Housing Wire

DECEMBER 27, 2024

That was a repeated idea shared by a group of reverse mortgage professionals when asked to assess what they see as the biggest industry challenges of the year. But despite challenges posed by rates, industry professionals continue to find a way forward. I think that’s true from an industry standpoint.

Industrial

Housing Wire

MAY 5, 2025

San Francisco-based home equity solutions provider Unison announced Monday that it’s lowering the annual percentage rate (APR) on its Equity Sharing Home Loan, an alternative funding vehicle aimed at helping U.S. homeowners tap into record levels of equity. Rates for high-risk borrowers sometimes exceed 12%.

Equity

Housing Wire

APRIL 28, 2025

billion deal to acquire digital real estate brokerage firm Redfin , industry observers are still trying to understand the future of one key asset: Bay Equity Home Loans. While the companies remain quiet on their plans, some Bay Equity employees arent waiting for answerstheyre already looking for new jobs.

Loan Officer

Housing Wire

APRIL 21, 2025

As one of only a few states considering more stringent regulation of the home equity investment (HEI)/home equity contract product category, lawmakers in the state of Washington have requested an academic study to assess the impacts on state residents who may use an HEI to tap into their home equity.

Equity

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 6, 2025

In addition to all of these challenges, economic factors outside of housing are making it harder for potential buyers to acquire qualifying mortgage loans. Most lenders focus on offering traditional mortgage loans to clients, choosing to shy away from unconventional options in the market. Finance a loan, and you may lose money.

Loans

Housing Wire

MAY 13, 2025

Lets be real: the real estate industry is changing. Industry trends show that homeowners locked into sub-3% mortgage rates find it difficult to justify moving when current rates hover around 6.5% Additionally, increasing credit card debt, student loans, and high living costs make upgrading homes financially challenging.

Industrial

Housing Wire

MARCH 10, 2025

A reverse mortgage-related bill that was introduced in the Maryland state Senate that would have put the onus on lenders to cover some extra expenses tied to the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage ( HECM ) origination process has been withdrawn by the sponsoring senator after conversations with reverse mortgage industry representatives.

Industrial

Housing Wire

JANUARY 27, 2025

Integrated with ICEs industry-leading MSP loan servicing system , Servicing Digital provides homeowners with real-time access to detailed and personalized loan and property-related data anytime, anywhere. In fact, ICEs Mortgage Monitor data found that as of November 2024, the average U.S.

Equity

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 4, 2024

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced last week that the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage ( HECM ) limit for 2025 will be $1,209,750. It’s the ninth straight year that the limit will increase based on home-price appreciation levels, which feeds into a single, national limit for all HECM loans.

Mortgages

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). They are issued by HUD once a HECM loan application has been submitted to the agency. They jumped by 11.3% These case numbers increased 18.1%

Mortgages

Housing Wire

JUNE 9, 2025

For Ginnie Mae loans, which often serve lower-income and first-time borrowers, DTIs have surged to 45.1%, the highest since 2008 1. in 2022 – while auto loans delinquencies hit 2.0%, and student loan delinquencies (90+ days past due) soared to 20%, a level unseen since 2012. Post-crisis reforms lowered the average to 35.5%

Marketing

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 23, 2024

United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) has the mortgage industry abuzz over its latest product, a higher-risk, cash-out refinance at a time of economic uncertainty. Loan amounts, however, cannot exceed conforming limits. Cash-out refis have gained popularity due to record-high home equity levels in recent years.

Equity

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

Tim Nelson, a longtime reverse mortgage industry professional and reverse department manager at VIP Mortgage in Scottsdale, Arizona , spent 20 years in the home lending arena before shifting his focus entirely to reverse. Nelson is now a reverse mortgage borrower in addition to being an industry professional.

Mortgages

Housing Wire

APRIL 10, 2025

In this executive conversation, van der Reis explores his experience in CRE finance, technology, loan servicing , and risk management. HW: What’s one significant shift you’ve seen in the industry over the years, and how has it changed how multifamily investors approach financing?

Investor

Housing Wire

MARCH 31, 2025

Cooper , America’s largest mortgage servicer, in a market-shattering deal that could reshape the mortgage industry for years to come. billion , is paying an equity value of $9.4 The Detroit-based fintech , which is also in the midst of acquiring real estate brokerage and home search portal Redfin for $1.75

Finance

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 11, 2025

The Oregon state senates Committee on Housing Development held a hearing last week on a piece of proposed legislation that seeks to limit the amount of equity a reverse mortgage lender can receive after the sale or transfer of a property. Reverse mortgage industry comments The other two witnesses were members of the reverse mortgage industry.

Mortgages

Housing Wire

MAY 2, 2025

The reverse mortgage industrys premier trade association held its first event of 2025 this past week. What does get noticed is the number of loans we do the size of the industry. He encouraged NRMLA attendees to join him and their industry colleagues. When we look at what NRMLA does, its excellent work, he said.

Mortgages

Housing Wire

JANUARY 3, 2025

Reverse mortgage professionals made more inroads into the forward mortgage industry in 2024. Continuing this momentum into 2025 is a priority for many in the reverse mortgage space, according to conversations with leaders at various industry lenders. One key is to bolster connections between a companys forward and reverse divisions.

