FileInvite Manage more loan applications, and close them faster with automated document collection. Customer facing teams spend extensive time following up on missing or incorrect documentation. FileInvite helps borrowers provide brokers and banks with all the information they need to
Mortgage Tech Demo Day: Cloudvirga
Cloudvirga TPO Cloudvirga TPO automates a lender’s wholesale origination workflow and provides private-label point of sale solutions to the lender’s brokers. Using the new platform, brokers can compare products and pricing, upload loan files, run dual AUS, prepare disclosures, order
New home applications drop in November
New home purchases in November 2020 increased 34.7% from a year ago, but new home applications decreased from October, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association builder application survey. New home applications decreased 16% from October, said Joel Kan, MBA associate
Top tools for overcoming COVID-19 challenges
Despite the steady decline in forbearance volumes since the peak in April 2020, 2.7 million homeowners remain on forbearance plans – and more than 78% of them are now in an extension, according to the MBA Forbearance and Call Volume
Verisk acquires behavioral tech firm Jornaya
Data and analytics behemoth Verisk has reached an agreement to acquire behavioral data intelligence company Jornaya, the two companies announced on Tuesday. Verisk, headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey, will add Jornaya’s proprietary technology – which tracks consumer behavior –
Forbes launches luxury home listing marketplace
A new, invitation-only home listing platform hit the web last week. Forbes launched a luxury home listing platform which the company says will capitalize on its audience and “connect, inform, and inspire high-net-worth potential homebuyers and sellers” about properties for
LERETA acquires flood solution from Wolters Kluwer
LERETA has acquired the Flood Determinations Solution from Wolters Kluwer Governance, Risk and Compliance for an undisclosed sum, according to reports. Jim Micali, LERETA chief operating officer, said the acquisition will provide a seamless experience for customers. “LERETA and Wolters
Austin now a magnet for tech workers wanting to buy homes
The Lone Star State has long been attractive to businesses of all kinds. The combination of warm weather, lots of space to build and the lack of a state income tax has been drawing companies for years. But this year,
The nail in the coffin for ending GSE conservatorship under Trump?
In a letter Monday to U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, housing industry associations expressed their opposition to a swift end to conservatorship for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Mortgage Bankers Association, the American Bankers Association, the National Association of
How to add flexibility and personalization to the borrower experience
Mortgage lender and servicer Homepoint – formerly known as Home Point Financial – recently launched a mobile app that is growing in popularity amongst its customers and mortgage broker partners. The app, a mobile extension of Homepoint’s online Home Ownership
Homebuyer snags $1.4 million seed funding for first-time homebuyers
Homebuyer, an Ohio-based software startup offering digital mortgages to first-time home buyers, announced on Monday it had snagged $1.4 million in a seed round from private investors. The company was founded in 2019 by Dan Green, under the mission to
Forbearance loans decrease, but new requests are highest since August
The total number of loans in forbearance decreased from 5.54% to 5.48% as of Dec. 6, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans in forbearance decreased to 3.26% – an 8-point improvement. Ginnie Mae loans
Opendoor expands suite of services in multiple states
Opendoor announced last week that it has expanded its iBuying services in Provo and Ogden, Utah; Rochester, Minnesota; Lakeland, Winter Haven, Sarasota, Deltona, and Ormond Beach, Florida; and Oxnard, Thousand Oaks, and Ventura, California. The iBuyer also said that homebuyers
3 things you need to know if you’re considering an ADU
Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) have increased in popularity exponentially since the 1950s and are considered by some industry experts to be one solution to the affordable housing crisis. Now, as remote working and virtual classrooms have become the “new normal”
Mortgage Tech Rundown: Rocket Mortgage, Tavant and Black Knight
Nexsys Technologies, a subsidiary of Rocket Companies, launched its Clear HOI platform for all mortgage lenders on Wednesday – a new product it says will cut homeowners’ insurance verification time to mere minutes. The platform will allow lenders to automate
FHFA’s 2019 g-fees report shows average increase of 1 basis point
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has released its annual report on single-family guarantee fees (g-fee) charged by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for 2019 to package home loans into securities that are sold to bond investor.. The two GSEs
Housing 2020 recap: Demographics popped the housing bubble boys
What a crazy year we have all been through. Last year, I visited Japan, London, Puerto Rico, Oregon and Las Vegas twice. This year I had fewer visits than that to my local barber and I was ecstatic to be
Title partners need solutions for fluctuating loan volume
With the onset of COVID-19, the already-siloed communication channels between mortgage lenders, real estate agents, title agents and underwriters became even more strained as standard methods of in-person communication were no longer an option for many. In addition to the
People movers: Offerpad, LendingHome, Interfirst, Black, Mann & Graham, Promontory MortgagePath
This week’s people mover announcements features another addition for Offerpad‘s executive team, with Steve Johnson stepping into the role of chief operating officer. The recent string of executive-level hires is part of a company focus to prepare for growth through
Fannie Mae extends relaxed appraisal, lending standards
Mortgage giant Fannie Mae extended its relaxed lending and appraisal standards put in place due to COVID-19 into the new year. The flexibilities surrounding verbal verification of employment and appraisals were originally set to expire on Dec. 31, 2020, however
What happens when borrowers have more control of the lending process?
Through every financial transaction in a person’s life — whether a mortgage, auto, student or personal loan — there is one constant: the borrower. Yet borrowers have had limited agency in the lending process to date. Lenders have always controlled
Housing market outlook for 2021…and beyond
2020 was a truly unprecedented year. With it behind us, let’s look ahead at several housing market trends that are likely in 2021 and beyond. First, exceptionally low mortgage rates are likely to be around for an extended period. The
Ben Cohen becomes second Guaranteed Rate LO to originate $1 billion
A few short months after Shant Banosian became Guaranteed Rate’s first loan officer to originate $1 billion in a year, another Guaranteed Rate loan officer has joined that exclusive club. Ben Cohen, managing director and senior vice president of mortgage
CFPB finalizes rules on qualifying mortgages
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Thursday issued its final rulings on qualifying mortgages, claiming the new rules will support a “smooth and orderly transition” away from the “QM Patch,“ and also expand access to credit. One of the two
