Safeguarding Against AI-Powered Scams in the Mortgage Industry
A title company in Florida is about to close a property sale. The final steps are in motion, including a video call to verify...
U.S. Home Price Appreciation Slowed for a Tenth Straight Month in September
U.S. home prices decreased -0.2% in September compared with August but were up 1.1% compared with September 2024, according to First American’s latest home...
Mortgage Lock Volume Surged in September as Affordability Improved
Lower mortgage rates in September resulted in a surge in both refinance and purchase locks, driving total volume up 28% compared with August, according...
More Home Sales Falling Through as Stressed Buyers are Denied Concessions
Buyers are increasingly backing out of home sales, and it's not just because of high mortgage rates and high home prices, according to a...
The Mortgage Transparency Crisis: Why Lack of Clarity Could Cost Lenders in 2025
This isn’t about high mortgage rates: We’ve all read that headline before.
As of September, following the Federal Reserve’s rate cut, the average interest rate...
The Long Game: Why Diverse Market Outreach is the Smartest Investment in the Housing...
The housing industry is undergoing a major shift as millennials, Gen Z, and increasingly diverse communities become the dominant force among first-time homebuyers. Long-term...
Automation as the Anchor: How Servicers Can Navigate CFPB Uncertainty, Compliance and Cost Pressures
The mortgage servicing industry is maneuvering one of the most dynamic and uncertain environments in recent memory. Rising loan servicing costs, tightening profit margins,...
Emmanuel St. Germain: The Baby Boomer Wealth Transfer Will Reshape the Housing Market
Home prices are flat to decreasing in most areas of the country, and rates are starting to fall, improving affordability for potential home buyers...
Decelerating Home Price Growth is Helping Boost Affordability, Giving Buyers an Edge
A deceleration in home price growth combined with rising incomes gave home affordability a boost in June - and it may only be the...
ICE: Mortgage Delinquencies Up Slightly in April
The U.S. mortgage delinquency rate increased slightly to 3.22% in April, according to ICE Mortgage Technology’s latest First Look report.
That’s an increase of one...
Zillow: Inventory of Homes for Sale is Up Nearly 20 Percent From a Year...
Inventory of homes for sale surged 19.6% in April compared with April 2024 - and new listings were up 7.6% - but it hardly...
Seamless Integration: The Key to Modernizing Mortgage Servicing Operations
As regulatory expectations evolve, borrower demands shift and the digital transformation of financial services accelerates, mortgage servicers are being forced to re-examine not just...
CRE Finance Council’s Sairah Burki and David McCarthy Discuss Anticipated Regulatory Environment Under Trump
What impact will the Trump Administration’s regulatory and legislative priorities have on CRE finance market participants? In a wide-ranging interview with MortgageOrb, Sairah Burki,...
Denial Rates Increased, Top Lenders Dominated and Lending Volume Rebounded in 2024
Mortgage lending volume rebounded slightly in 2024 compared with 2023, driven by a resurgence in refinancing, according to iEmergent’s Mortgage MarketSmart report.
The forecasting and...
FHFA Establishes Mortgage Fraud Tip Line and is Exploring Ways to ‘Recall’ Fraudulent Loans
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), regulator of government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has established a tip line “where anyone and everyone...
Affordability Gap Between Renting and Owning Has Widened Significantly
Americans need to earn $116,633 per year to afford the median priced home for sale, 81.8% more than the $64,160 needed to afford the...
OptimalBlue: Mortgage Lock Volume Increased 24 Percent in March
A 52% surge in rate-and-term refi locks during March drove a 24% overall increase in mortgage lock volume as early spring buyers returned to...
GSEs Expand Eligibility for Appraisal Waivers on Purchase Loans, Among Other Policy Updates
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has announced updates to several Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac policies including expanding eligibility for appraisal waivers on...
Joseph D’Urso: Now is a Great Time to Start a Title Business
With the Fed’s recent rate cut and more cuts forecast, now may be a great time to start a title business. In this MortgageOrb...
Mortgage Credit Tightened in September as Lenders Remained Cautious
Mortgage credit availability decreased in September, falling 0.5% to a score of 98.5 on the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI).
A...