Digital mortgages

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.

Lenda, launched in 2014, currently makes mortgages start to finish in two weeks. But it's aiming to make it a process that can be finished on a borrower's lunch break.

Servicers are still trying to figure out how they can best take advantage of the growing use of electronic notes and other digital mortgage tools by lenders and the secondary market.

Governments are studying ways blockchain can safeguard property records and simplify how they get tracked.

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.

Fannie Mae is about to roll out a new underwriting system that will address some concerns about layered risk that cropped up after it raised its maximum debt-to-income ratio.

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

Mortgage settlement software provider Qualia is getting a new $33 million round of funding that it will use to expand into additional U.S. markets.

The bank will spend an additional $1.4 billion on technology in 2018 to gain share and boost efficiency, executives said Tuesday. But they were peppered with questions about whether the big investment will yield a big financial return down the road.

Banco Santander joined existing investors JPMorgan and USAA as well as others in raising $25 million in secondary-round financing for Roostify, which seeks to build a paperless mortgage process.