Origination

National MI, a private mortgage insurance company in Emeryville, Calif., has named Jay Sherwood as president.

Consumers were more optimistic about their ability to buy a home in November compared to the previous month, according to Fannie Mae.

Lereta, a real estate tax firm in Covina, Calif., has acquired Industry Consulting Group, a property tax services company with offices in Dallas and Wichita Falls, Texas.

Historically, net worth has been the primary, if not sole, criteria used by lenders in segmenting mortgage customers.

Renters figure to stay renters, at least for the next three years, according to a new report by Freddie Mac.

Many professionals in the mortgage industry are paying close attention to the non-QM market to see if it will indeed provide a path back to subprime loans of the past.

Fannie said it will immediately begin accepting applications for fixed-rate 97% loan-to-value financing of borrowers with FICO scores as low as 620. Freddie, meanwhile, took a more cautious approach, delaying the start of the program, requiring credit counseling, and in some cases only allowing FICO scores as low as 660.

Older homeowners have emerged as the pillar of the housing market following the collapse in 2008.

Title insurance premium volume decreased in the third quarter compared to a year earlier due to a struggling purchase market and declining refinance activity.