Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 3, 2025

The combined cost of mortgages, taxes and insurance now takes up a larger share of household income than it has since the early 1980s, according to an affordability index from John Burns Research & Consulting. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) loans, which made up 10%, according to purchase loan lock data from Optimal Blue.

Debt-to-income ratio 389

Debt-to-income ratio Loans VA loan FHA loan 389

Housing Wire

MARCH 12, 2025

Mortgage applications increased 11.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis from last week, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Associations (MBA) weekly mortgage applications survey for the week ending March 7, 2025. The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 45.6% of total applications from 43.8% from 16.7%

Fixed-rate mortgage 435

Fixed-rate mortgage Mortgages Loans Marketing 435

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

MARCH 5, 2025

Mortgage applications increased 20.4% from one week earlier on a seasonally adjusted basis as buyers pounced on lower rates , according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Associations (MBA) weekly mortgage applications survey for the week ending Feb. ” The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 43.8%

Fixed-rate mortgage 505

Fixed-rate mortgage VA loan Mortgages Loans 505

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

APRIL 8, 2025

A strong wave of refinance activity and renewed buyer interest lifted mortgage rate lock volumes in March, according to Optimal Blues latest Market Advantage report. While total mortgage volume remains down 2% compared to the same time last year, purchase lock activity also saw a 21% monthly increase. of total lock volume.

Loans 315

Loans Debt-to-income ratio VA loan FHA loan 315

Housing Wire

APRIL 17, 2025

Independent mortgage banks ( IMBs ) and mortgage subsidiaries of chartered banks reported an average profit of $443 on each loan they originated in 2024, up from an average loss of $1,056 per loan in 2023, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s annual Mortgage Bankers Performance Report.

Loans 360

Loans Banks Mortgages Industrial 360

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 27, 2025

Homebuyers faced worsening affordability conditions in January as the median monthly mortgage payment for purchase applicants increased to $2,205, a 3.7% jump from Decembers $2,127, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Meanwhile, the median loan application amount grew from $319,000 in December to $324,800 in January.

Mortgages 384

Mortgages FHA loan Loans As-is 384

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

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 434

Loans Investor Closing Lending 434

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

NOVEMBER 11, 2024

New York-based digital mortgage lender Better.com launched a streamline refinance loan product on Monday that aims to help military veterans and service members save money on long-term interest expenses and closing costs. Better is now offering the well-known Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan (IRRRL) through the U.S.

Closing costs 366

Closing costs Loans Closing VA loan 366

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 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

APRIL 3, 2025

United Wholesale Mortgage remained king of the hill when it came to mortgage originations in 2024. billion in mortgages, according to recently released Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Rocket originated nearly as many loans as UWM at 361,000, and claimed a 25.1%

Mortgages 408

Mortgages Banks Lending Loans 408

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

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Mortgage applications increased 5.4% 6, stemming from a 27% jump in refinance activity, according to a report released Wednesday by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). This is the latest weekly increase in mortgage applications, following a trend of steady demand increases over the past several weeks. share a week prior.

As-is 397

As-is VA loan Mortgages Loans 397

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 18, 2024

Mortgage applications declined 0.7% 13, driven by slight decline in refinance activity, according to data released Wednesday by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). The decline in applications broke a five-week streak of increases in mortgage demand. Adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) activity remained steady at 5.3%

VA loan 394

VA loan Mortgages FHA loan Loans 394

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

APRIL 9, 2025

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) related to the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage ( HECM ) program, there are four open recommendations according to a review by HousingWire ‘s Reverse Mortgage Daily (RMD). Three of them, however, are largely centered on the same issue.

Mortgages 371

Mortgages Principal Loans Equity 371

Housing Wire

MARCH 19, 2025

Mortgage applications decreased 6.2% That’s according to the latest data from the Mortgage Bankers Associations (MBA) weekly mortgage applications survey for the week ending March 14, 2025. The Market Composite Index, which measures mortgage loan application volume, decreased 6.2% the previous week.

Fixed-rate mortgage 401

Fixed-rate mortgage Mortgages Loans VA loan 401

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

MARCH 4, 2025

The pace of home sales remains near a 30-year low point as home prices and mortgage rates keep potential borrowers in wait-and-see mode. But mortgage rates have posted an unusually large decline in the past week. Mortgage pricing should be down a tad today, he said. This would be a clear headwind to any further rate cuts.

Mortgages 479

Mortgages Sales Finance Closing 479

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 397

Lending Banks Mortgages Commercial 397

Housing Wire

MARCH 5, 2025

The newest weekly mortgage applications survey data, released Wednesday by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) included the lowest mortgage rates in months, which created a stir in the number of applications. On-the-ground observations Loan officers say they’re seeing an increase in government loan demand.

Loan Officer 291

Loan Officer Loans VA loan FHA loan 291

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

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 363

Mortgages Loan Officer Technology Loans 363

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 3, 2025

There is constant movement in the mortgage industry with the desire for growth and expansion. It is easy to become blinded by the end goal of increasing loan volume and quality origination talent. Thus, it has never been more important to focus on due diligence in analyzing a mortgage industry acquisition target.

Due diligence 418

Due diligence Purchase and sale agreement Industrial Mortgages 418

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 413

Purchase and sale agreement Closing Industrial Mortgages 413

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 29, 2024

Economists pointed to lower mortgage rates as the reason for slower growth. Despite the Federal Reserve’s half-point interest rate cut in September, rates for 30-year conforming loans have climbed back up to 6.7%, according to HousingWire ’s Mortgage Rates Center. gain year over year, less than the 4.8% gain from July.

Mortgages 487

Mortgages MLS Equity Loans 487

Housing Wire

APRIL 28, 2025

VantageScore credit score usage by the mortgage industry dropped in 2024, ahead of widespread changes expected in credit reporting in the coming years. The mortgage industry accounted for 1.2% But when considering only mortgage originations, the usage of the credit score surged by 166% in 2024, according to the data.

Mortgages 338

Mortgages Loans Banks Industrial 338

Housing Wire

MARCH 13, 2025

Mortgage applications for new-home purchases fell 6.9% year over year in February, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s Builder Application Survey that was released Thursday. The average loan size decreased, signaling that first-time homebuyers remain active in the market, Kan said.

FHA loan 364

FHA loan VA loan Mortgages Loans 364

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 369

Mortgages Loan Officer Loans Technology 369

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 23, 2024

Stubbornly high rates have hindered mortgage demand , but at least it’s better than it was a year ago. Mortgage applications decreased 6.7% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association ’s (MBA) weekly applications survey for the week ending Oct.

Mortgages 476

Mortgages Loans Sales Marketing 476

Housing Wire

JANUARY 24, 2025

There were a total of 298 consumer complaints submitted to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in 2024 that were related to the reverse mortgage industry, according to a database maintained by the bureau. About 13% of all complaints were related to applying for a loan or refinancing an existing one.

Mortgages 417

Mortgages Bankruptcy Short sale Loans 417