Risk

Home affordability is near lows last seen post-crisis but there is hope wage growth that is outpacing home prices in many counties could reverse or slow the trend.

The industry expects to lean on technological efficiencies this year as higher rates and dwindling refinances test their businesses.

Fintech could cut the closing times on the simplest home loans by more than 50%, but the mortgage business' complexity means there are limits to how much time and money can be saved.

Fannie Mae has obtained reinsurance for $510 million of credit losses on $20.4 billion of single-family residential mortgages through a pair of credit insurance risk transfer transactions.

With refinance volume shrinking, some lenders are making up the difference by turning to alternative loan products for borrowers with lower credit scores.

Higher interest rates have reduced prepayments to levels not seen since 2014.

Freddie Mac will soon allow automated underwriting of borrowers who lack scores but have other financial records.

Servicers are able to borrow more against their Ginnie Mae mortgage servicing rights as financing providers become more comfortable with the collateral.

Shellpoint is marketing another offering of private-label mortgage bonds backed primarily by loans it acquired rather than loans originated by its own New Penn subsidiary.

A startup lender is catering to tech-savvy, do-it-yourself borrowers by using online and mobile tools to replace the upfront sales and marketing work of salespeople.

Soaring home values have property taxes on the rise. Servicers must be vigilant about borrower payment shock that can add complexity to escrow services and portfolio management. Here's a look at the states with the largest tax hikes.

A $165 million cash settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit that alleged investors were misled about the safety of mortgage-backed securities comprised of loans originated by now-defunct subprime lender NovaStar Mortgage Inc.

Walter Investment Management Corp. narrowed its fourth-quarter losses, as disappointed CEO Anthony Renzi called the nonbank lender and servicer's third consecutive annual loss "not acceptable."

Freddie Mac is preparing a transaction that transfers credit risk on $640 million of super-conforming residential mortgages.

Mill City Holdings is returning to market with its fourth securitization of reperforming residential mortgages, this time with a sliver of home equity lines of credit added to the mix of collateral.

Altisource Portfolio Solutions has launched a new mortgage trading platform for mortgage bankers and loan investors.

Rising interest rates have slowed a recent run of unexpectedly high prepayments of government-insured mortgages, making servicing rights for loans held in Ginnie Mae securities more attractive to investors.

The reduction in refinance activity as the mortgage industry pivots toward purchase transactions amid higher interest rates has caused loan defect and fraud risk to rise, according to First American Financial Corp.

CoreLogic has released a new platform that provides information on lien and equity positions for whole loan traders and servicers.

High origination volume and increased nonbank participation fueled another banner year for warehouse lenders, according to The Reynolds Group.