Originations

Right now policy makers, industry participants and advocates are no doubt discussing how to remedy the housing industry's problems. Their discussions are based on assumptions that might not be correct.

Fortress Investment Group plans to cash out its entire stake in commercial mortgage banker Walker & Dunlop.

A new book by the American Enterprise Institute's Peter Wallison reveals how a government push to lower credit standards brought about the housing crisis — and why a new effort to expand homeownership could inadvertently set the stage for a fresh disaster.

The gap between rental costs and household incomes will continue to rise unless a new home supply ramps up, according to a study by the National Association of Realtors.

Housing starts slumped in February by the most in four years as bad winter weather in parts of the U.S. prevented builders from initiating new projects.

Lending groups are demanding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau take down its mortgage rate calculator, arguing it is providing misleading information to consumers.

Lloyd's of London and Bankers Insurance Service will now offer errors and omissions insurance for Litigation Guard, an online system which performs compliance checks for non-QM loans.

The Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corp.'s earnings fell in the fourth quarter to $8.9 million, down from $13.4 million during the same period in 2013.

Confidence among homebuilders unexpectedly fell in March to an eight-month low as prospective buyers were in little rush to shop for properties ahead of the busier spring selling season.

A recent Supreme Court decision means that one exemption to the Fair Labor Standards Act does not apply to mortgage salespeople, but their employers might still be able to take advantage of other exemptions.

Bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate this week would make it easier for consumers to secure financing to purchase manufactured housing.

Getting a home loan is easier now than a year ago, according to the Zillow Mortgage Access Index.

Online mortgage lender Privlo has entered the Texas market, looking to help those underserved by traditional lenders in securing home financing.

Mortgage professional hiring and new job appointments for the week ending March 13.

Origination News and National Mortgage News are pleased to begin accepting submissions for the 2015 Top Producers, an annual ranking of mortgage loan officer and broker origination volume.

The Federal Reserve will not raise rates in June, while mortgage rates could fall this year as the dollar gets stronger and oil prices remain low, mortgage industry consultant Barry Habib said at a mortgage conference.

Manhattan's smallest apartments are fueling big gains in rents.

The FHA forward loan program has helped millions of families finance homes and is poised to thrive if untangled from HECM in the MMI. FHA’s ability to serve these families should not be affected by issues associated with the HECM program.

The two prevalent forms of private-label RMBS representation and warranty frameworks that became popular following the financial crisis do a good job of detecting defective loans, according to Moody's Investor Service.

Negative attitudes in Washington toward the mortgage industry are starting to thaw, yet devising Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's exit from conservatorship or charting the future of housing finance reform still will be tough.