Guidelines first eased during the coronavirus pandemic have been signed into law.

Also, InstaMortgage, SitusAMC, Mortgage Network add experienced sales leaders, Greystone expands its CMBS platform and Popular Bank finds new head of residential lending.

Pretax income in the servicing segment outpaced its loan production unit in the fourth quarter, as the company launches new branding initiatives.

Productivity, retention, referrals, and efficiency are key business objectives for the year ahead according to lenders surveyed by Total Expert.

The location will support the lender’s direct-to-consumer channel and employ more than 300 people.

The merger, which was initially expected to be approved last year, will create one of the 10 largest banks across Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.

Multifamily and specialty finance loans, which were highlights during the fourth quarter, should increase further in 2022, company executives said.

The mortgage lender's CEO Brett McGovern speaks on how the deal came together and how the two will work together once the deal closes.

The new asset investment funding will be used for the company’s transactions, unlike a December capital raise that is being used to support operations.

He is leaving the Texas-based nonbank lender less than one year after it was acquired by New Residential Investment.

A $28 billion agreement with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition could help win regulatory approval for the acquisition of Michigan-based Flagstar Bancorp. The deal was originally expected to close last year.

Also, Guaranteed Rate and Amerifirst Home Mortgage focus on Western expansion, Notarize adds chief officers and Timios names new president.

The company will be restructuring its executive team as it prepares to go public, with the board looking for a new chairman and a new president.

Derek Flowers, a 24-year company veteran, will replace the retiring Amanda Norton. Flowers' familiarity with the megabank's operations will help as it continues working through regulatory consent orders, CEO Charlie Scharf said.

The mortgage broker business was never a driving force for the Chicago-based firm's purchase of Stearns Lending, so dropping it wasn't totally unexpected.

Despite that year-over-year decline, the company beat analysts' expectations with fourth-quarter net income of $5.8 billion. Stronger commercial lending and lower expenses cushioned the blow in consumer credit.

The company's fourth-quarter trading revenue declined notably more than analysts had expected, while its business and consumer lending each dropped 1% year over year.

But the online real estate company is eliminating nearly half of the positions in its existing mortgage business as a result of the deal.

Also: The MBA gets two new vice presidents, Sagent adds a sales veteran and the Amherst Group hires an MBS portfolio manager.

Analysts expect loan growth and higher interest rates to drive up equity prices next year, even in the face of the omicron variant and other risks.