Mortgage brokers

Employment in the nondepository mortgage lenders and brokers sector grew for the fifth straight month, according to the Bureau of Labor of Statistics.

United Wholesale Mortgage is getting rid of escrow waiver fees for certain loans in a bid to make brokers more competitive with mortgage banks.

After nearly eight years of record-low mortgage rates and booming refinance volume, many signs indicate the run is winding down. Here's a look at 10 steps lenders should take now to stay profitable when rates rise and purchase loans drive the market.

Hiring by independent mortgage firms accelerated in September after a slowdown in the prior month.

Mortgage brokers were among the companies that received the regulator's warning letters, but brokers are not required to report HMDA data — leading many to suspect mini-correspondents, which straddle the line between broker and lender, were the recipients.

The CFPB sent letters Thursday to 44 mortgage lenders and brokers warning them of potential reporting violations related to their mortgage lending activities — infractions the bureau is increasingly pushing lenders to take seriously.

To successfully respond to the most pressing challenges facing the mortgage industry right now, lenders and servicers must navigate issues of competition, governance, affordability and margins.

A desire to own their own businesses led many loan officers to become mortgage brokers during the industry's growth period. As brokering regains its footing, that entrepreneurial spirit is making a comeback.

Nonbank lenders and brokers added 900 employees to their payrolls in August as home sales slowed.

United Wholesale Mortgage has rolled out a new tool that allows mortgage brokers to receive automated income verification.