Mortgage technology

Constraints on GSE loan volume and an overall dearth of liquidity were among the biggest issues at hand during the Mortgage Bankers Association's Secondary Market Conference in New York. Here's a recap of the event.

In a sign that the GSEs may once again be trying to compete with each other, Freddie Mac will no longer charge lenders to use its Loan Prospector automated underwriting system.

Technology that takes into account the sales, cost and income approaches to property valuations is a more comprehensive method of risk assessment and can help detect pricing bubbles before they wreak havoc on the mortgage and real estate industries.

Veros will offer a direct connection to the Federal Housing Administration's new Electronic Appraisal Delivery portal using the same interface it offers for submitting appraisals to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The Mortgage Collaborative has entered into an agreement with Fannie Mae that would make certain enhancements of its benefits available to its lenders.

Ever wonder what happens to all those prospects that visit your website or open your emails but never fill out the short application, request a demo or take another desired action? There are many possible reasons why prospects don't pursue the next step.

In the wake of recent court rulings upholding homeowners associations' "super lien" status in foreclosures, mortgage vendors have flooded the market with products to help servicers and investors manage this long-standing threat.

Existing home sales in May will increase by 5.8% from the same month last year, the real estate marketplace Auction.com predicts. The company also expects existing home sales to rise 2.9% from April.

Home purchase loans have once again taken the majority share of originations, although volume shrunk by 11% from the same time last year.

VidVerify, a new company started by a co-founder of Lenders One, produces online videos that educate borrowers on the milestones of the mortgage process, while helping lenders ensure regulatory compliance.

The Commercial Real Estate Financing portal allows investors to apply for financing through Auction.com with the company's preferred lenders.

With older appraisers retiring and fewer and fewer college graduates entering the profession, industry observers say that, in five to 10 years, there won't be enough appraisers to handle the volume of home sales. For lenders, that could mean higher appraisal fees and long delays in closing loans — at a time when technology could be speeding up the process.

AllRegs has published the next edition of the Federal Housing Administration's Single Family Housing Policy Handbook that includes updated regulations and requirements that take effect in September.

Black Knight Financial Services Inc., the mortgage-technology company backed by private-equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners, gained in its trading debut after raising $441 million in an initial public offering.

There are more similarities between the NFL and the mortgage industry than at first meets the eye.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency provided more details Friday about key features for the new single security that will be issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Mortgage professional hiring and new job appointments for the week ending May 15.

Before Dodd-Frank, proving risk management precautions were in place was enough; now, the only real defense lenders and servicers have is an audit trail showing how violations were avoided.

The financial-technology explosion, or bubble, depending on one's viewpoint, continues.

Can Rupert Murdoch take an online fixer-upper and turn it into a digital real estate profit spinner? We're about to find out.