housing wire

Fannie Mae dropped a bomb on the title insurance industry in April 2022, when it adjusted its selling guide to allow the purchase of loans using attorney opinion letters (AOLs). In the ensuing 15 months, discussion over the risks and

Home equity levels have been on the decline over the last year, new data shows. Homeowners with mortgage loans saw their home equity levels decline by an average of 0.7% between the Q1 2022 and Q1 2023, the first decline

The U.S. debt ceiling impasse was solved when President Joe Biden signed a bill on Saturday to suspend the $31.4 trillion limit until January 2025 and cap government spending. It alleviated some pressure on mortgage rates, which declined over the

It’s been a brutal 15-month period for the housing market since the Federal Reserve began escalating its benchmark interest rate in March 2022 to combat rising inflation.  Since then, the Fed has bumped rates 10 times, effectively putting the brakes on what

It’s important for today’s lenders to be as agile, efficient and scalable as possible to adapt to consumer preferences and fast-changing market conditions. Encompass by ICE Mortgage Technology is the industry’s most complete end-to-end solution that provides the flexibility and

The title insurance industry is on the front lines in a never-ending war with the fraudsters. As the industry has gotten better at combatting wire fraud and even the more recent seller impersonation fraud, criminals looking for larger paydays have

It is no secret that housing inventory is low. As of June 2, there were 433,104 single family homes on the market nationwide, according to data from Altos Research. And while this situation is certainly far from ideal, according to

Dallas, Texas-based Mr. Cooper Group has entered into an agreement to acquire struggling Home Point Capital for $324 million in cash, the companies announced on Wednesday. The transaction will ultimately result in the seller shutting down operations.  Rumors that Mr.

The massive inflation and double-digit mortgage rates of the 1970s and early 1980s seem to haunt the Federal Reserve, which wants to cool the economy and even provoke a job-loss recession to avoid that scenario. But the latest Consumer Price

Flueid, a leading technology company specializing in real estate transactions, announced on Thursday the integration of its patented Flueid Decision platform with Encompass by ICE Mortgage Technology. This integration allows lenders to access Flueid’s title data and insights during the

The Minnesota State House of Representatives and Senate approved sweeping new housing legislation this week totaling $1 billion, which is designed to address affordable housing access and down payment issues for first-time home buyers. Housing advocates estimate that roughly 5,000

Real estate valuation technology company Clear Capital announced on Wednesday that it has expanded its partnership with ValueLink, a valuation management platform, to offer better support for appraisal modernization policy changes. Through this expansion, ValueLink customers can now access Clear

Real estate giant Anywhere is launching a title insurance joint venture exclusively for Anywhere Brands franchisees, according to an announcement on Wednesday.  Upward Title & Closing is a full-service title and settlement company. The joint venture capitalizes on Upward’s local

Blend Blend’s end-to-end mortgage suite delivers a world class experience for both borrowers and Loan Officers while delivering powerful operational efficiency with automation and data driven workflows.  Product Fast Facts #1 Conditions Sync automatically translates underwriting conditions to actionable guided 

CreditXpert CreditXpert’s Enterprise Platform is the company’s next generation credit score insight and predictive analytics engine for mortgage lenders.  Immediately identify an applicant’s credit potential, generate precise improvement plans with just a few clicks and track applicant progress all through

Total eClose With more borrowers using mobile devices to participate in the mortgage process, we’re offering an intuitive tablet-based experience. Why limit borrowers to eClosing only when they have access to a desktop or laptop computer? By offering the flexibility

AutomatIQ Borrower Income Analysis AutomatIQ Borrower Income Analysis is an all-inclusive intelligent calculation and analysis tool that leverages state-of-the-art CoreLogic technology. The tool allows lenders to qualify borrowers faster by examining all income sources automatically and reliably. In addition, the

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) this week announced that it is allotting $30.3 billion for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program for 2023. The increase marks a 10.5% increase to the program’s 2022 funding levels, according

Wells Fargo and JP Morgan Chase, the country’s top depository lenders, saw mortgage production volume further decline in the first three months of 2023, signaling another tough quarter for the mortgage industry. Wells Fargo, the fourth-largest U.S. mortgage lender by

Wells Fargo has finalized the sale of a $50 billion block of mortgage-servicing rights (MSR), a deal that is expected to close later this year, according to bank officials. One expert in the MSR sector, who asked not to be named,

Who decides what our neighborhoods look like? And who profits from these projects? The answer is a combination of real estate developers, brokers, investors, agents and property owners — the overwhelming majority of whom are white. For generations, real estate

Nearly 12 months have passed since Fannie Mae first announced it would in limited circumstances be accepting attorney opinion letters in lieu of title insurance. While there has been much discussion over the pros and cons of title insurance and

First Federal Bank will acquire the mortgage division of BNC National Bank, which will give the Florida-headquartered community-based bank a nationwide consumer direct mortgage platform. The two banks announced they have signed a definitive agreement for First Federal to acquire

Homeownership remains at the core of the American Dream. After all, it improves financial security, enhances family and community stability, and builds intergenerational wealth. The Federal Reserve’s 2019 Survey of Consumer Finances found that the median net worth of a homeowner is