Elina Tarkazikis

While mobile applications have become increasingly present in the originations segment of the mortgage industry, they're now making their mark in the servicing space.

Purchase loans made to millennial mortgage borrowers rose month-over-month in February despite interest rates increasing at the start of the year, according to Ellie Mae.

Home values grew in all 50 states in February, but their appreciation is expected to slow within the next year, according to CoreLogic.

Mortgage borrowers collectively hold more equity in their homes than at any other time on record, but they've been slow to borrow against this newfound wealth, according to Black Knight.

Despite growth in senior-held mortgage debt, home equity for homeowners 62 and older grew to $6.6 trillion in the fourth quarter, according to the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association and RiskSpan.

Heading into a competitive spring housing market, optimism that now is a good time to buy hit its lowest share in two years, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Here's a look at the states where home purchasing power is improving, bucking the national trends of inventory shortages and rising prices.

Independent mortgage banks and mortgage subsidiaries of chartered banks saw production profits tank in the fourth quarter of 2017, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

As tight housing inventory continues challenging prospective borrowers, Newfi Lending has launched a new portfolio lending platform in an effort to make homeownership more attainable.

Housing inventory hit positive territory for the first time since 2015, but starter home volume is at a low for recent years, according to Trulia.

While the industry continues adopting digital mortgage methods, homebuyers expect to be able to apply for a mortgage and complete the application online, but still want human interaction, according to Ellie Mae.

Close to a third of all home purchases were made by millennials over the past year, but tight inventory and affordability issues prevented them from reaching their buying potential, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Residential mortgage originations fell 19% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2017, due primarily to a large drop in refinance volume, according to Attom Data Solutions.

After increasing for nine consecutive weeks, mortgage rates dropped for the first time in 2018, according to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey.

Continued increases in mortgage rates caused the refinance loan application share to fall to its lowest level since September 2008, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Though early-stage mortgage delinquencies inched up in December 2017, the serious mortgage delinquency rate hit its lowest point for the month of December since 2006.

Financial data and analytics company FinLocker has gained the approval of a second patent supporting its digital vault functionality.

The Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corp. reported significant gains in new business volume, but also realized a big jump in 90-day delinquencies.

House flipping activity is at an 11-year high, prompting lending for these projects to soar 27%, according to Attom Data Solutions. And with most flippers still using cash, the trend has room to grow.

Consumer confidence in the housing market fell in February, with fewer Americans sharing positive thoughts on mortgage rates, home buying and home prices, according to Fannie Mae.