For the first time, Fannie Mae now expects home prices to fall next year
Economists at Fannie Mae project national home prices to decline by 1.5% and home sales by 21% in 2023 as Fed continues inflation fight
by Matt Carter Oct 12
Two men exchanging business cards
Calling it a 'kickback scheme,' HomeOpenly owner Dmitry Shkipin told the FHFA to ban referral fees charged by online brokerages — including Zillow — that don't actually buy and sell property
UWM can rapidly scale new loans that lack title insurance
The wholesale lender is hiring and training lawyers to generate attorney opinion letters in-house in order to meet what the company expects to be strong demand
by Matt Carter Oct 5
Credit union invites members to back zero-down mortgages
Blue Federal Credit Union is partnering with real estate agents to find creditworthy borrowers for creative 'no-money-down' mortgage program
by Matt Carter Oct 4
UWM now offering mortgages without lender's title insurance
The nation's largest wholesale mortgage lender moves to capitalize on rule changes by mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac aimed at helping borrowers save on their closing costs
by Matt Carter Oct 3
Snapdocs integrations with Byte, BeSmartee will automate closings
American Bancshares is among the first lenders to make the most of the new integration with BeSmartee to provide digital closing documents and collect eSignatures
by Matt Carter Sep 29
US housing markets considered 'overvalued' quadrupled in 2022
Median home sale prices exceed the house-buying power of would-be buyers in 19 of 50 markets, according to data released Tuesday by First American Financial Corp.
by Matt Carter Sep 28
Moody's says odds of recession have risen to 'uncomfortably high' 59.5%
Investors who fund mortgages are demanding unusually high premiums in comparison to government bonds, out of fears the loans they make now could quickly be refinanced if rates drop
by Matt Carter Sep 27
Staircase automates underwriting of private mortgage insurance
MI Underwriting pulls documents and data directly from lenders, allowing mortgage insurers to make instant policy decisions at half the cost
by Matt Carter Sep 19
Congress closer to prodding VA to update appraisal requirements
The Department of Veterans Affairs allows desktop appraisals when borrowers put 20% down, but nearly 90% of VA-backed loans are made to homebuyers who put zero down
by Matt Carter Sep 15
Real estate trade groups prod Biden to cut annual FHA premiums
The NAR, MBA and NAHB argue that the Federal Housing Administration is flush with cash, and that delinquency rates on FHA loans have returned to pre-pandemic lows
by Matt Carter Sep 14
Big lenders get a head start, adopt $715,000 conforming loan limit
Moves by Rocket and United Wholesale Mortgage could help borrowers get better rates and make smaller down payments when taking out loans that were previously classified as jumbo
by Matt Carter Sep 7
Mortgage company Homepoint laying off 'hundreds' of workers
The Michigan-based and third-largest wholesale mortgage lender aims to cut costs by more than $100M a year in response to an 'extremely challenging' lending environment
by Matt Carter Sep 2
The 40-year fixed-rate mortgage is back
Nonbank mortgage lender Newrez says 40-year, interest-only loans will help borrowers and investors who have been priced out of today's housing market
by Matt Carter Sep 2
Attorney title opinions could give title insurers a run for their money
SingleSource Property Solutions and Voxtur launch an alternative to title insurance that's designed with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's new guidelines in mind
by Matt Carter Aug 23