Another large mortgage-servicing rights bulk offering is on the market this week on the heels of a $10 billion MSR package that went out to bid earlier this month. The latest deal is being marketed by New York-based Mortgage Industry Advisory
Understanding Realogy’s stance on commissions
When Missouri federal judge Stephen Bough unsealed a sworn declaration last week from Coldwell Banker CEO Ryan Gorman in a sprawling antitrust lawsuit about real estate commissions, it prompted disquiet among real estate agents, including those who work at Gorman’s
Fannie plans $15B in CRT deals in 2022
Fannie Mae opened 2022 with its 45th credit-risk transfer (CRT) deal through its Connecticut Avenue Securities (CAS) real estate mortgage investment conduit, or REMIC, bringing the collective value of notes issued through the conduit to nearly $52 billion since the first
Appraisers slam FHFA appraisal blog post
Research detailing overt demographic references in appraisal reports has sparked anger from appraisers, even as they express dismay at the findings. “I was sickened when I read it,” said St. Petersburg, Florida-based appraiser Francois “Frank” Gregoire. “I was extremely upset
RE/MAX Holdings CEO Adam Contos stepping down
RE/MAX Holdings CEO Adam Contos is stepping down effective March 31, 2022. While the company plans to form a CEO search committee, Board Member Stephen Joyce will be appointed Interim CEO. Contos and Joyce will serve as co-CEOs beginning March
Stewart Title makes second acquisition in under a week
Less than a week after acquiring Nashville-based Homeland Title, Stewart Title is at it again. On Tuesday, the smallest of the “Big Four” title insurers announced that it had acquired a majority interest in Houston-based Great American Title Company (GATCO).
Erie Title Agency merges with Barristers of Ohio
The Hanna Family of Companies, the parent company of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, announced the merger of Erie Title Agency, Inc and Barristers of Ohio to form Erie Title Barristers Group on Wednesday. The Cleveland-based Erie Title has been
Mortgage delinquency rate reaches prepandemic levels
Mortgage delinquency rates hit pre-pandemic levels in October due to labor market improvements and home equity increases, according to the most recent CoreLogic Loan Performance Report. The expectation is that rates will continue to decline during 2022. In October, 3.8%
FinLedger doubles down on proptech, partners with Tech Nest podcast
Since its launch in August 2020, FinLedger has kept its pulse on the explosive and expansive sector of financial technology for thousands of readers. And now we’re ready for the next stage of FinLedger’s growth. As part of HW Media’s
Nominations for HousingWire’s Finance Leaders award are now open!
For the second year, HousingWire is honoring senior executives in housing who are enabling, supporting and navigating growth and innovation within their organizations. Unlike other HousingWire awards, Finance Leaders focuses specifically on corporate finance, secondary marketing, capital markets or strategic
PennyMac launches new tech platform in broker channel rebrand
PennyMac Financial Services announced today that it’s launching a new technology platform for its broker channel, and it has rebranded its broker division from PennyMac Broker Direct to Pennymac TPO. The California-based wholesale lender claimed the new tech offering, called
How to avoid home closing delays in 2022
HousingWire recently spoke with Tom Kriby, Vice President of Client Development and Partnerships at Westwood Insurance Agency, about how insurance issues can hold up a home closing and how lenders can integrate insurance into their process to help their homebuyers
Mortgage applications slide 2.7% in last week of 2021
Mortgage applications decreased 2.7% from two weeks earlier, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association survey for the week ending Dec. 31, 2021. The results include adjustments to account for the holidays. The holiday adjusted Refinance Index decreased 2% from two
20 state attorneys general take aim at mortgage servicers
Some Federal Housing Administration-approved mortgage servicers have routinely flouted the agency’s loan modification program, according to Washington, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine and 20 other state attorneys general. The attorneys general wrote in a Dec. 21 letter that a number
FHFA hikes fees for high-balance and second-home loans
The Federal Housing Finance Agency introduced new upfront fees on Wednesday for some high-balance and second-home loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Upfront fees for high balance loans will increase between 0.25% and 0.75%, tiered by loan-to-value ratio.
RMF acquires AAG reverse mortgage servicing portfolio
Reverse Mortgage Funding, LLC (RMF) has acquired a portfolio of mortgage servicing rights (MSRs) and other assets from industry-leading lender American Advisors Group (AAG), which consists of more than 75,000 loans totaling $12.1 billion in unpaid principal balance (UPB). This
SitusAMC creating safety net for the private-label market
SitusAMC CEO Michael Franco SitusAMC subsidiary Securent is expanding its reach into the private-label market with plans to soon introduce a loan-defect insurance product for residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) transactions, according to executives from both companies. The initial focus of Securent, which was
loanDepot brings Ginnie Mae loan servicing in-house
loanDepot announced this week that it will begin servicing Ginnie Mae loans in-house, following a 2021 decision to do the same for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac-backed loans. The top-ranked nonbank lender said in a press release that servicing Ginnie
Opinion: Mortgage industry will shed 100K jobs this year
The most wonderful time of the year, as the song would have us believe, comes to a close with Epiphany, the 12th day of Christmas, Jan. 6. I do hope everyone had a joyous holiday season, spending some relaxing time
UWM is bullish on the resurgent private-label market
Pontiac, Michigan-based United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) capitalized on a booming private-label market in 2021 by sponsoring its inaugural securities transaction this past May, a prime jumbo deal involving 508 mortgages with an aggregate principal balance of $351.9 million. That was the start
What’s holding the industry back from broad-scale digital closing adoption?
For well over a decade, the industry has made steady progress in digitizing mortgage closings. As a result, closings today fall on a spectrum of digitization, with benefits that increase with each component that is digitized and each document that
Offerpad lands $600M more in credit to power iBuying
As Zillow tries to swiftly disentangle itself from iBuying, a one-time competitor may borrow over $600 million more to radically increase its instant home-buying purchases. Offerpad, a Chandler, Arizona-based iBuyer, snared $500 million in a revolving credit facility from an
Clear Capital launches appraisal tool to speed photo review
Appraisal management company Clear Capital, in the latest effort to revamp the appraisal process, hopes to automate property photo reviews to ensure data and photo consistency with its photo review product, ClearPhoto. Clear Capital’s data science team developed the product
Home affordability plummeted in fourth quarter
Homeownership continues to swerve into unaffordable territory, with median-priced single-family homes becoming less affordable in three-quarters of the nation’s market, a report published by ATTOM Data Solutions last week said. Per the report, between October to December 2021, median home