,” Mr Smith said.

“It has consumed me for 30 years. We have spent millions building the gardens, even with me doing a lot of it — to get it professionally done would be impossible.

“There’s nothing like this in Australia, and I’ve been overseas looking at gardens 25 times and there’s nothing like this anywhere.”

The only thing they didn’t do was build a house to match the location, with the couple expecting the next owners could spend as much as $10m building a dream mansion on the property where they have lived in a luxury barn for the past few decades.

“And they’d probably sell the whole lot for $30m after that’s built,” Mr smith said.

Views from the property extend across the Victorian coast line and into the blue of the ocean.

The vast scale of the estate means visiting all of its gardens as well as the spa is an hours-long activity.

Tory the Scottish Highland Bull has also been among the estate’s residents. Picture: Jason Sammon.

The next owners could be getting their own chance to buy a zoo or wildlife sanctuary, as while the pair will take a few animals they have a more personal connection with to their next home, for the right buyer they’re open to leaving many behind.

Mr Smith said with the native wildlife taking care of themselves, the only ones really needing any effort put into them were the pigs, miniature horse, alpacas and the chooks — though the latter produced a steady supply of fresh eggs.

Christie’s International Real Estate Victoria principal Sean Cussell is handling the sale of the estate which includes a five-bedroom, two-bathroom home, a separate barn and machinery shed, stables, a loft, billiards room and a barbecue pavilion.

Mr Smith tees off at the estate’s par three golf hole in 2015. Picture: Jason Sammon.

A baby albino kangaroo on the hop at the estate. Picture: Tim Carrafa.

The animals on the farm their lives like a pig in … well, mud. Picture: Jason Sammon.

“There is simply nothing else like Azure on Panorama in Victoria, or in Australia,” Mr Cussell said.

“It is a once-in-a-generation estate that combines world-class landscaping and conservation

initiatives to create an unparalleled residential oasis, wellbeing retreat and hospitality

destination just an hour’s drive from Melbourne’s CBD.”

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The post Boneo’s $11m Azure on Panorama garden estate for sale appeared first on realestate.com.au.