Originations

Americans who are able to buy homes are putting down payments of more than 12% on average, a survey from mortgage lead generator LendingTree LLC found this month.

If you want to be seen as a great communicator my Grammar Granny wants to know "Are You a Comma?"

Holiday retail sales gave the NACM's Credit Managers' Index a boost to a high not seen since May, but it remained below year-ago levels as many companies, including some in the mortgage space, are still in distress.

Numerous tax provisions including the mortgage insurance tax deduction will expire Jan. 1 because Congress did not pass its annual tax extension bill before the lawmakers left town Dec. 23.

The highest average residential home loan amount is given to homeowners who live in Hawaii, according to data from LendingTree.

Average weekly fixed rates for mortgages inched up a bit but still are ending the year near their all-time historic lows, according to Freddie Mac.

Fitch said Thursday it sees little risk of a negative rating impact on CMBS from the closure of 100 to 120 unspecified Sears and Kmart stores across the U.S., but noted there is some exposure in the commercial mortgage-backed securities universe to the concern.

Consumers are having a tough time qualifying for a mortgage these days, and even a federal program designed to provide financing for low- and moderate-income borrowers is winnowing out applicants with low credit scores.

The fourth of 20 high-rise condominiums planned for the tri-county South Florida market is now in the ground.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to implement a congressionally mandated increase in their loan guarantee fees on April 1.

A leading indicator of future home sales jumped 7.3% in the month ofNovember to its highest level in over 19 months, according to theNational Association of Realtors.

Training offered recently by mortgage insurer Radian has focused on topics ranging from the Uniform Appraisal Dataset and reading tax returns for self-employed borrowers to detecting fraud in loan documents, according to Kelli Brookman, director of national training.

The days of consumers driving around town to price-shop are fading fast. They still may be out and about while comparing prices, but they are doing so on their smartphones and other mobile devices.

Insight Lending Solutions, the developer of the PriceMyLoan automated underwriting system and pricing engine, has relaunched and rebranded its loan origination system.

A fourth quarter ranking of the best single-family rental markets for investment indicates half of the top 10 areas can be found in the Sunshine State.

The Federal Housing Administration has suspended its anti-flipping rules for another year to facilitate the financing and sales of newly renovated foreclosed properties.

The mortgage market is expected to change dramatically in the coming year as some of the largest banks cede loan-origination market share to regional banks and nonbank mortgage lenders.

Watt Cos., a real estate asset management services business, recently created a new acquisition division to take advantage of opportunities in the Western region of the nation.

Housing indicators in Northern and Southern California remained largely mixed in the latest monthly numbers available from DataQuick at press time. Southern California home values, which impact reverse mortgage originations, were up from October, but down from November 2010.

Cantor Fitzgerald last week filed a form S-3 with the Securities and Exchange Commission to issue CMBS under its CCRE Commercial Mortgage Securities trust.