Housing Wire

DECEMBER 14, 2023

Part of the equitable housing plans’ approach to achieving more equity includes reducing the costs and fees associated with buying a home that are often cited as a homeownership barrier for low- and moderate-income and non-white households. In fact, neither is true. What differences do exist are very small. increase in fees).

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Title Closing costs Loans Title search 459

Housing Wire

MAY 9, 2022

Closing costs for homeowners who jumped on the refi wave in 2021 increased at less than one-third the pace of closing costs for home purchases as homebuyers had to cope with a hot market that fueled higher home-sale prices and related settlement costs. How to avoid home closing delays in 2022.

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Closing costs Closing Loans Title 370

Housing Wire

MARCH 9, 2023

The title insurance industry is often bemoaned for being antiquated and making minimal changes, but that has not been the case for the past 12 months. The program would grant certain mortgage lenders a waiver on title insurance requirements for loans sold to Fannie Mae and will be rolled out this spring, according to Politico.

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Title Closing costs Finance Land 418

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

For more than two years, a storm has been brewing in the title insurance industry. Last week, the first raindrops began to fall when the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia (OAG) announced settlements with four title firms over alleged kickback schemes. Unlike RESPA, the D.C.

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Title Industrial Agents Closing costs 457

Housing Wire

APRIL 11, 2022

In a selling guide announcement released last week, Fannie Mae announced that it would be accepting written opinion letters from an attorney in lieu of a title insurance policy “in limited circumstances.”. If a lender receives an AOL in lieu of a title insurance policy, the lender must report Special Feature Code 155 when delivering the loan.

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Title Closing costs Loans Closing 435

Housing Wire

MARCH 27, 2025

Self-branded “financial fitness” platform FinLocker announced Wednesday that it will cover 100% of the verification costs for mortgage borrowers who use lenders’ FinLocker-powered apps. The company calls the move an “industry-first initiative.” ”

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Mortgages Loan Officer Technology Loans 321

Housing Wire

AUGUST 14, 2023

The American Land Title Association (ALTA) is celebrating a huge win in its ongoing war against title insurance alternatives. News of the rumored pilot program came in March, roughly a year after Fannie Mae first announced that it would be accepting attorney opinion letters (AOLs) in lieu of title insurance in limited circumstances.

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Title Closing costs Finance Land 370

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 13, 2022

Unlike the title industry’s cybersecurity and wire fraud challenges, which are strictly 21 st century issues, the recent interest and use of attorney opinion letters (AOLs) harkens back to an earlier era of homebuying. One of the goals they outlined in those plans is a push to reduce closing costs, especially for low-income borrowers.

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Title Closing costs Title search Closing 393

Housing Wire

AUGUST 9, 2022

Rachel Luna, principal of Patriot Title Company. With over 13,000 followers on Instagram , Rachel Luna, the principal of Texas-based Patriot Title Company , is the self-proclaimed “Texas Title Queen.” Luna has worked her way through the ranks and is now among the most recognizable pros in the title industry. “I

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Housing Wire

OCTOBER 9, 2023

AI-generated image of two lawyers scrutinizing title insurance joint venture agreements. In 1983 Jim Campbell launched what is believed to be the first joint venture experiment between a real estate brokerage and a title and settlement firm. In fact, it’s all his Pennsylvania-based company Title Alliance does.

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Housing Wire

APRIL 13, 2022

Title insurance protects borrowers from financial loss if the lender discovers a defect in the title to the property (for example, a previous mortgage) and demands a borrower to pay back the loan. Additionally, title companies are not allowed to accept any commissions or referral fees from lenders when issuing title policy coverage.

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Title Lending Closing Closing costs 390

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

Each year, the TECH100 awards recognize the 200 most influential tech companies in mortgage and real estate that are working to improve the housing industry through tech innovation. The promises of technology have largely been lost in the mortgage industry and little has been done to reduce costs for homebuyers.”.

