Empowering Buyers to Succeed in Today’s Market
BLOG VIEW: Homebuyers have been dealing with a difficult market for some time. Until recently, the mortgage industry has been satisfied to leave the...
Craig Crabtree: Housing Affordability Has Become a Major Issue
PERSON OF THE WEEK: Mortgage interest rates continued to rise this past week, with the average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage climbing to 5.54%,...
Why Would a Branch Move in Today’s Challenging Market?
BLOG VIEW: Rising mortgage interest rates and rapidly rising home prices have created two massive hurdles for mortgage industry players to overcome in the...
Keith Kemph: Why the LOS RFP is Dead – and Why That’s a Good...
PERSON OF THE WEEK: Industry observers will tell you that mortgage lenders typically turn away from an existing loan origination system (LOS) in favor...
Education is the Key to Removing Barriers For Underserved Borrowers
BLOG VIEW: More companies are directing time and resources to create equity in housing and homeownership. As part of that effort, one must understand...
Matthew Wood: Today’s LOS Must Be Designed with Future Technologies in Mind
PERSON OF THE WEEK: The mortgage market is, unfortunately, set for another slowdown, but that means mortgage lenders have more time to focus on...
What is a Qualified Written Request to a Servicer? Two Court Opinions Could Change...
BLOG VIEW: Under RESPA, servicers are required to respond to qualified written requests (QWRs) from borrowers. Regulation X divides these requests into two categories:...
Mortgage Lending Creativity Is Increasing Risk
BLOG VIEW: The mortgage market is shifting. The fact that pundits have been warning that lenders would see significant changes in their businesses in...
Top Questions Lenders Have About the New Desktop Appraisal Rules
BLOG VIEW: In January, government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announced that they would include a desktop appraisal option to its sellers....
Gene Shibata: Don’t Let Operational KPIs Fall Behind
PERSON OF THE WEEK: Now that pandemic-related foreclosure protections are coming to an end - and with the U.S. economy sputtering due to massive...
Otmane Laassel: How Mortgage Lenders Can Serve the Underserved
PERSON OF THE WEEK: As the mortgage industry and its regulators strive to bring homeownership to more borrowers throughout the country, many lenders are...
Joel Rickman: Mortgage Lenders Facing Rapid Changes in 2022
PERSON OF THE WEEK: Mortgage lenders have had to keep pace with some rapid changes during the past two years, particularly with the impact...
Steven Plaisance: Home Affordability Must Be Addressed
PERSON OF THE WEEK: Steven Plaisance is the president of mortgage banking for Gateway First Bank. He is also currently serving as the chairman...
Karen Kulwin: State Regulators are Increasing Their Scrutiny of Mortgage Licensing Requirements
PERSON OF THE WEEK: Licensing is an extremely important aspect of mortgage compliance, yet it is often taken for granted. Most of the entities...
How Does Profit Margin Compression Affect the Mortgage Industry?
BLOG VIEW: Profit margin compression is currently one of the most significant factors impacting profitability and business efficiency for mortgage lenders.
Lender profit margin expectations...
How Lenders Can Help More Borrowers Achieve Homeownership
BLOG VIEW: With rising rates and home prices consistently going up, homeownership may seem like a far stretch for some. In fact, in 2021,...
Jim Voth: Digital Transformation Will Continue Despite Slowdown
PERSON OF THE WEEK: Will a slowdown in the mortgage market result in lenders cutting back on technology investments?
Not necessarily, says Jim Voth, managing...
Roxana Davidoff: CRM is All About Good Communication
PERSON OF THE WEEK: When it comes to home transactions, fast and efficient communication between the various parties involved is critical.
The challenge to achieving...
Brian Miller: Shift to Remote Work Has ‘Tipped the Scales Toward Employees’
PERSON OF THE WEEK: The shift to a purchase market, lenders’ re-expansion into niche products such as non-QM, and the reality of remote work...
John Hutchison: Creating Meaningful Partnerships Through Due Diligence
PERSON OF THE WEEK: As we continue to move into a purchase money mortgage market, lenders are finding that selling their production into the...