Originations

Ditech Financial, a nonbank lender in Fort Washington, Pa., is the latest lender to bring back the piggyback mortgage by offering a closed-end home equity loan product.

A majority of consumers still think it’s a good financial decision to buy a home and most think they could sell their home for at least its initial purchase price, according to the National Association of Realtors.

The risk for mortgage fraud fell 8.9% at the end of the second quarter compared with a year earlier, according to CoreLogic.

Executives in the mortgage industry must "take a page from the real estate community" and be more active in Washington and their state capitals, said outgoing Mortgage Bankers Association Chairman Bill Cosgrove.

SunTrust Banks in Atlanta has promoted an executive to oversee its consumer banking and wealth management operations

Ellie Mae has agreed to purchase St. Louis-based Mortgage Returns, which provides customer-relationship management services.

Mortgage banking represented one weak spot in Wells Fargo's third-quarter results and company officials said that would likely be the case in the fourth quarter.

Bank of America originated $13.7 billion of first-mortgage loans and $3.1 billion of home equity loans during the third quarter, the company said in its quarterly earnings release.

The outlook for originations, and regulators' priorities for 2016, will dominate discussions throughout the Mortgage Bankers Association's Annual Convention in San Diego next week. Earmark these eight hot topics and features to seek out at the show.

LendingTree already offers a Yelp-like community where consumers can rate loan officers. Now it has created a question-and-answer forum within its loan officer directory platform.

The nonprofit behind McGruff the Crime Dog has designated mortgage fraudsters as its next target.

Contrary to the arguments of its critics, the mortgage insurance premium reduction issued in January has helped spur positive capital growth for the Federal Housing Administration.

Mortgage application volume fell 27.6% on an adjusted basis for the week ending Oct. 9, reversing the rush of the previous week caused by the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure rule becoming effective, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

PNC Financial Services Group reported third-quarter profit that beat analysts' estimates as the lender cut costs to counter a decline in revenue.

Profit margins in JPMorgan Chase's mortgage banking unit were down in the third quarter, primarily due to the shift in the mix from refinance activity to home purchases, and from retail loan originations to correspondent lending.

Homeowners continue to give their properties a higher valuation than appraisers would, according to Quicken Loans.

As the mortgage industry awaits clear direction on marketing service agreements, recent guidance from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau clarifies only how little the agency likes them.

California priced $446 million in veterans' general obligation bonds last week in a combined refunding/new money sale.

"How's TRID going with you?" is sure to be the most-asked question at the Mortgage Bankers Association's Annual Convention, but fair lending compliance and the Qualified Residential Mortgage rule are among the key market developments that will dominate conversations.

International buyers are accounting for the smallest share of California home sales in at least eight years as prices climb and investors from China, the biggest source of foreign purchases, slow buying.