Mortgages

Housing Wire

APRIL 25, 2025

Reverse mortgage professionals are preparing to travel to Irvine, California, for the industrys first event of the year, hosted by the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA). But NRMLAs board will also aim to look even further ahead by engaging members on-site about the potential dynamics of the industry beyond that scope.

Industrial

Housing Wire

JULY 31, 2025

HousingWire: Matt, we’ve spoken a few times recently about the work you’re doing in the customer acquisition space, and how ICE is helping lenders uncover new loan opportunities in today’s competitive market. Lenders often view borrowers differently depending on where they are in the loan journey. Can you tell us more about that?

Loans

Housing Wire

APRIL 17, 2025

Housing industry pros are largely supportive of the raft of changes the Federal Housing Administration made related to the COVID-19 era loss mitigation waterfall. Together, these safeguards will improve sustainability, protect the FHA insurance fund, preserve borrower equity, and further align FHA with the GSEs.

Industrial

Housing Wire

JUNE 4, 2025

As borrower expectations for personalized, timely communication rise, loan officers are turning to AI-powered tools to stay competitive. He emphasizes that embracing automation today is key to thriving in an industry that is evolving faster than ever. Loan officers realize margins are too tight to treat prospects as one-time deals.

Industrial

Housing Wire

APRIL 8, 2025

Fairway now enables HECM borrowers to e-sign most loan documents before closing, making the process more efficient, convenient and borrower-friendly, the company said. Sciandra added that his hope is that Fairways approach to embracing such technology is something that can be adopted industry-wide. Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp.

Closing

Housing Wire

JUNE 20, 2025

Inside UWM’s tech evolution: How LEO and Mia are shaping the future of mortgage lending United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) is redefining mortgage tech with LEO, its Loan Estimate Optimizer, and Mia, a generative AI voice assistant for brokers.

Lending

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 12, 2024

While the reverse industry has faced unique headwinds over the past couple of years, the company is seeking to build on the momentum provided by its HomeSafe Second proprietary product. The potential for building on HomeSafe Second’s numbers also comes from broader trends in the home equity lending space, she said.

Mortgages

Housing Wire

MAY 8, 2025

Todays best loan officers operate differently and expect more. Things like AI, well-integrated technology, consumer expectations and the rise of a number of innovative new business models have turned the industry on its head, and for the better in many cases. They simply cant if they wish to succeed.

Loan Officer

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 14, 2024

In the case of FOA — the current industry leader — the earnings results were robust. Executive leaders there pointed to the performance of the company’s proprietary loan products and trends in the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage ( HECM ) space as favorable.

Investor

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 8, 2024

Sean Shallis, a “Recovering Realtor” and top-producing loan officer , is offering strategies to help realtors break through this stagnation by leveraging micro-market shifts to create urgency and inspire action. Renting may seem like the safe bet, but renting offers zero equity growth and misses out on the tax benefits of homeownership. “Not

Marketing

Housing Wire

JUNE 13, 2025

This is because traditional income verification requirements for government or government-sponsored loans, including those from Fannie, Freddie , or Ginnie Mae , may not be applicable. Additionally, third-party due diligence is conducted on 100% of the securitized loans, utilizing firms that have been reviewed and approved by S&P.

Due diligence

Housing Wire

APRIL 9, 2025

As homeowners continue to invest in upgrading their living spaces, a new report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) highlights home remodeling projects that offer the greatest personal satisfaction, and those most likely to recoup costs.

Renovation

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 26, 2024

From streamlining title verification to enabling collaborative loan processing and automating key title production tasks, these leaders are helping shape a faster, smarter, and more efficient housing market. It’s a game-changer for an industry often bogged down by outdated, siloed processes.

Title

Housing Wire

MARCH 10, 2025

A reverse mortgage could have benefits for a qualifying borrower, but anyone considering these loans should also be mindful of the potential risks. The capital gains taxes will eat up any remaining equity after that reverse loan is paid.

Mortgages

Housing Wire

APRIL 2, 2025

On the heels of launching a new proprietary reverse mortgage product, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage has announced the hiring of reverse mortgage industry veteran Tracy Milligan to serve as its director of strategic initiatives. This is roughly in line with other proprietary product offerings in the space.

Loans

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 20, 2025

Digital homeownership company Better.com on Thursday announced a record 400% growth in its home equity line of credit ( HELOC ) and home equity loan businesses. were considered “equity rich” in Q4 2024, meaning that the underlying mortgage debt did not exceed 50% of the home’s market value.

Equity

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 4, 2024

As real estate practitioners adjust to the practice changes that took effect in August, and the industry waits for final approval of the NAR settlement from the court in November, questions continue about seller offers of compensation. These are the questions that advocates who want to upend the real estate industry further cannot answer.

Debt-to-income ratio

Housing Wire

JANUARY 30, 2025

home equity based on different estimates its easy to see the potential impact that such a large cohort has on a variety of different businesses, including home inspections. We tell all of our franchise owners not to forget about banks, lenders and loan originators, he said.

Inspection

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 28, 2024

While retaining existing customers should remain a key priority, as interest rates fluctuate, lenders should be prepared to support an increase in new business for refinances, purchases and home equity lending. Moreover, the older the loan, the more likely the borrower would refinance elsewhere.

Loan Officer