Housing Wire

OCTOBER 17, 2024

Better Home & Finance, the parent company of digital lender Better.com , launched its voice-based artificial intelligence loan assistant on Thursday. ” The AI loan assistant, dubbed Betsy, was built through Tinman, the company’s proprietary loan origination platform, where information and facts on loan applications are stored.

Loans 435

Loans Loan Officer Lending Mortgages 435

Housing Wire

JUNE 5, 2024

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) this week announced the launch of a new program designed to allow for the purchase, refinance or renovation of manufactured housing under a loan program sponsored by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

Loans 529

Loans Finance Renovation Equity 529

Housing Wire

AUGUST 12, 2024

Piggyback mortgages — those involving a first and second lien at origination — are on the rise among first-time and low- to moderate-income borrowers who face affordability challenges. for conventional purchase loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. This is according to a CoreLogic report published on Monday.

Loans 476

Loans FHA loan Equity Closing costs 476

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 26, 2024

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has set a new baseline conforming loan limit of $806,500 for one-unit properties in 2025, authorizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase mortgages up to this amount. The adjustment indicates a weaker housing market this year, driven by still-elevated mortgage rates. Virgin Islands.

Loans 435

Loans Finance Mortgages Banks 435

Housing Wire

APRIL 24, 2024

Two former New Jersey -based mortgage loan originators have been charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud by the U.S. Christopher Gallo has been noted as a top-producing loan originator, at one point being Scotsman Guide ‘s fourth-ranked LO in the country. billion in loans between 2018 and October 2023, according to the DOJ.

Mortgages 543

Mortgages Loans Banks Finance 543

Housing Wire

JANUARY 8, 2025

Real estate investment trust Redwood has expanded its home equity platform, Aspire, to include alternative loan products amid affordability challenges in the housing market, the company announced Tuesday. At HousingWire s Mortgage Rates Center on Wednesday, the 30-year fixed rate averaged 7.11%, clouding the housing market outlook for 2025.

Equity 411

Equity Loans Lending Investor 411

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

Rocket Pro TPO , the wholesale arm of Rocket Mortgage , upped its agency conforming loan limits to $802,650 in 48 states, ahead of an announcement by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) that is expected in November. We’re able to hold these loans on a book for quite some time. National home prices rose by 4.3%

Loans 448

Loans Mortgages Finance 448

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 16, 2024

Mortgage applications decreased 17% from one week earlier as mortgage rates surged, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association ’s (MBA) weekly application survey for the week ending October 11, 2024. The refinance index decreased 26% from the previous week and was 111% higher than the same week one year ago.

Mortgages 521

Mortgages Loans As-is Marketing 521

Housing Wire

AUGUST 2, 2024

Prospective borrowers with strong credit are locking in mortgages this week at the lowest rates in more than a year, loan officers and lending executives told HousingWire on Friday. This generally matches up with data from Mortgage News Daily , which looks at marketed rates for strong credit profiles.

Mortgages 514

Mortgages FHA loan Loans Loan Officer 514

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 11, 2024

in the past year, driven by more cases of identity and transaction fraud New data shows that cases of fraud among mortgage applicants is on the rise — an eye-raising trend as demand from borrowers remains relatively quiet. The CoreLogic Mortgage Application Fraud Risk Index jumped by 8.3% CoreLogic’s risk index rose 8.3%

Mortgages 516

Mortgages Sales Loans Lending 516

Housing Wire

APRIL 17, 2024

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) this week announced a new product proposal for government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) Freddie Mac that would allow the agency to purchase certain single-family, closed-end second mortgages. FHFA Director Sandra Thompson explained that such options are needed in the current mortgage rate environment.

Closing 529

Closing Mortgages Equity Loans 529

Housing Wire

AUGUST 6, 2024

The downward movement in mortgage rates over the past few months accelerated last week as a cooler-than-expected jobs report and indications of a Federal Reserve rate cut led to a steep drop in loan pricing. Depending on the loan scenario, originators across the country are offering even lower prices to borrowers.

Mortgages 505

Mortgages Loans Lending Equity 505

Housing Wire

JANUARY 8, 2025

As mortgage rates continue to climb past the 7% mark, applications continued to take a step back following the New Year’s Day holiday. from the week prior, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported in its weekly mortgage applications survey for the week ending Jan. Demand decreased by 3.7% the previous week.

