Consumer prices in August rose slightly from July, all but ensuring the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates aggressively at its upcoming September meeting to tamp down inflation. Despite decreases in the indexes for airline fares, communication, and used cars
Lending standards tighten as appetite for riskier loans drops
Lending standards tightened in August amid a worsening economic outlook and signs of cooling in home-price growth. The mortgage credit availability index (MCAI) fell marginally by 0.5% to 108.3 in August from the previous month, according to the Mortgage Bankers
Local Markets: Housing news across U.S communities
Take a deep dive into these five local housing markets to better understand the trends across the nation. Each city has a unique market and enticing listings to attract new residents. Siesta Key, Florida Remote work flexibility opened up the
MBA Opens Doors sets donation record amid the changing housing market
With all the talk about a hot housing market and changes on the horizon thanks to increasing mortgage rates, it can be hard to forget that these market-wide changes have a real effect on real people, especially those dealing with
KBRA affiliate acquires digital news service DLD
KBRA Analytics, an affiliate of Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA), has acquired digital-information service Direct Lending Deals, which offers investors and loan originators coverage of deal data, news and analysis in the direct-lending sector. The acquisition will allow KBRA Analytics to offer its
HousingWire September Demo Day: BeSmartee
Mortgage POS BeSmartee’s Mortgage Point-of-Sale (POS) platform is a configurable, white labeled solution that streamlines the origination process, including application, credit, PPE, AUS disclosures and appraisal collection and fulfillment. Product Fast Facts #1 Go from application to appraisal in 15
Reevaluating your origination tools? Here’s where to start
With the recent downturn in volume of new originations, many lenders are using this time to take inventory of the available tools geared toward risk mitigation and workflow optimization. There is also a renewed interest in the future state of
Angel Hernandez to speak at HW Annual Oct. 4
What’s unique about President Biden’s housing administration compared to past administrations? From regulations and enforcement to innovation in policies and technology, there’s a lot to talk through when it comes to addressing this question, which is why we’re stoked for
Mountain West Financial steps back from wholesale lending
Add mortgage lender Mountain West Financial to the list of victims of the price war in the wholesale channel. The Redlands, California-based company informed its broker network last week that it has “made the difficult decision to take a step back
FormFree and Docutech team up with integration
Mortgage tech firms FormFree and Docutech are teaming up to make verification of assets (VOA) and verification of income and employment (VOI/E) available in the initial disclosure phase of the mortgage process. FormFree’s AccountChek, a service that allows lenders to
Two new MSR offerings hit the market
The Prestwick Mortgage Group, an Alexandria, Virginia-based advisory and brokerage firm, has unveiled a mortgage-servicing rights (MSR) offering for a $598 million package of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans. Prestwick’s offering comes on the heels of a separate bulk offering announced recently by New
Lock in your exclusive room rate for HW Annual by Sept. 5
There’s only one month left until HW Annual kicks off on Oct. 3rd. As the conference quickly approaches, so does the deadline to lock in the exclusive room rate for the Fairmont Princess Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. Take advantage of
Better.com extends deadline to go public via SPAC
Digital mortgage lender Better.com and blank-check firm Aurora Acquisition Corp. extended the deadline to conclude their merger agreement, but the companies have already started to discuss options in case the deal fails. In May 2021, Novator Capital-sponsored special purpose acquisition company Aurora announced plans to
Rocket offers more voluntary buyouts
Rocket Companies, the parent company of Rocket Mortgage, extended the second round of voluntary career transition offers to employees amid the company’s forecast of much lower origination volume in the third quarter. “We recognize career growth options in certain areas
Jury convicts San Francisco real estate investor for defrauding Quicken Loans
A San Francisco real estate investor with political ties was found guilty of bank fraud and making false statements to Quicken Loans as part of a larger federal investigation targeting public corruption in the city. A federal jury convicted Victor
Opinion: Taming inflation requires making housing affordability a national priority
Inflation slowed more than expected in July, the result of a dip in gas and energy prices. But soaring housing costs continue to weigh heavily on family budgets. Rents and home purchase prices are up – 17% and 20% respectively – from
Sixth recession red flag raised, despite strong jobs report
What a crazy day for my economic model! On the same day, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revealed that we’ve recovered all the jobs lost to COVID-19 and I am raising my sixth recession red flag. When I wrote
Guild still eyeing acquisitions as profits falter in Q2 2022
Guild Mortgage’s second-quarter earnings suggest that a high share of purchase loans won’t necessarily be enough to protect lenders from the most challenging and volatile mortgage market in years. They’ll have to cut costs and grab opportunities as they emerge. The
Why is now the time for lenders to modernize their appraisal processes
With tech solutions and automation dominating more and more of the mortgage experience, the appraisal process can feel a bit dated, often causing significant slowdowns. HousingWire recently spoke with Erin Reed, vice president of originations, valuations and operations at ServiceLink
Banking agencies get deluge of feedback on CRA proposal
Stakeholders on all sides of the issues sounded off on the proposed changes to the federal redlining statute in comments to the banking agencies marshaling the changes. Some of the nearly 360 comments came in late on Thursday, a day
US employment back at pre-pandemic level
Amid fears and talk of a recession, job growth in the U.S. remained strong in July, with nonfarm payroll employment rising by 528,000 jobs from the month prior, according to data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. After
Act now to get your room for HW Annual Oct. 3-5 in Scottsdale
With just under two months until HW Annual, it is important to make your hotel reservations now to join us in person for this power-packed event. HW Annual will take place from Oct. 3-5 at the Fairmont Princess Resort in
Opinion: The not-so-surprising resurgence of home equity lending
In recent months, interest rates have risen to their highest level in years as the Federal Reserve has embarked on an aggressive tightening campaign in an effort to fight inflation. Despite rising rates, demand for home equity lines of credit
Unpacking the top housing regulations to watch at HW Annual on Oct. 4
The current administration has been in office for over a year and a half, and with that tenure, a lot of the new housing officials have had time to create and announce their core initiatives. To help bring you the