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‘Find buyers before agents!’ Mortgage industry reacts to the NAR settlement

Housing Wire

Loan officers and mortgage executives expect home sellers and homebuyers to negotiate more aggressively on commission paid to buyer agents, potentially bringing costs down. NEXA has always been focused on purchase loans , which means some of its LOs do significant business with buyers’ agents.

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The ‘double-edged sword’ of dual licensing

Housing Wire

The company recently launched a mortgage brokerage firm that offers a plug-and-play program for real estate agents to become mortgage loan officers, a practice called dual licensing. of the loan amount, with a $5,000 cap, which adds to the typical buyer-side agent commission of up to 3%. For example, Realfinity pays LOs 1.4%

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Rocket goes local: Testing the waters or shifting its strategy? 

Housing Wire

But more than 80% of Rocket’s volume during those years came from refinancings, data from Inside Mortgage Finance (IMF) showed. The lender made focused efforts to target the purchase market in 2021 and set up dedicated teams to cultivate relationships with real estate agents. Its parent Rocket Companies rode the wave to a stunning $9.4

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Better.com lays off LOs, secures $750M cash injection

Housing Wire

Company officials say the moves will allow refi-heavy Better to increase its strength in a mortgage market that is increasingly becoming purchase-focused. Company sources told HousingWire that refi-focused, salaried loan officers made up the majority of the hundreds of employees who received pink slips.

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Agent commission lawsuits cast long shadow over VA, FHA borrowers

Housing Wire

FHA loans are a popular option for first-time homebuyers or those who don’t have a lot of cash saved for a down payment, because the loans require a minimum of 3.5% VA loans offer a 100% financing option for qualifying military service members and veterans, and don’t require mortgage insurance.

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Expansion-hungry APM acquires over two dozen Lend Smart branches

Housing Wire

California-based lender American Pacific Mortgage (APM) announced an asset purchase agreement with retail lender Lend Smart Mortgage on Thursday in its latest move to drum up production across the country. Lend Smart, a company with 107 active loan originators, is licensed in 29 states and originated $378.8

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Home equity products light up a dark housing market

Housing Wire

As the housing market suffers through a drought of home sales and related mortgage originations in the current high-rate environment, home prices and home equity continue to climb, helping to spark a revival of another sector — home equity lending and investment. billion, according to a review of bond-rating and industry reports.

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