Non-QM Market Growing, But Not Without its Challenges
As refinances plummet and competition over limited purchase volume increases, mortgage originators are increasingly looking to diversify into non-QM lending. There are now more...
Fix-and-Flip Loans: Rewarding if Managed Properly
With average coupons twice the rate of agency MBS, residential transition loans (RTLs) are a hot product. Any time a whole loan buyer can...
Rent, Buy or Shared-Equity Mortgage: Finding the Best Option
Americans are debt consumers. Often, we consider debt just an inevitable part of life: buying large items like houses, cars, and financing education requires...
The Suitability and Logic of ‘Suitability Logic’ in Valuations
The automation revolution of the past two decades has transformed the mortgage industry. The software tools available today are helping lenders streamline everything from...
Jump in Contract Signings Bodes Well For Spring Home Buying Season
Will the sun, moon and stars align for a stellar spring home buying season?
Will mortgage rates remain stable - or perhaps further decrease -...
Refinance Share Jumped in January as Mortgage Rates Moderated
The refinance share of mortgage originations increased to 35% in January, up from 29% in December to reach the highest level in nearly a...
Mortgage Lending Outlook: What’s in Store for 2019
As the U.S. economy continued to strengthen throughout 2018, mortgage companies increasingly faced challenges related to rising interest rates, a shrinking housing inventory and...
Putting the ‘Service’ Back in Mortgage Servicing
Providing exceptional customer service is essential for prolonged success in the competitive mortgage industry. Given the pressure to comply with frequently-changing regulatory requirements, focusing...
Frequency of Defects in Mortgage Applications Continues to Rise
Due mainly to rising purchase share and the impact from natural disasters, the frequency of defects in mortgage applications increased 7.4% in December compared...
Lack of Inventory Pushes ARM Share to Eight-Year High
Adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) represented 9.2% of all loans originated in December - an eight-year high - according to Ellie Mae’s monthly Origination Insight report.
A...
Veros: Expect Significant Softening of Home Prices in 2019
Home price appreciation will continue to slow in most markets through 2019, with more markets entering into negative territory, according to the latest VeroFORECAST from Veros Real...
Housing Starts Jumped in November But Builder Confidence Dropped
A day after the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) announced that builder confidence in the market for new, single-family homes in November fell...
First-Time Homebuyers Accounted for 55% of All Purchase Mortgages in Q3
First-time homebuyers made up a larger share of total home sales in the third quarter compared with a year earlier, however, there aren’t enough...
Three Technologies Having the Greatest Impact on Home Buying
Streamlining time-consuming processes, as well as delivering an improved consumer experience, is top of mind for real estate professionals.
To Combat Rising Origination Costs, Lenders Should Focus on Valuation
Mortgage lenders are still somehow missing out on the efficiencies to be gained in a key part of the process: the appraisal.
The Calm After the Storm: Regulatory Relief in the Wake of HMDA
At the time mandatory HMDA compliance took effect in January, the number of required data fields more than doubled from 44 to 110.
Zombie Foreclosures a Thing of the Past – Or Are They?
We’re down to the last of the zombies.
Zombie foreclosures, that is… you know, the foreclosures where the owner “walked away” because they were seriously...
Rate Lock-In Effect Has Homeowners ‘Imprisoned’ in Their Existing Homes
Rising mortgage rates are creating a financial disincentive that's preventing existing homeowners from selling.
Housing Starts Fell in September, Hurricane Recovery Won’t Help
The recovery from hurricanes Michael and Florence will likely slow housing starts in the months to come.
The Peculiarities of New York’s Commercial Mortgage Tax Laws
There are certain oddities of the New York mortgage tax that out-of-state practitioners should be aware of...