Originations

Marketing campaign return on investment can be measured by tangibles or intangibles.

Monday marked the implementation deadline for the Uniform Loan Delivery Dataset, the new loan-level mortgage information file format developed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for all loans sold to the government-sponsored enterprises.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to level the playing field so that all mortgage loan officers, whether they work at a bank or a mortgage brokerage, undergo similar training and meet the same standards for character, fitness and financial responsibility.

Forecasters expect Wednesday’s new-home sales report will show June sales rose by barely 1% after a 7.6% jump in May.

Economists have been expecting long-term rates to remain low this year because the Federal Reserve recently extended its Operation Twist program, maintaining downward pressure that the program puts on long-term rates.

A federal indictment charged 11 individuals for their roles in a $15 million mortgage fraud scam that used straw buyers to make illegal profits on overbuilt condominiums in New Jersey.

The June median price in the six-county Southern California region rose 1.7% from May and 5.3% from a year ago.

Although loan originations have been booming at Caliber Funding this year, the lender’s aggressive CEO, Brian Simon, has departed the company without explanation.

The September expiration date for the Small Business Administration's secondary market program for the first lien position means that first mortgages will no longer be eligible for a government guarantee.

Much has been printed about how high the average FICO score is at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac these days. (The weighted average FICO at Fannie, for instance, is north of 760.) But we’re told lower FICOs are out there.

The Texas community banker who's leading the courtroom fight against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau took his case to Capitol Hill.

Just as lending was starting to catch fire, some banking executives are already pouring cold water.

Habitat for Humanity is expressing concern about the potential impact of the so-called qualified mortgage rule on its ability to build homes for people in need.

Ivan Choi has been voted incoming chair-elect of the Asian American Real Estate Association of America.

NMN won a silver ASPBE award for the editorials “Big Difference, Depending On Which Loan” and “Unfunded Applications at $1 Trillion,” which appeared on Nov. 7 and Nov. 28, 2011.

GSE lenders and servicers refinanced more high LTV Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans during the first five months of this year than they did all of last year.

In reaction to the mortgage industry’s woes, and in some cases in spite of them, technology has marched on giving us new tools, techniques, and tactics that enhance our ability to be vigilant.

For those of you who doubted my thoughts on mortgage deconsolidation, I forgive you. But it had to happen—deconsolidation, that is.

Mortgage brokers and bankers have been waiting anxiously for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to issue its loan officer compensation rule. This is the rule where the agency convened a ‘Small Business’ panel in the spring to weigh in on compensation and lender education issues. Needless to say, few in the industry came away happy with what was told to them by the agency.

Sometimes, your prospect is more interested in accepting your sales opportunity than you are in making the sale.