Origination

The title insurance unit of First American Financial Corp. has agreed to acquire Hexter-Fair Title Co. in Dallas.

The National Association of Realtors said that it overestimated home sales by nearly 15% in 2010, an indication that the housing market is in even worse shape than many experts previously thought.

With major investors exiting the reverse mortgage space, originations of government-backed Home Equity Conversion Mortgages have dropped by 950 to 1,100 loans a month.

It was surprising to find, looking at the 2010 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data, that $1 trillion in mortgage applications went unfunded that year. That's nearly 40% of a total of $2.6 trillion in apps.

Americans who are able to buy homes are putting down payments of more than 12% on average, a survey from mortgage lead generator LendingTree LLC found this month.

If you want to be seen as a great communicator my Grammar Granny wants to know "Are You a Comma?"

Holiday retail sales gave the NACM's Credit Managers' Index a boost to a high not seen since May, but it remained below year-ago levels as many companies, including some in the mortgage space, are still in distress.

Numerous tax provisions including the mortgage insurance tax deduction will expire Jan. 1 because Congress did not pass its annual tax extension bill before the lawmakers left town Dec. 23.

The highest average residential home loan amount is given to homeowners who live in Hawaii, according to data from LendingTree.

Average weekly fixed rates for mortgages inched up a bit but still are ending the year near their all-time historic lows, according to Freddie Mac.