Mortgages 448

Mortgages Fixed-rate mortgage Loans Sales 448

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 11, 2024

Zillow is moving full speed ahead with an ambitious expansion of its mortgage business, leveraging its housing tech innovations to potentially reshape how modern homebuyers finance homes. billion in purchase mortgage business, not far off a top 50 spot on the mortgage leaderboard. That’s an annualized $3.2

Mortgages 459

Mortgages Loan Officer Loans Agents 459

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 27, 2024

wholesale lender United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) has taken another aggressive move related to its product set, underscoring its strong commitment to government-backed loans. On Wednesday, the company announced the removal of all loan-level pricing adjustments (LLPAs) on government loans, albeit with some limitations.

Loans 418

Loans Finance Mortgages VA loan 418

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 31, 2024

By at least one measurement, affordability is improving for prospective homebuyers, even as home prices continue to rise and mortgage credit availability remains relatively low. According to data released Thursday by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), the median payment for purchase loan applicants declined by 0.8%

FHA loan 447

FHA loan Mortgages Loans As-is 447

Housing Wire

JANUARY 14, 2025

At the tail end of 2024, mortgage borrowers shifted their attention away from conforming mortgages and toward refinance opportunities. A report released Tuesday by Optimal Blue found that the conforming loan share sank to historic lows in December. mortgage market trends. mortgage market trends.

VA loan 370

VA loan FHA loan Mortgages Loans 370

Housing Wire

JANUARY 8, 2025

Higher-for-longer mortgage rates have claimed their first victim of 2025. Ally Financial announced Wednesday that it would exit the mortgage origination business as part of a broader strategy to pursue higher returns on investments. It had no sponsored loan officers. Bloomberg was the first to report the developments.

Closing 418

Closing Mortgages Loan Officer Development 418

Housing Wire

JULY 23, 2024

Mortgage rates continue to move lower this week even as higher borrowing costs have kept activity subdued across many areas of the housing market. The rate for 15-year conforming loans averaged 6.66% on Tuesday, compared to 6.79% a week ago. Fannie also upwardly revised its forecast for purchase mortgage origination volume to $1.22

Mortgages 511

Mortgages MLS Finance Loans 511

Housing Wire

JANUARY 10, 2025

Representatives from lenders and servicers, as well as individual originators, have told HousingWire s Reverse Mortgage Daily (RMD) that its imperative for borrowers to let their servicer know about anything that could impact the occupancy of their property due to the terms of Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-backed reverse mortgages.

Industrial 396

Industrial Mortgages Loans Finance 396

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 26, 2024

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is increasing the “floor” and “ceiling” FHA loan limits in 2025 to $524,225 and $1,209,750, respectively, the agency announced Tuesday. The new FHA loan limits apply to forward mortgages for a one-unit property and take effect on Jan. There are some exceptions.

FHA loan 370

FHA loan Loans Finance Lending 370

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 20, 2024

House of Representatives proposes to relieve Federal Housing Administration (FHA) borrowers of mortgage insurance premiums (MIPs) once they reach a certain level of home equity , aligning FHA policies with those of conventional loans. Mortgage insurance exists as protection from foreclosure on low equity loans.

FHA loan 418

FHA loan Mortgages Equity Loans 418

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 28, 2024

Mortgage tech firm Ocrolus has introduced Inspect, a new solution within its artificial intelligence -driven mortgage document automation technology, which the company said will improve efficiency and scalability in loan origination. Currently, Ocrolus supports more than 95% of mortgage document types.

Inspection 448

Inspection Mortgages Technology Lending 448

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 18, 2024

Provident told broker partners that all loans in the pipeline must be locked by 11:59 p.m. Additionally, all loans currently locked must be funded by the lock expiration date. Relatedly, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have blacklisted a number of condo buildings in South Florida that it won’t back loans for. PST on Oct.

Mortgages 524

Mortgages Marketing Lending Finance 524

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 23, 2024

Even as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more prominent in the mortgage industry, most millennial and Generation Z homebuyers are hesitant to rely solely on a fully automated application process to get a loan, according to a new study. About 58% of respondents still relied on loan officers to guide them through the process.

