Mortgages

Mortgage industry hiring and new job appointments for the week ending Nov. 17.

Closing mortgages more quickly could introduce efficiencies but it also could introduce fraud risks if done without strong identity verification procedures in place, LexisNexis Risk Solutions finds.

Over half of mortgage industry executives anticipate first-time home buyer growth in 2018, estimating that market will grow at a faster pace than the overall housing market, according to Genworth Financial.

New-home construction rebounded in October to the fastest pace in a year, partly reflecting recovery efforts in the hurricane-stricken South.

A new Republican director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is likely to take immediate action to change certain rules, including the "qualified mortgage" and payday rules, while curbing pending enforcement actions that are considered too harsh on financial firms.

The FHFA is allowing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to invest in the credits for the first time since they entered conservatorship. Its purpose is to promote affordable housing in underserved markets.

Most homeowners in Southwest Florida are no longer threatened with losing their properties to foreclosure.

Housing inventory nationwide has declined for more than two years. But in a small number of markets, the number of homes for sale is growing.

Four Texas markets have had the most home price appreciation in the country during the last decade.

Credit unions have a long history of serving immigrants and other underserved populations, but meeting the unique challenge of complying with Shariah law is no mean feat.

Bay Area homebuyers beware. Among the nation's 100 largest housing markets, San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland — in that order — are the least likely places to find a price cut on a home for sale.

Mortgage rates moved to their highest mark since July and the 10-year Treasury yield ticked up 6 basis points, according to Freddie Mac.

There were 1.4 million fewer properties seriously underwater in the third quarter, marking the largest year-over-year drop since the second quarter of 2015, according to Attom Data Solutions.

That’s an about-face from the bank’s previous transaction, completed in October, which was backed by fixed-rate mortgages, nearly half of which were underwritten to standards for purchase by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

The plan is up from the previously announced 200,000 homes.

Recent research into customer preferences regarding home equity lending reveals that banks need to better engage with their customers to understand their needs and expectations, and then guide them to optimized HELOC product offerings that precisely meet their needs.

The private equity firm obtained a $540 million loan on the JW Marriott Grande Lakes and the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes, which are situated on 500 acres at the headwaters of the Everglades, from Barclays and Wells Fargo.

As the Colorado Springs economy and housing market improve, the city's foreclosure woes continue to diminish.

The Federal Housing Administration was battered by losses this year from reverse mortgages, casting doubt on whether the agency will adopt an Obama-era proposal to reduce mortgage insurance premiums.

Karen Stratton doesn't cry often. But the Spokane, Wash., councilwoman teared up last week as she looked out on the High Drive Conservation Area from her late aunt's home on South Maple Boulevard.