Credit scores

Women are becoming more and more empowered in home purchasing, thanks in part to the digitization of the mortgage and real estate industries, according to a report from Compass and Better.com.

Low mortgage rates are setting the stage for growth, not just in refinancings, but in purchase volume as well during 2020, according to Ellie Mae.

The six bills championed by Democrats aim to reduce consumer burdens and provide opportunities for borrowers to rehabilitate their credit, but the legislation garnered no Republican support.

FICO plans to release a new suite of scores that could reduce defaults on newly originated mortgages by 17%, but home lenders may not use it unless the government-sponsored enterprises do.

The percentage of recent mortgage borrowers with subprime credit scores still resides in the single digits, but nearly doubled what is was in 2013, according to TransUnion.

VantageScore totaled 12.3 billion scores across consumer credit loan categories over a 12-month period between 2018 and 2019 with minimal mortgage volume, leaving potential for a major ramp up.

Freddie Mac's test of artificial intelligence to make lending decisions could be a significant turning point in broadening the use of the technology.

Borrowers recovering from foreclosure might not be in as much hot water as perceived, with many maintaining healthy credit scores within a year, according to LendingTree.

Kristy Kim was an immigrant success story with a degree from Berkeley and a lucrative job — except her lack of credit history precluded her from getting a car loan. She started TomoCredit to help the many young folks who struggle to qualify for a credit card.

Millennial mortgage debt is on pace to reach levels higher than any other generation, according to Experian.

Refinances jumped in July in response to a considerable mortgage rate decline from the month prior as homeowners set to lock in lower costs, according to Ellie Mae.

Mortgage debt hit an all-time high, but the share of homeowners with financing has fallen to a low not seen in 13 years, according to the Urban Institute.

Mortgage activity fell at the start of the year, but lower mortgage rates are boosting refinance volume, and Generation Z is starting to creep into the housing market, according to TransUnion.

The regulator of the government-sponsored enterprises retreated from an earlier proposal that had barred VantageScore because of its ties to the credit bureaus.

Jumbo loan product availability continued climbing and reached an all-time high in July, but it wasn't enough to stop overall credit standards from tightening, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The bill, similar to legislation that passed the chamber last year, would permit the inclusion of items such as rent and telecom payments to help consumers build their credit profiles.

Waterstone Mortgage is now qualifying borrowers without a traditional credit history for both its conventional and government mortgage programs.

The timing of the settlement serves as a warning to other companies of the risks they face in an increasingly data-focused economy.

With affordability still an issue despite falling interest rates and harnessed home value growth, lenders further loosened credit standards in June, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

As mortgage rates dip lower and lower through home buying season, the rate of closing loan applications keeps climbing, according to Ellie Mae.