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Loan performance has improved since the housing crisis. But credit challenges persist, while higher housing costs combined with a plateau in wages have put increased strain on some borrowers' finances.

In the world of property valuations, there's no such thing as the "perfect" comparable sale. From design and architecture styles to energy efficiency, here's a look at 10 home features most frequently adjusted in appraisals.

Banks have ramped up foreclosure activity in the past five months, with default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions at their highest levels in two years. It's a positive sign that banks are finally clearing out all the distressed loans still lingering from the housing crisis. Meanwhile, banks remain cautious about new lending, partly because of regulatory actions.

With purchase mortgages poised to supplant an expected drop in refinancing, here's a look at the 10 markets with the biggest year-over-year pickup in home sales.

The range of loan products offered by mortgage lenders and investors has been narrow since the housing crisis, but a few underserved niches are starting to make a comeback.

From CFPB and TRID to QM and ATR, the barrage of new abbreviations emanating from the Dodd-Frank Act has only been matched by the enormity of the changes it made to the mortgage industry. Here are 10 ways that the landmark financial reform legislation has reshaped the mortgage industry since becoming law five years ago.

Companies that emphasize a diverse and inclusive workforce not only create a better work environment for employees, they also perform better financially. Here are eight ways that mortgage companies can establish and maintain a priority on diversity.

Mortgage originators willing to help consumers overcome traditional financing hurdles can add more emerging segments of home buyers as clients.

Foreclosures might seem like yesterday's news, but banks are still busy with the cleanup phase of the housing crisis. The situation is producing some herky-jerky housing statistics, and prompting calls for more reforms in states like New York still suffering from stalled dockets and blight.

Learn how the some of the industry's most successful loan originators get it done with these tricks of the trade from the 2015 Top Producers rankings' top 12 loan officers of the Midwest.