Banking

The gap between the average credit score for homebuyers and other consumers has widened to its highest point in 12 years, and lenders don't know what, if anything, to do about it.

The average credit score of loans made to members of the millennial generation were a little lower than they were a year ago, according to Ellie Mae.

Startups that have developed the technology for real estate finance are starting to conduct a broader array of transactions, including property sales.

Fannie Mae's serious delinquency rate climbed to a high not seen since March 2017, but remained lower than it was 12 months prior.

The credit bureau enraged many with its response to a massive data breach this fall, but closing the company down would ultimately harm consumers.

They aren't creating new products, but some lenders are advising cash-strapped customers in high-tax states to tap home equity or other credit lines to prepay property taxes before the new tax law kicks in.

Consumers’ desire to shop online is creating huge demand for distribution centers and forcing property owners to think creatively about redeveloping vacant retail space. Meanwhile, hundreds of billions of dollars will be spent rebuilding areas hard hit by hurricanes and wildfires.

Any decline in home equity balances could be offset by higher demand for other types of consumer loans. The worry is that only borrowers with blemished credit will take out home equity loans, increasing banks’ risk.

Lending outside the qualified mortgage rule will likely become more prominent in 2018, as originators continue to struggle to replace lost refinance volume and their compliance and risk management processes become more robust.

DoubleLine Capital is embarking on a plan to originate and securitize mortgages, seeking to fill a niche that has traditionally belonged to banks and brokerage firms.

A lawyer for UBS Group AG urged a New York jury to reject the tale of a former senior commercial mortgage-backed securities strategist who claimed he was fired for refusing to let the Swiss bank's traders influence his research reports.

The two government-sponsored enterprises have relied on the “classic” FICO credit scoring model for the past 12 years. But the Federal Housing Finance Agency is weighing whether the GSEs should upgrade to more recent scoring alternatives.

The House vote moved a sharp reduction in the corporate tax rate for banks and other businesses to within a few steps of becoming law.

Residential and commercial property tax delinquencies are slightly higher in the Northeast and South than in the Midwest and West, but improving economic conditions are keeping the national delinquency rate in check.

The $280 million securitization is also expected to boost capital levels and lower Dime's loan-to-deposit ratio.

The executive tasked with reshaping Wells Fargo's embattled retail banking unit will now also be responsible for mortgage, auto and student lending.

With tax reform close to the finish line, bankers are still clear winners from the compromise worked out between House and Senate negotiators. But the bill includes some caveats that might give institutions pause.

UBS Group AG's head trader for commercial mortgage-backed securities denied claims of trying to influence research reports published by the Swiss bank's former senior strategist for those products.

The risk to Canada's financial system from tapped-out borrowers is merely shifting — this time to a market where there's no oversight from the country's national bank regulator and new stress-test rules don't apply.

Freddie Mac is broadening its capital markets vehicles with its first offering of participation certificate securities backed by multifamily tax exempt loans.