Originations

The apartment market is recovering nicely and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are enjoying the ride.

The inaugural Zillow Rent Index shows "a healthy and growing rental market" across most of the country, even as home values continue to fall. And according to Zillow's chief economist Stan Humphries, rents are not rising at the expense of home values. "The opposite is true."

Two small Massachusetts mutual thrifts are planning to join forces in hopes of gaining the scale to better compete against larger lenders.

GMAC Mortgage has hired another former top executive from MetLife Home Loans, this time Randy Levine, who will serve as Southwest regional manager for the national lender.

It's one thing for consumers to vote for the lender which offers the best customer service, but it's a step up when the ballots are cast by a company which earns its own reputation on the reputation of the companies with which it does business.

The size of the residential loan market over the short-term will be determined by the definition of 'qualified mortgage,' which is more important to the industry than the definition of 'qualified residential mortgage,' declared a top lending executive for BB&T speaking at the Regional Conference of the Mortgage Bankers Association in Atlantic City.

The National Council on Aging has created a new website, http://www.HomeEquityAdvisor.org, to help older adults make informed decisions regarding using their home as a tool to help finance their retirement lifestyle.

In my last article I started by saying that whether you like it are not, you are a manager. The only question: Are you a good manager?

Don't count the mortgage brokerage sector out quite yet. Brokers captured 11.4% of the origination market in the fourth quarter, the highest market share reading since the third quarter of 2010, according to exclusive survey figures compiled by National Mortgage News and the Quarterly Data Report.

Finalizing a process that began 13 months ago, the Appraisal Practices Board has adopted new guidance that will help valuation professionals help determine the value of seller concessions in the appraisal process.

The never ending refinancing boom appears to be slowing with applications continuing to fall -- but not by much.

GMAC Mortgage has hired Paul Ramos, a former regional manager handling Florida for MetLife Home Loans Inc., Irving, Texas.

Home builders, which are starting to see nascent signs of a recovery, have two looming problems: a large "shadow" REO inventory to compete against, and FHA premium increases, according to a new research report from Credit Suisse.

It's hard out there for an LO - unless, of course, you have purchase money experience. The ongoing refinancing boom won't last forever. (Then again, we've heard that before.) Talk to any mortgage CEO or sales executive and chances are he'll tell you that he's hiring - but only loan officers with key contacts with Realtors and builders, which means housing may finally be poised for a true recovery.

WASHINGTON--The wave of Hispanic homebuyers that was promised just before the market crashed is finally ready to storm the market, according to a new report from a group of real estate professionals dedicated to increasing ownership among Latinos.

Every sales person has his or her own technique, or method. That's a good thing. Selling techniques are the result of numerous forms of input that eventually became a technique. A sales manager may instruct their minions that this is the way their product or service needs to be sold.

U.S. Bancorp has moved all its home appraisals to an in-house unit overseen by a senior risk officer, breaking from the way most banks handle valuations of residential properties.

Industry veteran Luke Hayden, who took over as president of PHH Mortgage less than two years ago, resigned from the firm this week to pursue what the company calls "other interests."

Stonegate Mortgage, a fast growing nonbank lender based in Indianapolis, has received a $25 million investment form private equity fund, Long Ridge Equity Partners, and plans to use the money to grow both its servicing portfolio and third-party lending channels.

Posters at our discussion board at www.mortgagegrapevine.com aren't shy about expressing their opinions. Here's what they think about the FHA's premium hike.