Credit

The Federal Housing Administration is returning to manual reviews of higher-risk loans it insures because it's finding that a growing share have lower credit scores, higher debt-to-income ratios, or both.

Millennials make up the largest cohort of homebuyers, but a quarter of them don't even know their credit score, which could be a call for mortgage lenders to help them prepare to enter the housing market.

Millennial homebuyers took advantage of a winter lull in interest rates, using the opportunity to refinance their loans, according to Ellie Mae.

The root of the credit reporting sector’s problems may be its dominance by a handful of big firms, lawmakers from both parties said at a hearing.

Ahead of testimony by the CEOs of the major bureaus, House Financial Services Committee leaders proposed sweeping changes for the credit reporting industry and credit-score protections for furloughed government workers.

Fewer mortgage borrowers are falling behind on their payments, and consumers' broader borrowing habits indicate an increased willingness to turn to nontraditional sources like fintechs for their lending needs, according to TransUnion.

Recent data from the Federal Reserve suggests lenders are growing pessimistic about the credit environment. But is that a sign of trouble ahead, or just sound risk management?

The House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing Feb. 26 on "holding credit bureaus accountable" — one of seven hearings scheduled by the panel for the month.

Some hopeful souls in Washington believe the commercial banking industry will return to originating and servicing higher-risk mortgages, but most banks are more likely to continue withdrawing from the sector.

Loans grew 6% at JPMorgan Chase, but the bank is "not going to be stupid" and assume that will last forever, its CEO says. Here are some precautionary steps it's taking.

A new marketing tool lets consumers start the mortgage prequalification process by sending a text message, providing would-be borrowers with credit and loan program details and offering lenders a low-cost source of leads.

With its bolstered fundraising cache, the Mortgage Bankers Association Political Action Committee should hold an increased influence over the industry's policy and regulation issues in the coming year.

Adjustable-rate mortgages in November had their highest share of closed loans since Ellie Mae started tracking this data in 2011 as rates for 30-year loans reached 5.15%.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has proposed barring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from using credit scores developed by VantageScore over concern about conflicts of interest with the joint venture of Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

Growing home prices and climbing interest rates didn't stop millennials from buying houses in October, Ellie Mae said.

Average credit scores for mortgage borrowers remain at a 2018 high, a sign that lenders aren't easing standards despite refinance candidates already falling off on higher rates, according to Ellie Mae.

Subprime originations are climbing in multiple consumer loan categories, including mortgages, but the increase is much smaller in the home loan sector than it is in other markets, according to TransUnion.

As interest rates rise, mortgage originators need to teach millennial homebuyers about the product options outside of conventional loans, Ellie Mae said.

Mortgage industry executives claim sparse affordable housing supply is the most impactful hurdle for first-time homebuyers entering the market in 2019, but the majority don't think regulatory policy will help the cause.

Mortgage borrower credit scores hit their low points more than five months after making a home purchase, but lender reporting cycles also cause these results to vary, according to LendingTree.