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Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 9, 2024

The mortgage industry has complained loudly and often that government regulation and investor requirements are contributing to spiraling costs that get passed on to consumers. We’re also looking at identifying ways to jumpstart competition in certain closing cost categories, which can also help spur more activity.

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Mortgages Closing costs Title Technology 475

Housing Wire

MARCH 2, 2021

HW: How can integrating title and valuation data points alleviate those pain points? SG: It can help close loans with greater speed and ease, reduce vendor oversight, mitigate risk, lower costs and ease underwriting reviews for lenders, servicers and investors. It’s easy to see why.

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Title Lending Due diligence Title search 309

Housing Wire

MARCH 1, 2024

While mortgage rates will likely fall this year, conversations about how to increase accessibility to homeownership are still top of mind — and should be top of mind — across the real estate industry. Accounting for geography, differences in title and settlement costs across groups of borrowers were not “economically meaningful.”

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Title Title search Industrial Closing costs 451

Inman

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Here's what that potentially means for the recent slate of rules and lawsuits targeting the mortgage industry. In his first act as interim Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent froze action on all rules and litigation.

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Closing costs Closing Loans Mortgages 117

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 14, 2023

In an update to its selling guide , Fannie Mae announced Wednesday that it was expanding the use of attorney opinion letters in lieu of title insurance. Fannie Mae first announced that it would accept loans secured with an AOL in lieu of title insurance in limited circumstance in April 2022.

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Housing Wire

MARCH 28, 2023

Those looking to buy a home can earn 5% back by using the Rocket Visa Signature Card for up to $8,000 that can be used toward closing costs and down payments. In turn, homebuyers can use points to get discounts on their closing costs in the future.

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Closing costs Finance Principal Mortgages 435

Housing Wire

JUNE 30, 2021

Data analytics giant CoreLogic announced on Wednesday the acquisition of closing cost data and tech provider ClosingCorp. The closing data company also utilized CoreLogic’s home price data to release its first national refinance closing cost report in 2021, so there’s quite a bit of familiarity between the two firms.

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Closing Closing costs Investor Title 396

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 5, 2021

HW Media CEO Clayton Collins and Scott Happ, president of Secondary Marketing Technologies at Black Knight, discuss Black Knight’s acquisition of Optimal Blue and what the industry can expect from the company’s new Secondary Marketing Technologies division. Presented by: Black Knight. The company appears to be only licensed in California.

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Loan Officer Loans Closing costs Title 448

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

Not available anywhere else in the industry today, consumers can gather inspiration on social media networks like Pinterest, upload photos of their dream home and homegeniusIQ, homegenius Real Estate’s proprietary technology, will instantly analyze the photos and present homes with similar features.

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Closing costs Short sale Technology New Construction 426

Housing Wire

APRIL 9, 2024

While most people are focused on how the proposed NAR commission settlement might change the realty industry, not enough focus is on first-time homebuyers, who might have to come up with significantly higher down payments, which in turn could exacerbate biases against homebuyers using FHA loans. But now a new threat is emerging on this front.

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FHA loan Loans Title Mortgages 476

HomeLight

JANUARY 31, 2025

When youre preparing to sell or buy a home, the phrase closing costs will be spoken (and written) on both sides of the transaction table. But what are closing costs? Understanding these costs upfront can help you budget properly and avoid surprises. Get Started What are closing costs?

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Housing Wire

MAY 14, 2024

While most people are focused on how the proposed NAR commission settlement might change the realty industry, not enough focus is on first-time homebuyers, who might have to come up with significantly higher down payments, which in turn could exacerbate biases against homebuyers using FHA loans. But now a new threat is emerging on this front.

