Executives at Rocket Companies are engaged in a very tricky balancing act: they must drastically reduce expenses to return the company to profitability. And at the same time they must continue to invest in their business to avoid losing further
Clear Capital launches UDC to support appraisal modernization
Real estate valuation technology provider Clear Capital on Thursday launched Universal Data Collection (UDC), a product designed to support appraisal modernization. The UDC product provides lenders with tools for scalability, interchangeability and loan management, according to a statement. UDC will
The 7% mortgage is back with a vengeance
Mortgage rates are surging again due to sustained economic growth and continued inflation, eclipsing 7% on Thursday. And it could be a while before they tick back down, economists say. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage on Thursday, March 2 touched 7.10%,
Real estate agents wonder if inventory levels will ever return to ‘normal’
Temperatures are rising, the sun is setting later, and the daffodils are starting to peek their green leaves out of the earth — spring is coming. And just like the bears who are starting to wake up from their long
Aurora extends the Better.com merger deadline once again
Blank-check firm Aurora Acquisition Corp. extended the deadline to complete its merger with struggling digital mortgage lender Better.com for the third time. The deadline for the merger is now September. The decision was made during Aurora’s shareholder’s meeting held on
Ginnie Mae promotes Valverde, seeks COO
Ginnie Mae has promoted Sam Valverde to principal executive vice president, where he will serve as the the second-in-command to Ginnie Mae President Alanna McCargo. The government corporation is also seeking an executive vice president and chief operating officer to
How non-QM lender A&D Mortgage grew origination volume in 2022
When the entire mortgage industry saw volume drop by more than half in 2022, nearly every lender emerged with battle scars. Rising rates caused refinances to dry up, production plummeted, and pink slips were issued to employees. Non-qualified mortgage (non-QM)
Polly adds Total Expert to its API integration roster
San Francisco-based SaaS technology provider Polly on Monday announced its API integration with Total Expert, a customer engagement platform purpose-built for financial institutions. Through this API integration, users can populate MLS and non-MLS rate flyers in a short period of
Truework platform adds automation feature to Encompass
Income verification platform Truework has added its automated service ordering feature to Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) Mortgage Technology’’s loan origination system Encompass. The integration is now built on the latest Encompass Partner Connect application programming interface (API) platform and is available
Housing Market Tracker: Mortgage rates spike as inventory falls
Another week down in 2023 and we’re seeing crazier action in the housing market as purchase application data fell, mortgage rates rose again, and weekly inventory took another dive with a noticeable move lower in new listing data. Here is
Mortgage balances increased by nearly $1 trillion in 2022
Americans’ debt balances continued to compound in 2022 as inflation put pressure on budgets and the cost of borrowing increased. Aggregate household debt, which includes all outstanding credit market debt held by consumers, increased by $394 billion in the fourth
How QA programs help servicers remain compliant
Servicers know all about the regulatory complexity — whether the rules are coming from the state or federal level or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) – that often leaves them in a constant state of audit and exam. With
Divvy Homes reportedly makes another round of layoffs
Rent-to-own startup Divvy Homes has reportedly conducted a new round of layoffs on Wednesday, which included cuts to a number of high-level positions. This is at least the second round of layoffs for the company in the last six months.
Figure partners with NovaWulf on proposed reorg of crypto lender Celsius
Fintech Figure Technologies will partner with NovaWulf Digital Management to provide blockchain technology solutions for a proposed reorganization of troubled crypto lender Celsius. The partnership was made public by Figure on Thursday and comes a day after an announcement from
Ex-North Dakota bank prez and LO sentenced to prison for bank fraud
Brady Torgerson, former president of First Security Bank-West, was sentenced to two years in prison for two counts of bank fraud he conducted between 2019 and 2021 when working for the North Dakota-based bank and Union Bank as a loan
The homebuilders got lucky this time
Looking at the latest NAHB/Wells Fargo homebuilder confidence data and builder stock prices, I can say the homebuilders got very lucky this time around in the middle of a housing recession. There is one simple reason for this: it’s not
The power of data with Mike Simonsen
Mike Simonsen, president of Altos Research, will share his data-focused insights on the housing market at Gathering of Eagles 2023. Join Simonsen and other data-obsessed attendees for a “Power Lunch,” on Tuesday, June 20. There’s no need to eat lunch
Weaker economy, inflation caused mortgage delinquency uptick in Q4
The overall national mortgage delinquency rate rose in the fourth quarter of 2022, due in part to a weaker economy and ongoing inflationary pressures. The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one- to four-unit residential properties rose 51 basis points
LauraMac appoints Rick Seehausen as chief strategy officer
LauraMac, a provider of mortgage loan review SaaS technology, has appointed Rick Seehausen as its chief strategy officer. In his new role, Seehausen will work with the leadership team at LauraMac, overseeing strategic planning and developing new and existing products.
Mr. Cooper sees a $1.5T MSR opportunity in 2023
The servicing portfolio propelled Mr. Cooper Group‘s overall earnings in the fourth quarter of 2022 when cost-cutting initiatives weren’t enough to bring the origination business to profitability. And investors can expect the company to keep growing its servicing business in
Mr. Cooper closes deal to acquire investment firm Roosevelt Management Company
Nonbank mortgage lender and servicer Mr. Cooper has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the investment management firm Roosevelt Management Company, LLC., the company confirmed on Friday. The deal also includes the operations for affiliated company Rushmore Loan Management Services,
Regulator in Illinois suspends Michael Strauss, Smart Rate licenses
A regulator in Illinois has suspended the MLO license of industry veteran Michael Strauss and the license for his mortgage company, Smart Rate Mortgage, essentially blocking the company from operating in the state, according to the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System
Cooling buyer demand takes a toll on Q4 title profits
After a quarter characterized by weakening homebuyer demand and some of the highest mortgage rates seen in decade, it was no surprise that Stewart and First American recorded weaker financial results in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to the
Black Knight to sell Empower loan origination software business?
Black Knight has decided to sell its loan origination software business Empower in a bid to save the $13 billion deal with Intercontinental Exchange Inc (ICE), Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has
