Origination

When is the best time to start ethics and values training? I suppose the obvious-sounding answer is, "Today at the latest!" However, if you are looking to end up with the very most effective ethics and values training, that answer may not really suffice.

An offhand, deleterious comment about mortgage brokers by President Obama has raised the ire of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers - and brought a strong rebuke from trade group president Donald Frommeyer.

A House Financial Services subcommittee has approved a bill that would establish a foundation for a new private-label securitization market for mortgages.

UMH Properties Inc., a Freehold, N.J. real estate investment trust that owns manufactured housing communities, has received a new $15.5 million mortgage from Oritani Finance Co., a subsidiary of Oritani Bank. The loan is a refinance secured by five MH communities located in Pennsylvania.

Kirchmeyer & Associates, an appraisal and real estate data company, is rebranding itself as The Kirchmeyer Group and has created a new division to offer alternative valuation products.

The average weekly Freddie Mac survey rate for the 30-year fixed rate mortgage dropped 5 basis points during the week ending Dec. 15, returning to its record low of 3.94% for the first time since the week ending Oct. 6.

Are the challenges of a difficult market bringing business intelligence technology to the fore in mortgage lending?

A healthy mortgage/housing market relies on two key factors: low rates and robust employment. We have the former, but the latter seems to be lacking - big time. Or is there true hope on the horizon?

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has again delayed implementation of the Uniform Mortgage Data Program, an initiative to update and streamline the loan and appraisal data collected by the government-sponsored enterprises.

In 1997 there was no Google. In 2002 there was no Facebook. There was no Twitter in 2004, and the iPad only made its debut in 2009. There is no indication that the pace of innovation will slow, so how can you plan for the future when the target is moving, and moving quickly?