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FHA loan Loans Title Banks 400

Housing Wire

MAY 9, 2022

It specializes in low-rate mortgage refinances, in which it originates a loan with no closing costs, including appraisal, credit report, escrow and title. Owning’s platform processed more than $20 billion in total loan volume in 2020. Guaranteed Rate is ranked No. 7 among the biggest lenders in the U.S.,

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Lending Closing costs Title Mortgages 418

Housing Wire

JANUARY 17, 2024

They own the home with their name on the title, as with any mortgage, traditional or reverse. With this latest enhancement, homebuyers aged 62+ can participate in seller concessions for up to 6% of the sales price toward borrower origination fees, other closing costs, prepaid items, and discount points.

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Finance Seller concession Loan Officer Loans 482

Housing Wire

JUNE 21, 2024

The Montana Board of Housing is aiming to remind the state’s seniors about a government-administered program that is specifically designed to help older adults access their home’s equity — and it should be very familiar to members of the reverse mortgage industry.

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Mortgages Equity Finance Closing costs 390

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 16, 2020

In an interview this week with HousingWire, the 40-year-old Ishbia dished on how the third quarter is shaping up , capacity limits in the mortgage industry, the likely impact of the upcoming adverse market fee , and the company’s latest low-rate mortgage product, a 30-year fixed cash-out refi at rates as low as 2.5%.

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Mortgages Marketing Title Loans 488

RIS Media

AUGUST 21, 2023

And, for agents, every opportunity to help clients save money is an opportunity to gain their trust and appreciation—two ingredients for… The post Uncovering Hidden Savings: Helping Create Lifelong Clients by Reducing Title and Closing Costs appeared first on RISMedia.

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Closing costs Title Closing Mortgages 98

Housing Wire

APRIL 18, 2023

Vendor management, be it in the valuation, title insurance or closing process, offers a number of opportunities for increased efficiency and decreased cost. After installing improved processes to address their closing cost quotes, the same lenders reported improvement, with the averages dropping to $20–$40 per file.

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Mortgages Technology Closing costs Title 370

RIS Media

MAY 19, 2021

Non-Recurring Costs Not Associated With the Lender. – Closing/escrow/settlement fee, title insurance, notary fee, recording fee, pest inspection, home inspection, home warranty. It has become common practice in some markets to ask the seller to pay some or all of the closing costs when you purchase a home.

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Closing costs Closing Pre-approval VA loan 116

Inman

AUGUST 29, 2024

DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb found that four title companies gave financial and other perks to real estate agents in return for homebuyer referrals. The companies have agreed to pay $3 million.

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Title Agents Closing costs Closing 166

Realtor.com

JANUARY 14, 2021

barisonal/iStock.com Buying a home often entails also buying various types of insurance to protect your property, and one type you might need to get is called title insurance. When you buy a home, you “take title” to it and establish legal ownership. What is title insurance? Why a title search is required with a mortgage.

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Title Title search Closing Mortgages 132

HomeLight

APRIL 13, 2023

Once you’ve found your dream house in Florida and settled on the purchase price, you might think you know the final cost you’re responsible for. However, there’s another set of fees and charges you must be prepared for, and those are closing costs. Find a Buyer's Agent What are closing costs? of the sales price.

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Closing costs Closing Title Inspection 103

RIS Media

APRIL 21, 2022

The national average for mortgage closing costs for a single-family property in 2021 was $6,905 including transfer taxes and $3,860 excluding transfer taxes, according to CoreLogic ’s ClosingCorp ’s latest Purchase Mortgage Closing Cost Report released this week. These amounts represent a 13.4%

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Closing costs Closing Mortgages Title 98

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 3, 2022

Rocket Companies , the parent of Rocket Mortgage , lost money in the third quarter and also appears to have lost its title as America’s largest mortgage originator. Rocket originated $25.6 Farner and other executives on the call didn’t speak much to the quarterly decline. Within the first 72 hours of its launch on Nov.

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Principal Mortgages Closing costs Title 397

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 12, 2024

Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler sat down with Jeff Bell, president of both UpWell Mortgage and software company Uplist , to talk about how he thinks about technology, and the good news that the industry is turning a corner after two rough years. JB: I think our industry is turning a corner. I literally want to push a button.

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