Risk

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.

The J.G. Wentworth Co.'s financial results improved in the third quarter, due in part to an increase in mortgage originations, but it continued to operate at a loss.

Lenders holding a majority share in The J.G. Wentworth Co. agreed late last week to restructure and deleverage the embattled company as its operations stabilize and its mortgage unit grows.

Lenders selling loans through Freddie Mac's system experienced access difficulties Monday afternoon, when the government-sponsored enterprise sent out an alert to lenders about the problem.

Fannie Mae is testing a conforming loan product that makes use of a New Hampshire law that lets manufactured housing in resident-owned communities get treated like units in a co-operative building.

Fannie Mae is staging more pilot projects with lenders and vendors, including one that consolidates submissions of different types of loan data potentially eligible for immediate representation and warranty relief.

Competition between fintech, marketplace and traditional mortgage lenders often focuses on borrower-facing automation and other technology. What gets overlooked is how differences in their funding sources create another area of competition.

Over 172,000 homes in Napa and Santa Rosa, Calif., are at some level of risk from wildfires, according to CoreLogic.

Competition in other areas of consumer lending has driven both VantageScore and FICO to build credit scoring models that are more accurate and more consumer-friendly. Permitting that competition in the mortgage market can increase certainty for lenders and transparency for investors.

Wall Street firm Morgan Stanley is almost done completing tasks mandated under the terms of a mortgage settlement in New York.

Mortgage lenders took on more risk in the second quarter as the share of loans to real estate investors and condominium owners increased, according to CoreLogic.

Reverse mortgage lenders are stretched thin to the point of having to turn borrowers away as seniors rush to get ahead of Home Equity Conversion Mortgage changes that will raise fees and lower loan limits.

Ginnie Mae will more closely examine liquidity at all issuers in response to complaints by the HUD inspector general that it would be vulnerable to defaults at nonbanks it does business with.

The proposal is aimed at a simpler capital regime particularly for community banks, but some industry representatives and regulators themselves questioned whether the plan went far enough.

Ginnie Mae is giving expanded loan buyout authority to certain issuers in order to help them remove loans affected by Hurricanes Irma and Harvey from securitized mortgage pools.

Mortgage investors want Freddie Mac to align its policy with Fannie Mae's when it comes to how delinquencies related to Hurricane Harvey affect credit risk transfer deals.

EU-based banks are citing a U.S. Treasury Department report as reason to slow-walk international regulatory standards.

The Mortgage Bankers Association wants the Department of Housing and Urban Development to tweak a policy on re-inspections of homes that are in a pending sale during a natural disaster.

Return on investment from flipping houses has declined nationwide for three straight quarters. Here's a look at five cities that still offer robust returns and five markets worth avoiding.

Banks should not point blame at the credit bureau but rather should step up and demonstrate their commitment to their customers. If you punt the problem to Equifax, it suggests you don’t really care.