Attorney General Merrick Garland The Department of Justice, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are teaming up in a new initiative to combat redlining. The Civil Division of the DOJ will partner
UpEquity raises $50M, hopes to originate $1B in next year
Austin-based mortgage tech platform UpEquity raised $50 million in a Series B funding round led by the venture capital firm S3 Ventures. The funding will support the company’s growth as UpEquity forecasts more than $1 billion in originations over the
PNC Bank breached COVID-19 payment deferral agreement: suit
PNC Bank allegedly breached Fannie Mae’s COVID-19 payment deferral agreement by continuing to charge homeowners who opted for the home retention option for past-due monthly principal and interest payments. A national class action-seeking lawsuit filed in Maryland federal court claims
New Residential scoops up fix-and-flip lender
New Residential Investment Corp. announced Monday that it has entered into a definitive agreement to buy Genesis Capital LLC, a fix-and-flip lender, from Goldman Sachs. New Residential said that it expects Genesis to originate close to $2 billion of loans
Lenders are courting self-employed borrowers again
Mortgage credit availability increased for the third consecutive month in September, but is still 30% below the pre-pandemic level, according to a report released Tuesday by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Much of the growth in credit availability has come
CRMLS relaunches “submit offer” feature
California Regional MLS announced the relaunch of their integrated “submit offer” feature on Tuesday. CRMLS, the country’s largest MLS, services more than 110,000 real estate professionals in southern California. The relaunch comes in response to demand for the feature from
Redwood Trust plants flag in the massive home equity market
Redwood Trust CEO Christopher Abate laid out a bold vision of growth for the real estate investment trust at an investor conference in New York City last month. Part of that vision included finding ways to tap into the nation’s
How lenders can work more efficiently in a tight profit margin environment
As the refi boom declines – taking the intense production volume of 2020 and early 2021 with it – and we move to a more purchase-heavy market, lenders are seeing a decline in profit margins and an increase in origination
Forbearance declines at the fastest pace in a year
Servicers’ forbearance portfolio volume declined at the fastest rate in a year, as mortgage holders exit COVID-19 plans, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Exits are expected to pick up the pace in the weeks ahead due to economic improvement. The total
Old National Bank sued for alleged redlining practices
The largest depository bank in Indiana, Old National Bank, is being sued for alleged redlining practices that spanned more than a decade. A lawsuit filed by the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana in district court claims that Old National
Housing affordability improves for second straight month
For the second month in a row, national housing affordability improved in August, according to the latest National Association of Realtors housing affordability index report. This improvement came as monthly mortgage payments fell by 1.1% while median family income fell
Nearly 14 million homes at risk of flooding in next 30 years
Changing environmental conditions will put 13.6 million residential properties at risk of flooding in 2051, an increase of 1.2 million over the next 30 years, according to a report published Monday by the nonprofit group First Street Foundation. The survey
Industry prays for clarity but expects no mercy from Chopra
Rohit Chopra Affordable housing and consumer advocates hailed Rohit Chopra’s confirmation as Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director, but industry stakeholders hope the watchdog agency will not catch them off guard. The mortgage industry widely expects the CFPB to increase enforcement
GSE forbearance rate now at just 1.38%
Servicers’ forbearance portfolio volume declined at a faster pace last week, as mortgage holders exit COVID-19 plans, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). And exits are expected to pick up the pace even more over the next few weeks.
Still many refi opportunities out there, new report finds
There is still ample opportunity in the market for lenders to rope in refi business, according to a quarterly report published Monday by Sales Boomerang. And the reason for this is two-fold. The report – which is compiled using data sourced
Realtors still get most of their leads from Facebook
Over half of Realtors said that social media was their top lead-generating technology tool, according to a new survey report from the National Association of Realtors. The most popular social media app among the random sample of Realtors surveyed was
Market for MSRs revs up as year-end approaches
The secondary market for mortgage servicing rights, or MSRs, has been heating up recently as interest rates tick up, increasing the value of MSR assets, and as other revenue streams for lenders begin to slow — such as loan refinancing.
When will mortgage rates get over 4%?
In several previous articles I have opined that an increase in mortgage rates may be our only hope for slowing the escalation of home prices that we’ve been experiencing for the past year. With mortgage rates hitting above 3% last
Zillow’s purchase of ShowingTime closes
Zillow on Thursday completed its $500 million acquisition of ShowingTime, which real estate agents use to schedule home viewings, as federal regulators did not extend their window to review the deal. The Seattle-based home listings platform had announced buying the
Home equity won’t be enough to prevent foreclosure for some
Despite record-high home prices, home equity may not save some borrowers in forbearance from foreclosure, according to a Black Knight’s report published Monday. Since 2010, around 10% of borrowers with more than 120 days in delinquency were referred to foreclosure,
Introducing the 2021 HousingWire Vanguards
If you were tasked with defining the word “leadership,” how would you explain what it means? The word encapsulates so much, and yet according to Merriam-Webster, it can be summed up as “the power or ability to lead other people.”
PennyMac, UWM raise conforming loan limit ceiling
PennyMac announced this week that it is upping conforming loan limits by almost 14% through broker and correspondent channels. According to PennyMac, for a one-unit property a borrower could receive $625,000, an increase of almost $75,000 from the maximum loan
Homebuyers drawn to cheaper areas in Midwest and South
Pending home sales rose in August, following two consecutive months of decline, according to the National Association of Realtor’s pending home sales index report released on Wednesday. And homebuyers with flexibility are keen on more moderately priced regions within the
How credit scores impact lenders’ pipelines in a purchase market
With the purchase market becoming a primary emphasis for lenders in 2021, HousingWire sat down with CreditXpert VP of Marketing Mike Darne to talk about credit trends in a purchase market and how that impact lenders’ pipelines. HousingWire: We know