Quicken Loans CEO Bill Emerson's term as chairman of the MBA underscores how the consumer-direct mortgage channel has grown from a quirky novelty to the force leading a technology revolution.

The CFPB’s expanded data requirements for the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act will create a powerful tool for analyzing fair lending compliance. But some say the initiative is a massive overreach that could compromise borrower privacy.

An alternative compliance model merges mortgage and home equity oversight by focusing on common operations is an innovative way to compete with the traditional manner of handling those efforts separately.

The head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warned software vendors that they face new scrutiny from regulators for causing mortgage lenders to miss the TRID-compliance deadline. He was vague about how far the CFPB might go, but many in the industry are prone to fear the worst.

From thrift deregulation to government domination, the mortgage business is prone to dramatic shifts. Here are 10 people who share the credit, or the blame, for major industry changes.

Over a third of appraisals during the third quarter featured property quality or condition ratings that did not match previous ratings, according to an Oct. 19 report from Platinum Data Solutions.

The big game changer in the mortgage industry is the "unquantifiable and increasing regulatory risk," said Tom Sanzone, Black Knight Financial Services' CEO at a press conference Monday at the MBA's Annual Convention in San Diego.

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services has released a new tool to help lenders navigate updated reporting requirements on mortgage loans announced by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau last week.

ComplianceEase has introduced an insurance-backed warranty program for audited loans.

Xome, a Nationstar Mortgage Holdings effort to automate the home-buying process, has launched a notary mobile app.

Reynolds & Reynolds, a provider of document-management software for automotive dealers, has acquired International Document Services, a provider a mortgage-document services.

Resitrader has introduced an online marketplace for the exchange of loan data, documents and pricing information.

Roostify has closed a Series A investment round led by Texas-based financial services company USAA, the San Francisco-based automated mortgage transaction platform company announced Thursday.

Ellie Mae has agreed to purchase St. Louis-based Mortgage Returns, which provides customer-relationship management services.

LendingTree already offers a Yelp-like community where consumers can rate loan officers. Now it has created a question-and-answer forum within its loan officer directory platform.

Clayton Holdings in Shelton, Conn., has agreed to buy ValuAmerica, a settlement services provider headquartered in Pittsburgh.

By using data from both post-closing and prefunding quality control reviews, lenders can craft a more proactive prefunding QC strategy that takes into account high-risk areas that are specific to their businesses.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development launched a new ethics program that will support whistleblower, ombudsman and hotline initiatives.

Mortgage credit availability increased in September on offerings of Freddie Mac's affordable lending programs, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

An initiative underway at Freddie Mac seeks to integrate new and existing technology to create a comprehensive suite of quality control tools designed to help lenders manage their mortgage repurchase risks.