Appraisals

With home values — and interest rates — rising, homeowners finally seem ready to tap into their homes' equity to fund long-delayed home-improvement projects.

A shortage of appraisers, combined with soaring demand for housing, is causing lengthy delays in Seattle and surrounding markets.

BOK Financial was victimized by the effect of rising interest rates in the fourth-quarter profit, as losses on the company's hedge positions resulted in a profit decline.

Appraisal management companies must self-regulate their prices unless they want the government to do it for them.

Fannie Mae has expanded the list of third-party vendors approved to validate borrower income, employment and assets as part of the Desktop Underwriter validation service.

BOK Financial will take a roughly $17 million earnings hit due to a change in the fair value of its mortgage servicing rights and a corresponding hedge.

Moves by lenders to adapt their processes with the TILA-RESPA integrated disclosure rule in mind appear to have staunched the increase in loan application defects, according to ACES Risk Management.

Affordable housing advocates are seizing on President-elect Donald Trump's call for tax reform, hoping that a new tax credit program to revitalize run-down homes in distressed neighborhoods will be attractive to the incoming administration.

The amount of equity homeowners hold grew by $726 billion, or 10.8%, in the third quarter of 2016 versus the year before, according to CoreLogic.

Shortage of appraisers in rural areas and compensation issue force lawyers to re-consider restrictions on communications between lenders and appraisers.