Originations

Blackstone subsidiary Incenter has acquired Charlotte, N.C.-based title and settlement servicers provider Boston National.

Tom Wind is once again leading a large bank's mortgage operation. As the new president of U.S. Bank Home Mortgage, he's set a course that embraces retail, regulation and the FHA.

Home prices grew by a paltry 0.1% month over month in September, though the pace of price appreciation on an annual basis remained high, according to Black Knight Financial Services.

The Pennsylvania company has redoubled its outreach to low- and moderate-income consumers by partnering with Operation Hope on a down payment assistance program and naming a veteran banker to the newly created post of director of fair and responsible banking. But despite these efforts, history says Fulton is unlikely to escape punishment if the Justice Department finds that it violated fair-lending laws.

Mortgage industry hiring and new job appointments for the week ending Nov. 25.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency's choice to raise conforming loan limits in 2016 for the first time in a decade is being met with enthusiasm from the mortgage industry, as it should prove to be a positive for future origination volume.

The average for the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage this week topped 4% for the first time since 2015 as 10-year Treasury yields continued their post-election climb, according to Freddie Mac.

The maximum baseline conforming loan limit in 2017 is being increased to $424,100 by the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

New loan applications for home purchases increased 19% from one week earlier as customers scrambled to get the process started in a rising interest rate environment, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Purchases of new homes declined in October to a four-month low, showing the residential real estate market began to soften a month prior to a jump in borrowing costs.

Former BB&T Chief Executive John Allison is a late entrant on a short-list for the job of U.S. Treasury secretary, according to two people familiar with President-elect Donald Trump's selection process.

The multifamily lending caps for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will stay the same as they were in 2016 next year, the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced.

The transition team for President-elect Donald Trump announced a series of names this week for people who will help facilitate an orderly transfer of power at the federal financial regulators.

Renewable Funding, emboldened by the success of its first three trips to the securitization market, is preparing to finance an even larger portion of its lending for energy efficiency upgrades.

Employees at the Office of Financial Research have raised concerns about racial discrimination and dysfunction at the agency, according to internal documents and videos posted online.

The pending purchase of Carlile Bancshares will lower Independent's concentration in commercial real estate, while introducing the company to fast-growing markets in Texas and Colorado.

President-elect Donald Trump said in a tweet Tuesday that he is considering Dr. Ben Carson — one of his opponents in the Republican primary — to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Tight lending standards resulted in 1.1 million fewer mortgages being originated than if looser requirements were in place, according to the Urban Institute.

First Community Mortgage has added six loan products to its menu, each targeted to borrowers who are not eligible for a conforming or government mortgage.

If President-elect Donald Trump selects House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling as his Treasury secretary, it would be a clear sign that he intends to embrace a more traditional Republican agenda when it comes to financial services issues.