Origination

The stabilizing economy drove one of the biggest mortgage recoveries on record, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

During a record-breaking year for lending, these loan officers brought in the highest volumes of the 400 on the list.

Even as properties spent the least time ever on the market and the average sale-to-list home price ratio broke 100%, some indicators point to a slight reversal, which could head off “runaway home price speculation or a housing bubble,” Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather said.

With independent title companies scoring the largest market share gain last year, the sector saw a 22% increase in premiums overall, the American Land Title Association said.

Nonbanks claimed more of the top slots based on loan volume, while the origination gains experienced by Hispanic, Black and Native American borrowers were weaker than those of other groups.

After years of lagging other industries, financial services marketers are finally ramping up their digital investments. But this new spending must be aligned with smart strategies and urgency.

More lenders are willing to take on borrowers who are lower on the qualification spectrum as the economy rebounds.

Inventories should keep shrinking, which is likely to drive higher returns on equity and reduce their loss ratios, a BTIG report said.

The shift ended a long run of higher rates that have depressed loan application activity, and it temporarily creates a new refinancing incentive for some borrowers.

The consumer bureau is proposing to give companies until January 2022 to comply with one rule regarding communications from collectors and another clarifying disclosure requirements.