Origination

There are three types of shoppers in today's marketplace, according to one retail sales expert, and there are lessons to be learned from the insurance industry on how to not to deal with the most important class of them.

Home prices fell 1.5% August compared to a year ago, according to the newly released CoreLogic house price index, which registered it first annual decline this year.

Capacity issues — in terms of the number of reliable bodies available to take mortgage loan applications — is a key reason why the loan brokerage sector will survive, attendees of the MBA convention in Atlanta were told Monday morning.

Finding that feeling from within (and it should not be just about the money) to keep doing what you’re doing at your best.Motivation is the heart and soul of sales. If the sales person has lost their passion for they do every day, it shows in their results. But it needs to be the right form of motivation.

It's time for mortgage originators to draw a line in the sand when it comes to being forced to buy back loans from investors, an industry veteran said at the Mortgage Bankers Association's annual convention in Atlanta.

WASHINGTON—Two Houston mortgage firms with common ownership have agreed to pay $84,000 in separate settlements with the HUD Mortgagee Review Board.A mortgage brokerage firm with 200 branches nationwide, Allied Home Mortgage Capital Corp., agreed to pay a $38,000 fine to settle allegations that it violated branching rules mandated by the Federal Housing Administration.

When completed, the merger of Mercantile Capital Corp., Altamonte Springs, Fla., with Orlando’s Old Florida National Bank, will allow the commercial real estate lender to expand its services for small business owners in a number of ways.

Sales of existing homes rose 10% sequentially in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.53 million units, but were down 19% compared to the same month a year ago, according to figures compiled by the National Association of Realtors.

Mortgagees will be able to view sponsored originator performance information in Neighborhood Watch. On a monthly basis, FHA will aggregate sponsored originator performance for a rolling two year period. A link to the sponsored originator performance will be added under the Early Warnings menu selection.

After three consecutive years of declining remodeling activity, a key indicator of future spending on new kitchens, remodeled baths and other home improvement projects is finally pointing upward.