Loan Think

Lenders must be proactive in their communication with customers to stay ahead of potential complaints and ward off regulatory scrutiny.

Mortgage professionals brave enough to bring mortgage fraud to light deserve the same level of protections as workers in other businesses, rather than be subjected to a patchwork of laws designed for other industries.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency wants to exclude mortgage REITs from membership in the Federal Home Loan Banks. That would be a major setback for the entry-level borrowers who depend on mortgage REITs for sustainable home-financing options.

Allowing real estate investment trusts to bridge the capital need for affordable housing could help de-escalate a rising public funding crisis.

The Supreme Court's recent ruling that the disparate impact theory of liability can be applied to the Fair Housing Act means mortgage lenders must be even more vigilant in their ongoing testing and evaluation of business practices that could be interpreted as even unintentional discrimination.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's reach beyond RESPA's statute of limitations and subjective lens on marketing agreements taps into industry fears of retroactive punishment.

Unless Congress acts before the end of 2015, homeowners who had their mortgage principal reduced in a loan modification or lost their homes through a foreclosure or short sale will find themselves in this position.

Trading space for place with micro-housing could be a promising solution to compounding homeownership woes.

Operations staff is at the tricky crossroads of managing and changing the business. To remain competitive and compliant, lenders must make additional training and networking opportunities available for that team.

Some argue that nonbank mortgage lenders' rising market share poses a risk to the financial system. But this belief arises from an inaccurate understanding of what is in fact a well-regulated sector.