Originations

As the mortgage industry begins the New Year, National Mortgage News takes a look at the biggest trends and topics that will shape 2016.

Tech-enabled shortcuts that borrowers might assume are harmless — or what loan officers, real estate agents and borrowers consider good customer service — may in fact lead to very risky, or even illegal, habits.

U.S. judge rejects Quicken Loans' effort to move FHA loan case to Detroit courtroom.

National Mortgage News is pleased to begin accepting submissions for the 2016 Top Producers, an annual ranking of mortgage loan officer and broker origination volume.

U.S. home prices rose 5.5% in October 2015, compared to the previous year, according to Black Knight Financial Services.

After defeating an expert in Japanese chess, this computer program's next task is to figure out if you can make the payments on a new mortgage.

Most foreign investors expect to put more money into U.S. property this year than they did in 2015, with New York remaining the top target market worldwide, according to a survey by the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate.

Rather than relying on a formal marketing services agreement to get business, loan officers now have to prove that they can provide realty agents and consumers the best mortgage experience.

Mortgage professional hiring and new job appointments for the week ending Jan. 1.

Mortgage rates rose, with the 30-year average topping 4% for the first time in five months, after the Federal Reserve's decision to increase its benchmark lending rate.

Mortgage lenders on both the residential and commercial sides of the business will have to deal with a different lending environment in 2016. These include enforcement of TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure violations plus rising interest rates and the impact on origination volumes. Here are 10 observations that originators need to mull over while crafting their business plans for the coming year.

Jason Evans of Mortgage Master sees his business thrive through close attention to the finer points of customer experience.

Home values rose in 2015 — though at a declining pace — with overall rent payments also trending upwards, according to Zillow.

Freddie Mac's Multi-Indicator Market Index in October signaled ever-stabilizing circumstances across a growing number of regions.

For commercial real estate investors, the good times may be over.

From the rollercoaster ride toward the TILA-RESPA implementation deadline to concerns about other areas the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would zero in on for scrutiny, these seven stories dominated National Mortgage News during 2015. Following are both the stories and an update on where the situation stands now.

Contracts to purchase previously owned homes unexpectedly fell in November, confirming that the industry lost momentum toward the end of the year.

"The allegations of discrimination and predatory practices raised by the reporting are obviously very concerning to the bureau," a CFPB official said Tuesday.

Mortgage application defects reached a record low in November, according to First American Financial Corp.

Technology hubs overlapped with the nation's hottest housing markets in 2015, according to a ranking by online brokerage Redfin.