Origination

Learn how the some of the industry's most successful loan originators get it done with these tricks of the trade from the 2017 Top Producers rankings' top 20 loan officers of the Midwest.

Mortgage application volume decreased 1.8% from the previous week driven by lower purchase activity, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The average time to close as measured by Ellie Mae's monthly survey was shorter than it's been since 2015, when the implementation of new disclosures lengthened the timelines.

Home sales in the capital region rose by 6.5% in February, as the housing market leveled off after four months of double-digit sales increases following the devastating August flood.

Rent increases have slowed across the metro area and have even fallen in some areas, according to the apartment industry association Multifamily NW.

Lawmakers from both political parties are increasingly interested in forcing lenders that offer loans to upgrade home heating and cooling systems to issue better disclosures, a prospect that has some in the industry nervous.

The hand-wringing over business lending has overshadowed the fact that consumer lending — particularly for regional banks — has become a strong and steady engine of growth.

Bank of America's year-over-year loan growth was slow, but parts of its commercial and U.S. consumer businesses were strong, prompting optimism from the CEO in the face of lackluster numbers across banking so far this earnings season.

The real estate investment trust has become a regular issuer, relying on a strategy of exercising "clean-up calls" on older mortgage bonds that it services.

Homebuilders looking for single-family construction loans may have better luck with small and midsize banks than larger ones, according to a report by the National Association of Home Builders.