National Mortgage News - October#2 2018

As the mortgage industry confronts tight margins, shifting market share and regulatory uncertainty, a new leader emerges at the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The House of Representatives passed two bills that would tie appraisal waivers for Small Business Administration loans to bank rules for commercial real estate loans, despite objections from the Appraisal Institute about its members being cut out of transactions.

The CEOs of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are stepping down because the job they were hired to do — return the GSEs to profitability — is done. But attracting top-flight candidates to lead the mortgage giants into a new phase may not be easy.

An AI-powered virtual assistant could be used in a variety of ways, including helping customers to prequalify for mortgages, easing compliance and detecting problems.

Florence's flooding and wind destruction affected about 700,000 residential and commercial properties across North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, according to CoreLogic's latest estimates.

Bill Emerson, the vice chairman of Quicken Loans, said mortgage lenders need to give time to consider innovation and not be deterred by naysayers.

The senator’s bill to reform the 40-year-old law and expand housing investments could gain clout as Democrats look to pick up congressional seats and she eyes a presidential run.

Comptroller of the Currency Joseph Otting writes that the Community Reinvestment Act has not kept pace with changes in banking and needs to be updated.

A former Federal Home Loan bank president argues that the system should limit its exposure to risky nonbanks.

Mortgage industry hiring and new job appointments for the week ending Oct. 19.

Staggering home prices and steep tax rates are pushing people from expensive cities along the coasts to more affordable locales.