Real estate brokerages can survive, but only if they seriously invest in mortgage. So said members of a panel Tuesday on the evolution of the real estate brokerage during HousingWire Annual in Frisco, Texas. Today the value of a single
Mortgage applications fall as rates begin to rise
Mortgage application volume declined by 1.1% for the week ending Sept. 24, after a rebound in the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Pushing the decline was the purchase index, which dipped by 1.2% from the previous
LoanDepot sued 7 LOs after they left for a rival
LoanDepot CEO Anthony Hsieh After an origination team departed loanDepot in April of this year, loanDepot slammed the seven ex-employees and their new employer, CrossCountry Mortgage, with a lawsuit alleging they “hatched and implemented a scheme to loot loanDepot’s business.”
Why mortgage companies must focus on cybersecurity
Mortgage companies must focus on bolstering cybersecurity infrastructure, and should report any and all incursions from bad actors who seek access to sensitive information or who plan to encrypt systems to hold for ransom. This was a core part of
Loan origination complaints spike during pandemic
Loan origination-related consumer complaints rose significantly over the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) report published last week. The bureau’s research brief, which analyzed the relationship between U.S. Census characteristics and
Are consistently error-free closings within reach for lenders?
Largely driven by record-low mortgage rates, lending volume surpassed everyone’s expectations in the past year. But as lenders scrambled to keep up with demand, closing errors naturally crept in. In the wake of this unparalleled volume, companies across the housing
US home prices hit record level (again)
July marked the fourth consecutive month in which the growth rate of home prices set a record, according to the latest S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price Index Report released on Tuesday. The index showed a 19.7% annual gain for
HW+ Member Spotlight: Lisa Dunn
Lisa Dunn, partner/owner at LAUREL Real Estate Resources Continuing our new HW+ member spotlight series, we’re featuring Lisa Dunn, partner/owner at LAUREL Real Estate Resources. She specializes in residential real estate throughout Orange County, California, and is currently celebrating over 25
Mortgage rates continue to idle at 2.88%
The average 30-year-fixed mortgage rose, ever so slightly, to 2.88% for the week ending Sept. 23, according to Freddie Mac‘s latest PMMS survey. Mortgage rates have been roughly flat for months now. “The slowdown in economic growth around the world
Are remote appraisals here to stay?
Appraisers have experienced many challenges in the last couple of years. From juggling high volume demand for appraisals in the middle of a pandemic, appraisers had to radically change their processes. Most took these challenges in stride and adopted innovative
Clear Capital acquires Finnish digital floor plan firm
Appraisal management company Clear Capital is looking to beef up tech tools for its network of appraisers, and it is doing so through an acquisition. The Reno, Nevada-based company just closed on the acquisition of Finnish proptech startup CubiCasa this
Stellar MLS to launch new agent platform
The nation’s third largest MLS, with over 70,000 agents in Florida and Puerto Rico, Stellar MLS announced Tuesday that it is partnering with Remine and MoxiWorks to launch a new platform for real estate professionals. Stellar MLS currently offers members
Ex-loanDepot COO: Tony Hsieh cut corners to boost volume
A former executive at loanDepot dropped a bombshell on the mortgage industry late Wednesday, alleging in a lawsuit that the California-based nonbank lender, in a ploy to drum up money during the refi boom and in preparation for its initial
Homeowners gain $2.9 trillion in equity in Q2 2021
Homeowners with mortgages gained $2.9 trillion in equity in the second quarter of 2021, a 29.3% year-over-year increase, according to a new report by CoreLogic released Wednesday. This marks an average gain of $51,500(!) per borrower since the second quarter
Appraisal Subcommittee hosts tense discussion on bias
An Appraisal Subcommittee roundtable discussion about bias in appraisals struck a nerve with attendees of the virtual summit, many of them appraisal professionals. Department of Housing and Urban Development Sec. Marcia Fudge, who headlined the event, gave a short presentation
How brokers can help today’s unique borrower
The average borrower has drastically changed throughout the years. Today, more borrowers are self-employed, work remotely and have multiple streams of income. For brokers, working with these borrowers can be complicated because they require unique processes. HousingWire recently spoke with
Existing home sales pop the 2021 housing bubble boys
The National Association of Realtors reported existing home sales for August came in at a very tiny beat of estimates at 5,880,000. Now that we are a few days away from October, we can again say that the housing bubble
Lenders mandated to use FHA Catalyst for appraisals
Starting March 14, 2022, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will require all lenders to use FHA Catalyst for appraisals. The module can also accept appraisals for Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs), the administration announced last week. The FHA Catalyst: Electronic
Jeffrey Naimon to speak at HW Annual Sept. 27-28
A series of regulatory changes are taking place in housing due to a new political administration and the country’s reckoning with racial inequality in homeownership. That’s why HousingWire invited attorney Jeffrey Naimon, partner at the Buckley LLP Washington, D.C. office,
Renter market picks up in suburbs
American suburbs surrounding the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas gained a total of 4.7 million new residents since 2010, with 3.7 million of them renters, according to a report by nationwide apartment search website RENTCafé on U.S. Census Bureau data.
Senate to advance Biden’s pick for CFPB
Eight months after President Joe Biden tapped Rohit Chopra to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he is ready to bring the nomination to the Senate floor for a vote. The Senate Cloakroom
Radian’s Suzanne Powell on taking an “automation-first” approach
While the rise of digital technology has permanently shifted the world of lending, many borrowers still look for a human-touch experience to help create trust and transparency throughout the lending process. “A successful model can maximize the use of both
One-third of real estate CEO comp is variable, up from 2016
A full one-third of the compensation paid to non-controlling shareholder real estate CEOs is variable, according to the 2021 RealTrends Brokerage Compensation Report. This is up considerably from 2016, when the last report was published. “A great thing happened over
Homebuilders are targeting the exurbs and inner suburbs
Confidence among homebuilders steadied over the past month despite continuing material and labor challenges, according to the latest National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) report. The report is based on a monthly survey