Professional development

Lenders and servicers haven't faced the same scrutiny over data security as their peers in retail and other financial services sectors. But mortgage companies must remain vigilant, as the extensive data they collect can expose consumers to identity theft if it got in the wrong hands.

By decreasing costs through technology, outsourcing and scale, servicers not only can give their margins a much-needed boost, but also set themselves up to reap rewards in the future.

While compliance costs continue to increase for lenders, the rising age of company owners is what's prompting many independent mortgage bankers to sell their companies.

Shifting demographics are leading to a rise in the number of millennials and minorities, but homeownership rates among these groups remain depressed. One contributing factor is the lack of mortgage industry hiring and marketing focused on these demographics.

New American Funding and Alterra Home Loans have selected Radian Group as the preferred private mortgage insurance providers for their Your Path loan program.

Cybersecurity precautions often focus on preventing a data breach. But what if those precautions aren't enough? Here's a look at steps lenders and servicers can take now to prepare their response in the event of a catastrophic data breach.

Converting millennials from renters to homeowners is proving difficult, but here are steps lenders can take to get this generation on board with buying.

Two decades of experience with offshoring has shown that shifting operations work from knowledgeable, local workers to people in another country with oftentimes limited training comes with risks — of errors, of misunderstandings and of security lapses.

Restoring consumer confidence in financial services won't be easy after the latest banking brouhaha, but the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau can help by proactively holding all mortgage loan officers to the same federal licensing standard.

The National Association of Realtors has partnered with VA Loan Captain to create a platform designed to help its members better serve the needs of military and veteran homebuyers and sellers.

The granular data and quick decisions that can help field a winning fantasy football team have a lot in common with the analytics tools that mortgage lenders use to monitor and evaluate their operations.

The number of unique individuals holding state mortgage licenses has risen 7.5% from one year ago, according to the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System.

A group of financial industry players — including mortgage servicers and credit unions — are joining together to form a new coalition promoting workforce diversity.

In order for the mortgage industry and its technology to evolve in the future, lenders and servicers must redefine their expectations for connectivity and demand more open integrations between the systems they use.

The greatest responsibility lenders and servicers have to homeowners is making sure property tax payment is accurate and on-time.

"Graceful" may not be the first word that comes to mind when thinking about last year's "Know Before You Owe" disclosure implementation, but one Texas loan officer has a different perspective.

It's time to move past the fear that digital mortgages will make loan officers obsolete.

Servicers got what they asked for when the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau limited the specificity of certain requirements in its final servicing rule. Now they may regret it.

Mortgage portfolio retention strategies typically focus on proactively approaching borrowers who can benefit from refinancing. But companies are increasingly using enhanced analytics to further segment their customer base and identify borrowers on the cusp of buying a new home.

Starkey Mortgage's Eric Glick prides himself on the dedication he brings to educating borrowers about a broad spectrum of topics. His approach starts by making sure he stays current on the latest industry trends. Here's how.