Appraisals

Radian Group has acquired Five Bridges Advisors, further cementing the new focus of its mortgage and title services business.

The Lancaster County, Neb., assessor has reassessed home values a year early to keep up with the rapidly rising home prices.

The agencies are weighing a plan to reduce the scope of residential real estate transactions requiring an appraisal, but appraisers have warned that the proposal could have consequences.

Mortgage technology is rapidly advancing, with incumbents and new entrants scrambling to take advantage of developments in artificial intelligence and automation. The goal? Beat the customer expectations set by Amazon and Uber, not just other lenders, says KPMG Managing Director Teresa Blake.

CoreLogic is exiting its loan origination software and default management operations over the next 24 months and instead accelerated plans to transform its appraisal management company unit.

Class Valuation, a Troy, Mich.-based appraisal management company, acquired Landmark Network, which specializes in providing valuation services for reverse mortgages.

A proposal allowing more lenders to skip outside appraisals could remove a hurdle to quick closings, but appraisers say they could be collateral damage.

In Philadelphia, there is no limit to the amount by which assessments — the value used to calculate property tax bills — can increase in one year.

While home values rose over 5% in November, air is getting let out of the home price balloon, as the growth rate remains low compared to the past few years, according to Quicken Loans.

Ditech Holding Corp. is proposing to pay $257,000 and improve governance to settle a stockholder lawsuit alleging that a lack of oversight allowed improprieties to occur in several mortgage-related business lines.