Housing Wire

APRIL 22, 2025

Today’s mortgage lending environment is shifting rapidly. Purchase loans are now outpacing refinances, and interest rates are reaching the stratosphere. However, one mortgage company is in a prime position to transform the market and deliver value to mortgage professionals. The goal is simple yet profound.

Lending 369

Lending Loans Mortgages Technology 369

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 12, 2025

Entering the mortgage industry as a loan officer can be both exciting and overwhelming. Dress & act like you mean business There is no dress code to be a loan originator, but there is for you. Final thoughts Success in mortgage sales is not about luck its about discipline, persistence, and strategy.

Loan Officer 308

Loan Officer Loans Industrial Development 308

Housing Wire

MARCH 11, 2025

Federally registered broker and correspondent lender Milestone Mortgage Solutions has acquired Willow Home Loans and is looking to join the $1 billion origination club this year. ” Russell Petty, the founder of North Carolina -based Willow (formerly Grow Mortgage), said he expects to do $1 billion in origination volume in 2025.

Loans 370

Loans Mortgages Loan Officer Technology 370

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 436

Mortgages Loan Officer Loans Agents 436

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 413

Loans Loan Officer Lending Mortgages 413

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 436

Mortgages Loan Officer Loans Technology 436

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 413

Mortgages Equity Loan Officer Loans 413

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. This is about fundamentally transforming how the mortgage ecosystem works together.” ”

Mortgages 368

Mortgages Loan Officer Technology Loans 368

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. As of April 22, the platform had 272 sponsored loan officers across 90 branches, according to the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System (NMLS).

Loan Officer 384

Loan Officer Equity Loans Brokerage 384

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 31, 2024

Jonathon Haddad, chairman and CEO of the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts (AIME), is one of the owners of Next Door. The Nationwide Multistate Licensing System (NMLS) shows that Michigan-based brokerage firm Next Door had 61 sponsored loan officers as of Thursday, along with four branches in Arizona, Nevada, Ohio and Texas.

Lending 477

Lending Mortgages Loan Officer Principal 477

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 13, 2024

Founder and CEO Vishal Garg made a eye-popping statement when he opined that “in the next 10 years, 99% of the (mortgage) tasks will be completed by bots and 1% by humans.” “The bulk of the tasks that are required to process a mortgage are going to be performed by AI bots over the next 10 years,” Garg said in an interview with HousingWire.

Mortgages 370

Mortgages Loan Officer Loans Technology 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 400

Closing Mortgages Loan Officer Development 400

Housing Wire

MAY 21, 2025

Mortgage lending has long catered to a bygone era of steady paychecks and W-2 forms, leaving millions of self-employed and gig economy workers underserved. But as the gig economy booms, lenders are finding success in the nonqualified mortgage ( non-QM ) sector by engaging with AI-powered tools like Prudent AI.

Mortgages 362

Mortgages Loan Officer Banks Loans 362

Housing Wire

JUNE 11, 2025

Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. , mortgage lender, announced a deal on Wednesday to acquire Hallmark Home Mortgage in an asset sale. Jacobson and Sturges worked together at Waterfield Mortgage “decades ago and have remained industry acquaintances ever since,” Jacobson said in a statement. a top 20 U.S. year over year.

Mortgages 374

Mortgages Loan Officer Lending Branding 374

Housing Wire

MAY 12, 2025

Bidding wars for producing mortgage loan officers are back with a vengeance and it’s largely in the hopes of capitalizing on an upcoming refinance wave, recruiters and executives tell HousingWire. Mortgage companies are competing for a shrinking pool of talent. The task would be difficult in any market. million.

Mortgages 351

Mortgages Loan Officer Lending Loans 351

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 13, 2024

In a new episode of “The Loan Officer Podcast,” host Dustin Owen chats with John Cornish of Iowa-based Key Mortgage Group about his path into the industry, tips for scaling a mortgage lending business and how to avoid stagnation as a loan originator. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Mortgages 370

Mortgages Sales Loan Officer Lending 370

Housing Wire

JUNE 10, 2025

Rocket Pro is partnering with Vetted VA , which provides education to veterans and training to loan officers to give veterans better access to home loan benefits. “They know more about VA loans than anybody else,” Sweeney told HousingWire in an interview. That was a lot for loan officers.

VA loan 446

VA loan Loan Officer Loans Lending 446

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 370

Mortgages Loan Officer Equity Lending 370

Housing Wire

MARCH 21, 2025

housing market remains challenging for prospective buyers as concerns over mortgage rates , home prices and affordability persist in 2025. The affordability crisis extends beyond mortgage payments. Jones, a Colorado-based LO for Lower -backed Universal Lending Home Loans. ADU is a big requirement now.

Debt-to-income ratio 328

Debt-to-income ratio Loan Officer Marketing Loans 328

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 22, 2024

Guaranteed Rate Affinity announced a promotion on Tuesday as the joint venture company named 22-year industry veteran Mark Rawls as vice president of mortgage lending. Rawls’ prior experience spans several companies — including Movement Mortgage and WR Starkey Mortgage.

Lending 411

Lending Mortgages Loan Officer Development 411

Housing Wire

MAY 8, 2025

Todays best loan officers operate differently and expect more. If you believe you can originate mortgages today in the same way they were done in 2018, youve probably been on a very remote island since then. Naturally, this means loan officers (LOs) dont work the same way anymore, either. But wait, theres more!

