Underwriting

After years of refi-fueled origination volume, lenders have their hopes pegged to a resurgent purchase market in 2016 and beyond. But it raises an important question: will strategic default rear its head again in the next downturn?

More than 1 million homebuyers qualified for a mortgage in the third quarter, the first time since the financial crisis that lenders reached such a threshold, according to research by the Urban Institute.

The House approved a bill 427-0 that would revamp the Federal Housing Administration’s condominium loan program and expedite the approval process for Rural Housing Service guaranteed loans.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac unveiled an appeals process Tuesday that will allow an independent arbitrator to resolve disputes between lenders and the government-sponsored enterprises over loan repurchase demands.

Lenders argue that the GSEs would be better off buying more loans that are already insured, rather than transferring credit risk after holding them for a time. But Freddie Mac's Kevin Palmer says certainty of reimbursement is more important than the timing of risk transfers.

United Guaranty's spinoff from American International Group will result in changes to its capital structure that could shake up the competitive landscape in the private mortgage insurance market.

By implementing a platform designed specifically to support quality control, lenders can continuously prepare for an audit while simultaneously executing on everyday loan quality tasks.

Radian Group reported net income of $287 million, compared with $960 million for 2014, but that year's results were boosted by a tax allowance reversal.

Computershare has agreed to buy Altavera Mortgage Services, a provider of third-party origination services to residential lenders.

WinWater Home Mortgage's first prime jumbo securitization of the year is backed by a mix of 15-year and 30-year loans, according to DBRS.

Stewart Information Services in Houston plans to eliminate its dual classes of common stock.

A drop in interest rates due to global economic worries fueled an increase in mortgage applications last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

First-time homebuyers are finally jumping into the U.S. property market.

Home prices rose 8.8% in December on a year-over-year basis, as the dearth of available homes forced prices up, according to Redfin.

The average interest rate on the 30-year fixed rate mortgage rates fell this week to a three-month low, as investors exited stocks and commodities for the safety of government bonds.

Redwood Trust in Mill Valley, Calif., plans to stop buying mortgage loans to resell to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as it looks to cut costs.

Lenders must treat self-service technology as a tool that facilitates, rather than defines, the mortgage borrowing experience.

It took an average of 49 days to close a residential mortgage loan in December, a week longer than it took one year prior, according to Ellie Mae. This was unchanged from November.

Default rates on various types of consumer loans were down 14 basis points in December on a year-over-year basis but were unchanged from November, according to Standard & Poor's and Experian.

Mortgage applications leapt 9% on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending Jan. 15 compared to one week earlier, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.