MBA: Purchase Volume to Increase 7.3% to $1.2 Trillion in 2018
Total mortgage origination volume is expected to reach $1.60 trillion in 2018, down from $1.69 trillion in 2017, according to the latest forecast from...
Optimal Blue Adds New Data Visualization Tool to its Suite of Offerings
Optimal Blue, which offers product and pricing data and tools, as well as hedging solutions, to the mortgage industry, has released a new data...
Ellie Mae: Refinance Share Increased in September on Lower Mortgage Rates
The refinance share of all mortgages increased to 38%, up from 35% in August and up from an annual low of 32% in June,...
NAR: Existing-Home Sales Inched Up in September, Despite Impact from Storms
U.S. existing-home sales in September were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of about 5.39 million, up 0.7% compared with August and up 1.5%...
ValuTrac Software Launches New Appraisal Review Tool
ValuTrac Software, which offers appraisal management software for both residential and commercial valuations, recently launched an automated appraisal review product called SnapShot.
This new appraisal...
CoreLogic Now Validating its Home Price Index Forecast
For validation purposes, CoreLogic is now publicly comparing the forecasts in it home price index (HPI) report with the actual HPI increase.
For the 12-month...
Freddie Mac: Mortgage Interest Rates Ticked Back Down
After increasing for the previous two weeks, mortgage rates edged back down during the week ended Oct. 19, with the average rate for a...
FHFA: G-Fees More Equitable for Extra-Small Mortgage Lenders in 2016
The average single-family guarantee fees (g-fees) charged by government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (all loans) fell by two basis points in...
Waterstone Mortgage Opens Six New Branches
Waterstone Mortgage reports that it has opened six new branches across the U.S. in recent months.
The new branches are located in Fredericksburg, Va.; Enterprise,...
MBA: Mortgage Application Volume Jumped 3.6% Columbus Day Week
Mortgage application volume increased 3.6% on an adjusted basis during the week ended Oct. 13, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage...
Harvey and Irma Helped Erode September Housing Starts
Housing starts dipped 4.7% in September compared with August - in part due to the impact from hurricanes Harvey and Irma - but were...
FirstClose Promotes Chuck Bloodgood to CIO
Chuck Bloodgood has been promoted to chief information officer at FirstClose, a provider of title, flood and valuation services to the mortgage industry.
Bloodgood, who...
MORE Lending Now Using LoanScorecard’s Portfolio Producer
MORE Lending, the wholesale division of Synergy One Lending, a San Diego-based mortgage lender, is now using Portfolio Producer from LoanScorecard as its automated...
The Mortgage Collaborative Rolls Out New Benchmarking Report
The Mortgage Collaborative has come out with a new benchmarking report that will enable its lender members to compare their performance against their peers'...
UWM Introduces CRM System to Help Brokers with Client Retention
United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) recently introduced a proprietary CRM system to strengthen brokers’ client retention.
The new partnership tool, Client Loyalty Manager, was created to...
Freddie Mac: Mortgage Rates Took Big Jump
Mortgage rates increased again during the week ended Oct. 12, with the average rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) increasing to 3.91%, up...
MBA: Mortgage Credit Availability Increased in September
Mortgage credit availability increased 0.7% in September compared with August to reach a score of 181.4 on the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Mortgage Credit Availability...
Draper and Kramer Mortgage Hires Bob Rocklein as LO for Franklin, Mass. Branch
Bob Rocklein has joined mortgage lender Draper and Kramer Mortgage Corp. as a senior loan officer based out of the company’s Boston-area branch in...
AMC Consolidated Analytics Hires Rudy Zabran as COO
Rudy Zabran has joined appraisal management company Consolidated Analytics as chief operating officer.
Zabran is a seasoned mortgage industry veteran with 17 years of experience....
Freddie Mac: 30-Year Rises to Highest Level in Six Weeks
After holding more or less flat the previous week, mortgage rates increased slightly to reach the highest level in six weeks during the week...