Originations

ON's fifth annual Top Originators Survey highlights the mortgage industry's most productive loan officers.

Latest forecasts for 2013 estimate $1 trillion in origination with many concerned it will drift lower over time.

Home prices have come back, but how strong and for how long? Freddie Mac has created a quick way to get a handle on the national and local housing markets.

With more reliable loan data, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would have greater confidence that borrowers would not default. In return, lenders would receive a juicy carrot: fewer buyback requests.

Mortgage originators marketing campaigns and materials should reflect the professional nature of the business if you do not want to be seen as a commodity.

Commerce Mortgage appointed 28-year industry veteran Shabi Asghar as president of its wholesale real estate lending.

Redwood Trust, the biggest issuer of U.S. home-loan securities without government backing last year, ended a four-month absence from the market with a $342 million transaction.

There is growing evidence that Washington is making the same mistake with respect to the housing and mortgage markets.

First mortgages increased 2.8% from a year earlier in February, the largest year-over-year uptick since September 2008.

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp is striking an optimistic tone for mortgage finance reform, saying she’s hopeful that a Senate Banking Committee plan to overhaul the market could make it to the chamber floor for a vote this year.

Farmers have been benefiting from steady increases in commodity prices in recent years, partly driven by extreme weather. But the underpinnings of that growth seem to be on the wane.

Purchases of new homes fell in February to the lowest level in five months, a sign the industry may take time to pick up after inclement weather damped demand earlier in the year.

Home sales activity rose in most of the largest U.S. counties in February after a slowdown in January, but total sales remain far below historical levels, according to DataQuick.

Federal regulators issued a proposal Monday that would establish standards for states that register and supervise appraisal management companies.

Colony American Homes has appointed Beth O'Brien as president of its single-family lending unit.

The lender is getting huge brand recognition for its offer to pay $1 billion for someone to correctly pick the entire NCAA championship bracket, at very low risk.

On the surface, it seems mortgage firms must explain valuation reports to each new applicant or eliminate the use of lower-cost advanced valuation intelligence. However, there may be another option.

Are you a “Success Superstar?” Success can be defined in many ways. One definition is “the achievement of one’s goals.” Your goal last year might have been to be included in the list of Top 200 Loan Originators for 2013. Did you accomplish that goal? Or maybe it was to lose 10 pounds, gain 10 new referral partners, or even spend more time with your family and read more books.

Lenders should avoid repeated mistakes in their process as they could be used as evidence of a fraudulent intention to originate loans without proper safeguards and underwriting processes.

Higher rates, mounting costs and the opportunity to lend to underserved borrowers have pushed some residential lenders to lower their minimum FICO scores, despite broader reluctance to take more risk in a heavily-regulated market.