Consumers traditionally pick the lender with the best rate and the lowest payment, but in a competitive marketplace, the customer's digital mortgage experience is often the first tiebreaker.

Maria Vullo is stepping down as head of New York's banking and insurance regulator after three years in which she created a national model for cybersecurity regulations at banks and fought back against federal attempts to chip away at payday-lending rules.

Texas Capital Bank, which already provides warehouse financing for e-mortgages, will now purchase these loans off those lines as it looks to increase liquidity for this product.

Plaid, which moves consumer data between financial institutions and fintechs, could expand overseas as part of a broad growth plan, according to a venture investor.

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee concluded that last year’s massive data breach at Equifax was fully preventable, but stopped short of recommending new laws aimed at averting future hacks. Democrats called the final report a “missed opportunity.”

Executives urged the consumer bureau at a public meeting to keep a closer eye on artificial intelligence innovations developed by fintech firms that are subject to less regulation.

Wire fraud is considered a consumer and title agent issue, but the millions of dollars it's diverting from home purchase transactions make it an issue mortgage lenders need to address, too.

Hometown Lenders Inc. will acquire TotalChoice Mortgage in a move to expand its geographic footprint and meet its goal of growing annual originations from $1 billion to $5 billion.

Equifax is supporting mortgage lender customer retention efforts with a new tool that predicts the likelihood that a lead will apply for a loan within the coming months.

Fintech adoption among real estate and title agents is accelerating, though their optimism on the housing market has tanked, according to First American Financial Corp.

Private mortgage insurers are moving away from traditional rate cards in favor of more granular risk-based pricing to make their products more competitive and efficient for lenders.

Ellie Mae plans to more quickly adapt to an evolving digital mortgage landscape with Amazon's help rebuilding from the inside-out.

In the latest example of how companies that control a significant portion of the home buying process can weave digital innovations throughout the customer experience, online real estate and mortgage company Redfin will implement electronic closing technology from Notarize.

FDIC Chairman Jelena McWilliams questioned whether regulators and banks are fully capturing the emerging risks of a new shadow banking system.

Mortgage fintech LoanSnap launched VA Smart Loans, which will provide personalized options to current and former service members applying for a Veterans Affairs-guaranteed mortgage.

Online personal lending pioneer Prosper is developing a home equity line of credit product that it will offer in partnership with banks. The embrace of traditional depositories marks a departure from fintech lenders that typically seek to disrupt and displace legacy institutions.

Lenders are constantly looking for ways they can streamline their operations and produce savings for themselves and their borrowers in order to compete in a leaner market this year.

The growth of digital mortgage origination channels has improved customer satisfaction with the process, but consumers still want personal interaction at some point, according to J.D. Power.

Black Knight added to its mortgage loan data product offerings by acquiring Ernst Publishing, an Albany, N.Y.-based provider of recording fee, transfer tax and title premium fee information.

Texas is expected to be the tipping point in online closing adoption, and title companies predict that e-closings will soon be standard operating procedure.