Elina Tarkazikis is a reporter for National Mortgage News. She is a graduate of Ramapo College of New Jersey, where she was the founding editor in chief of the school's chapter of HerCampus.com and a staff writer for its student-run publication, The Ramapo News. She has previously worked for The County Seat in Hackensack and Elvis Duran and the Morning Show, iHeartMedia's nationally syndicated radio program. Elina is also a licensed real estate agent in New Jersey, adores pets and speaks three languages.
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A new marketing tool lets consumers start the mortgage prequalification process by sending a text message, providing would-be borrowers with credit and loan program details and offering lenders a low-cost source of leads.
January 3 -
Rising mortgage rates are helping decelerate home price growth, which is expected to slow further during the coming year, according to CoreLogic. Consumer uncertainty in the economy due to stock market declines may also weaken house values.
January 2 -
Mortgage technology is rapidly advancing, with incumbents and new entrants scrambling to take advantage of developments in artificial intelligence and automation. The goal? Beat the customer expectations set by Amazon and Uber, not just other lenders, says KPMG Managing Director Teresa Blake.
December 28 -
Freddie Mac issued its first non-low-income housing tax credit forward commitment, providing financing for an affordable housing development in Minnesota.
December 28 -
Mortgage application fraud risk continued growing for the fifth consecutive month, and the recent California wildfires are partly to blame, according to First American Financial Corp.
December 27 -
These days, no wedding is complete without a hashtag combining the happy couple's names. It got us thinking: Why not give mortgage industry M&A deals the same treatment?
December 26 -
As the mortgage industry braces for even more market uncertainty in 2019, emerging technologies that improve the borrower experience and streamline back-office tasks may provide a glimmer of hope to beleaguered lenders.
December 26 -
Housing inventory has grown annually for three straight months following four years of declines, but the gains are small and uneven, according to Zillow.
December 20 -
Tackling millennial hurdles has been top of mind for the mortgage industry, but the youngest non-homeowners have the smallest share claiming that qualifying for a mortgage will be a big challenge, according to the National Association of Realtors.
December 19 -
A proposal issued over a year ago by federal banking agencies to simplify risk-based capital rules and ease compliance burdens for community banks has still not been finalized, and mortgage brokers and bankers are calling on them to do just that.
December 18
