Mortgages

Employment at nondepository mortgage companies dropped considerably in November, as the combined effects of lower volumes and seasonal slowing reduced hiring needs.

Mortgage industry hiring and new job appointments for the week ending Jan. 4.

Mr. Cooper Group is buying servicing rights on $24 billion in mortgages, a subservicing contract for an additional $24 billion in home loans and the Seterus platform from IBM.

A new marketing tool lets consumers start the mortgage prequalification process by sending a text message, providing would-be borrowers with credit and loan program details and offering lenders a low-cost source of leads.

U.S. home prices are at "high tide," but they will top out well before they inflate to the dangerous highs seen during the 2006 housing boom, according to a recent study.

Manhattan home prices fell in the fourth quarter, with the median slipping to less than $1 million for the first time in three years, as ample inventory continued to allow buyers to demand sweeter deals.

Dallas-area home price gains slightly outperformed the national average in November.

The agencies are weighing a plan to reduce the scope of residential real estate transactions requiring an appraisal, but appraisers have warned that the proposal could have consequences.

Rising construction costs and a big drop in public funding is forcing an organization that builds inexpensive homes for low-income buyers in the Bay Area to sell them for higher prices than many of those people can afford.

Mortgage rates started 2019 by continuing their decline but as consumers worry about the broader economy that might not help to increase home sales, according to Freddie Mac.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed into law a bill that provides a property tax break for Syracuse property owners who buy flood insurance.

Despite mortgage rates continuing their two month downslide, applications decreased 9.8% from two weeks ago due to market uncertainty, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Falling mortgage rates have reached the point where they are spurring speculation about a possible resurgence in refinancing.

With its bolstered fundraising cache, the Mortgage Bankers Association Political Action Committee should hold an increased influence over the industry's policy and regulation issues in the coming year.

New Fed Mortgage's pending acquisition of Commonwealth Mortgage LLC will allow it to expand its geographic footprint outside of New England.

Rising mortgage rates are helping decelerate home price growth, which is expected to slow further during the coming year, according to CoreLogic. Consumer uncertainty in the economy due to stock market declines may also weaken house values.

Fannie Mae's overall single-family serious delinquency rate dropped another notch in November, according to its most recent report, but the current government shutdown raises questions about whether that trend will continue.

It's not clear exactly what might pull investor sentiment and 10-year Treasury yields, which rates for the 30-year mortgage are benchmarked to, off the current lows.

Nonbank lenders are gearing up for new secondary market requirements and must make some difficult choices about whether to buy, sell or hold mortgage servicing rights, says Ruth Lee, the executive vice president of MorVest Capital.

The expected decline in conventional mortgage volume may open the door for more non-qualified mortgage lending as secondary market investors seek new opportunities to deploy capital, says Tom Millon, CEO of Capital Markets Cooperative.