Mortgages 459

Mortgages Loan Officer Loans Technology 459

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 25, 2024

Mortgage technology startup Novaprime is making its public debut with the launch of an AI-powered loan platform that it claims allows lenders to sell loans to investors in just days, instead of weeks, all with a high degree of accuracy. Loan details needing attention are routed to a professional for a better borrower experience.

Loans 435

Loans Investor Closing Lending 435

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 31, 2024

Reverse mortgage industry leader Finance of America (FOA) announced updates on Thursday to the interest rate for HomeSafe Second, its proprietary second-lien reverse mortgage product. The interest rate on the loan has been lowered from 9.99% to 9.49%. The interest rate on the loan has been lowered from 9.99% to 9.49%.

Mortgages 434

Mortgages Equity Loan Officer Loans 434

Housing Wire

JANUARY 3, 2025

Reverse mortgage professionals made more inroads into the forward mortgage industry in 2024. This happened through dedicated conversations, partnerships between reverse and forward mortgage companies, and expanded activities in reverse that stemmed from acquisitions and expansions of existing divisions.

Mortgages 418

Mortgages Lending Loan Officer Loans 418

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024

Mortgage applications are now at their highest level in more than two years after an 11% jump during the week ending Sept. 20, according to the newest weekly applications survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Purchase loan applications saw more modest increases of 0.4% on mortgages with 80% loan-to-value ratios.

FHA loan 448

FHA loan Mortgages VA loan Fixed-rate mortgage 448

Housing Wire

JANUARY 8, 2025

California -based direct lender AmeriTrust Mortgage announced a new addition to its leadership team. The company welcomed veteran mortgage executive Jett Farrington this week as its new chief operating officer. billion in loans in 2024, according to an Instagram post on the company’s website.

Mortgages 397

Mortgages Loans Industrial Banks 397

Housing Wire

AUGUST 5, 2024

mortgage market , which has already seen big interest rate declines in the past week following a Fed meeting that teased forthcoming cuts to benchmark interest rates, along with a much weaker-than-expected jobs report. Mortgage spreads tightened at the same time, taking the Fannie Mae current coupon to 5.05%.

Mortgages 501

Mortgages Marketing Fixed-rate mortgage Loans 501

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

Mortgage rates remained flat following a jobs report on Friday that continued to show a cooling labor market. Mortgage rate pricing for homebuyers hasn’t changed significantly as lenders have already priced in a Federal Reserve rate cut of 25 basis points (bps) that is expected later this month, loan originators told HousingWire.

Mortgages 476

Mortgages VA loan FHA loan Fixed-rate mortgage 476

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 3, 2024

With the calendar shifting to September and the next meeting of Federal Reserve policymakers only two weeks out, mortgage rates continue to recede and evidence suggests that borrowers are reacting to more favorable housing market conditions. Lower rates have recently sparked more activity in the mortgage market. year over year.

Mortgages 501

Mortgages Loans MLS Lending 501

Housing Wire

JANUARY 17, 2025

Seattle-based WaFd Bank , which has offered home loans for more than 100 years, announced Thursday in an earnings report that it will exit the single-family mortgage lending business. That is bad news for banks like WaFd Bank, because it has made the business of originating mortgages for our portfolio unsustainable.

Lending 370

Lending Banks Mortgages Commercial 370

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 18, 2024

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) on Monday announced that it will raise the 2025 multifamily loan caps for purchases by the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to $73 billion each.

Loans 459

Loans Finance Mortgages Marketing 459

Housing Wire

JANUARY 2, 2025

Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) endorsements saw a healthy increase in October 2024. to 2,392 loans for the month, according to data compiled by Reverse Market Insight (RMI). Case number assignments mark a crucial first step in the process of originating a reverse mortgage. Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp.

Mortgages 417

Mortgages Equity Principal Loans 417

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 11, 2024

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) on Wednesday published a final rule in the Federal Register, establishing a permanent program to sell seriously delinquent, FHA-insured single-family mortgages following the release of a proposal over the summer. The rule goes into effect on Jan.

Loans 397

Loans Sales Technology Inspection 397