Local Property Taxes Jumped 3% On Average in 2017
The average amount of property tax paid by a U.S. homeowner in 2017 was $3,399, an increase of 3% compared with $3,296 in 2016.
Alternative Credit: Providing a Pathway to Homeownership
The key to using alternative sources of credit for the underwriting of mortgage loans is standardization of the alternative credit scoring model.
Low Inventory Continues to Drive Up Home Prices
The two main factors driving home price appreciation are low inventory and a low vacancy rate among owner-occupied housing.
Digital Due Diligence Beats Challenges of Adhering to the Dodd-Frank Act
Automation and AI will revolutionize the due diligence industry, allowing 100% of all loans to be audited and graded in much shorter periods of time.
What Happens If Mortgage Rates Soar?
For the real estate sector, the thought of higher rates is strangely worrisome.
Re-Engineering Default Processing to Unlock Operational Efficiency
There are ways to make default management more efficient for the servicer and less disruptive for the consumer.
Refinance Share of Mortgage Activity Jumped in January
'Refinances will taper back off to industry-projected levels of 25 to 30 percent in the coming months.'
Getting the Most Out of Your Regulatory Training
As regulations for the mortgage industry continue to evolve, leaders should carefully invest in the most meaningful training courses for their staff.
The New World of Mortgage Tenure
What’s really needed to move the housing sector - and mortgage originations with it - is a greater certainty that the economy has firmed.
Steve Butler: HMDA Not the Only Compliance Concern For Mortgage Lenders in 2018
Although lenders might not need to worry as much about enforcement of the new HMDA rules, they have plenty of other compliance matters to be concerned about.
Matt Clarke: 2018 Should be an ‘Exciting Year’ for Mortgage Lenders
"There might be regulatory relief coming - but that still involves the cost of unwinding the systems you have in place," the CFO of Churchill Mortgage tells MortgageOrb.
Doug Duncan: Housing Market Fundamentals Won’t Change Much in 2018
Lack of supply was a huge factor impacting the housing market in 2017 and we can expect more of the same in the coming year, Fannie Mae's chief economist tells MortgageOrb.
The ‘Unintended’ Effect of New Tax Laws on Property Tax Servicing
In a country with more than 20,000 taxing authorities, making a tax change that affects the timing of tax payments with no notification to the affected parties has tremendous consequence.
PHH Corp. Settles with States over Alleged Mortgage Servicing Violations
Mortgage lender and servicer settles in order to put "legacy" issues behind it.
Tom Hutchens: Non-QM Market Set For Explosive Growth in 2018
The non-QM lending market is forecast to double in 2018, so what's driving the growth?
Early-Stage Delinquencies Jumped in September Due to Storms
Early-stage delinquencies on the rise after storms strike Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico.
Tax Servicing an ‘Intricate Part of the Loan Servicing Industry’
There are more than 24,000 tax agencies or taxing authorities across the country - each with its own rules, processes and guidelines.
‘Older’ Millennials Comparable to GenXers in Terms of Credit Profile, Research Shows
Mortgage lenders are finding that it is tough to generalize about the millennial generation - and research is showing us some reasons why.
To Address Affordability, Fannie Mae Gets Creative
In the past year, the GSE has rolled out a series of innovative pilot programs geared to address affordability issues from DTI to down payments.
Single-Source Validation: A Key Component of Fannie Mae’s Day One Certainty Program
Fannie Mae has so far added 16 providers of income, asset and employment data to its network of Day One Certainty-approved technology vendors