Loan Officer 355

Loan Officer Debt-to-income ratio Loans Technology 355

Housing Wire

JUNE 10, 2025

Amid expectations that interest rate declines may reignite refinance activity , Optimal Blue on Monday launched a new tool that automatically analyzes loan officer portfolios each month to identify recapture opportunities. The tool is designed to ensure loan officers are ready when refinance volume picks up.

Loan Officer 380

Loan Officer FHA loan Loans Closing costs 380

Housing Wire

MARCH 14, 2025

The mortgage professional of the future goes beyond the transaction. Our mortgage industry is experiencing a fundamental shift. Traditional loan officers who focus solely on transactions are being replaced by mortgage professionals who act as financial strategists, long-term advisors, and educators.

Mortgages 362

Mortgages Loan Officer Marketing Loans 362

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 20, 2024

The state of leadership in the mortgage industry When people say, Theres no such thing as a perfect company, are they really acknowledging an inherentflaw or are they feeling the void left by inadequate leadership? Four months later, the branch was still struggling, and worse, my top loan officer now the branch manager quit.

Industrial 384

Industrial Loan Officer Mortgages Development 384

Housing Wire

MAY 21, 2024

NEXA Mortgage , the largest mortgage brokerage firm in the U.S., will pay its loan officers 100% of the commission splits “without any per-file fees or other hidden fees,” according to co-founder and CEO Mike Kortas. NEXA usually pays loan officers 220 basis points (bps) out of 275 bps on most loans.

Loan Officer 436

Loan Officer Loans Brokerage Equity 436

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 15, 2024

Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. Department of Justice (DOJ) over the regulators’ allegations of mortgage lending discrimination in majority-Black neighborhoods of the Birmingham, Alabama , metro area. The agreement, which was submitted for court approval, requires the Madison, Wisconsin-based mortgage lender to pay a $1.9

Lending 446

Lending Loan Officer Loans Finance 446

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 400

Mortgages Lending Loan Officer Loans 400

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 13, 2024

Movement Mortgage has named Steve Smith, a mortgage veteran who most recently served as Movement’s executive advisor, as its new president and chief financial officer. compared to the same period last year, according to Inside Mortgage Finance (IMF). The announcement was made Wednesday.

Mortgages 370

Mortgages Loan Officer Finance Lending 370

Housing Wire

JANUARY 13, 2025

Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation , a large mortgage lender and a top 10 lender in the reverse mortgage industry , will aim to expand its focus on its reverse mortgage arm in 2025 owing to the efforts of David Lazowski, the companys new president of national recruiting and growth.

Mortgages 368

Mortgages Loan Officer Lending Loans 368

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 14, 2024

CrossCountry Mortgage , a top-10 U.S. mortgage lender, has hired a team of former Pennymac Financial Services executives to lead its capital markets and investment-related activities. Fartaj stepped down as Pennymac’s senior managing director and chief investment officer in March 2023 , after 15 years at the company.

Mortgages 370

Mortgages Loan Officer Loans Banks 370

Housing Wire

JANUARY 31, 2025

Evergreen Home Loans , which is based in Washington state and has a presence in seven Western states, announced a major expansion of its footprint on Friday. John Porath “John’s leadership and ability to connect with loan officers will be instrumental in driving our core conviction of growth and success for the region.

Loans 335

Loans Loan Officer Construction Banks 335

Housing Wire

MAY 19, 2025

In November, Chicago-based mortgage lender Rate formerly known as Guaranteed Rate announced that it was revamping its dedicated reverse mortgage division by appointing two longtime industry veterans to lead its efforts with older borrowers. Jesse Allen Most of what we’re focused on now is riding the wave daily, Allen said.

Mortgages 319

Mortgages Loan Officer Loans Industrial 319

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 4, 2024

Top 10 mortgage lender Rate — previously known as Guaranteed Rate — announced a new promotion on Wednesday. The company named veteran mortgage professional Connie Lindsay as its senior vice president of mortgage lending in Washington state. Most recently, Lindsay served as a mortgage loan officer at U.S.

Lending 386

Lending Mortgages Loan Officer Loans 386

Housing Wire

AUGUST 29, 2024

Polly/ AI: AI-powered copilot for loan officers Fueled by Polly’s proprietary technology and data, Polly/ AI leverages powerful, state-of-the-art AI/ML and natural language processing (NLP) to transform the way loan officers conduct business and provide consumers with superior mortgage products and prices.

Loan Officer 410

Loan Officer Loans Technology Mortgages 410

Housing Wire

MARCH 3, 2025

Introduction As part of our ongoing discussion on the concept of movement in the mortgage industry, it is readily apparent that the failure of mortgage companies to pivot or tweak their business models to satisfy changing market and other conditions has resulted in consolidation based on liquidity, buyback, financial and other concerns.

Purchase and sale agreement 398

Purchase and sale agreement Closing Industrial Mortgages 398

Housing Wire

MARCH 11, 2025

Tomo Mortgage on Tuesday announced the closure of $20 million in Series B funding that was led by three existing investors and a new participant. Tomo touts its use of artificial intelligence in streamlining loan underwriting and closing processes. and it has existing offices in Detroit and Seattle.

Closing 360

Closing Mortgages Investor Loan Officer 360

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 1, 2024

With mortgage rates moving closer to 7% once again, recent homebuyers are finding creative ways to lock in lower rates. This comes despite rising mortgage rates and a 115% increase in the typical mortgage payment compared to pre-pandemic levels. There are also nontraditional loan types such as an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM).

Mortgages 308

Mortgages Finance Loan Officer Loans 308