Transunion

Regulators have long warned the credit bureaus about deceptive marketing that causes consumers to sign up unwittingly for paid monitoring services. But the practice has persisted, according to complaint data.

A year after the major credit bureaus agreed to strip tax liens and civil judgments from consumers' credit files, a new study says it is hampering lenders' credit decisions. But proponents of the move insist it was the right call.

Mortgage activity fell at the start of the year, but lower mortgage rates are boosting refinance volume, and Generation Z is starting to creep into the housing market, according to TransUnion.

Mortgage activity plunged before the start of the year, but subprime originations dropped the least, according to TransUnion. Despite dwindling volume, borrower delinquency rates hit historic lows in the first quarter.

The root of the credit reporting sector’s problems may be its dominance by a handful of big firms, lawmakers from both parties said at a hearing.

Ahead of testimony by the CEOs of the major bureaus, House Financial Services Committee leaders proposed sweeping changes for the credit reporting industry and credit-score protections for furloughed government workers.

Fewer mortgage borrowers are falling behind on their payments, and consumers' broader borrowing habits indicate an increased willingness to turn to nontraditional sources like fintechs for their lending needs, according to TransUnion.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has proposed barring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from using credit scores developed by VantageScore over concern about conflicts of interest with the joint venture of Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

Late payments on mortgages are expected to keep dropping and credit is expected to remain strong next year, in part because housing prices remain healthy in most areas, according to TransUnion.

Subprime originations are climbing in multiple consumer loan categories, including mortgages, but the increase is much smaller in the home loan sector than it is in other markets, according to TransUnion.

Most millennials are purchasing fixer-uppers in order to afford a house, with 75% planning to finance renovations by tapping the equity in their home, according to a Chase Home Lending report conducted with Pinterest.

Ellie Mae is tackling home equity lines of credit loans with its latest Encompass Digital Mortgage Solution update as signs point to a surge in home equity borrowing.

A surge in home equity borrowing may be around the corner as household equity levels surpassed their previous housing bubble peak, according to a TransUnion study.

While digital expansion of the mortgage application process increases convenience, it inherently comes with the downside of heightened fraud risk.

Better consumer credit quality helped push the serious mortgage delinquency rate to its lowest level since the Great Recession, but originations remain low due to tighter underwriting standards and eroding homebuyer affordability, according to TransUnion.

Senators at a hearing Thursday discussed a bill establishing an online portal for consumers to monitor their credit reports free of cost.

While consumer debt is growing overall, borrowers are exhibiting more caution when it comes to mortgage loans, according to LendingTree.

The mortgage market continued to perform well in the first quarter as delinquencies declined annually for the 19th straight quarter, according to TransUnion.

Some speculate that the banks who do business with credit reporting agencies may be looking for alternatives after mounting concerns about their ability to keep information private. But breaking up is hard to do.

Some fear that the removal of such data from individual credit reports could lead lenders to believe a consumer is a better bet than they really are.