Loan Think

As we enter the new year, there is a real possibility that we'll be saying good-bye to historically low interest rates and the refinance business that has sustained many firms.

Being a mortgage originator means juggling many tasks but marketing your business takes precedence above all of the others.

The diversity of the U.S. population is at a tipping point and originators need to prepare to serve the needs of this growing pool of customers.

Mortgage denials in 2013 were comparable to those recorded a decade ago, analyses of HMDA data show, challenging perceptions about how easy lending really was during the era of "pulse" loans and "fog-a-mirror finance."

When reading a CBO report, be sure to read all the words, carefully.

As a result of certain court decisions, government agencies like the Federal Housing Administration have even more latitude in pursuing these claims against lenders.

Will you make changes to the way you do business to get what you want, or have you grown complacent with what you have?

The next 12 months could be a rather bumpy ride for the mortgage industry as consumers take more control over the loan origination process.

Incentives for companies aren't the same as incentives for people. The QRM risk-retention rule doesn't solve "IBG, YBG" — "I'll be gone, you'll be gone." Banks appear to have been slow to adopt clawback policies for individual lenders.

Borrowers who are being sued by lenders over the money owed on foreclosed mortgages are making novel use of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. They argue that they cannot be sued if they live in a state different from the one where the property is located.