Productivity is reduced when loan officers, processors and underwriters ask borrowers for the same data.

Confidence among homebuilders dropped in May to the lowest level in a year, showing the residential real estate market may be slow to recover after an unusually harsh winter.

So, every week I write a column in this space, and often I get some interesting feedback.

Mortgage applications increased during the week ending May 9, driven by a jump in requests for refinancings, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Clarifying if a gift card giveaway on my business Facebook page is a violation of the anti-kickback section of RESPA.

Home prices nationwide jumped by 11.3% in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, according to an analysis released Tuesday by CoreLogic.

The Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corp. reported a decline in first-quarter profits driven largely by the early refinancing of agricultural securities.

Lenders and loan officers are increasingly using social media to scout for customers, raising a host of compliance concerns, from preventing unauthorized use of brands to monitoring employee communications.

Prices for single-family homes climbed in 74% of U.S. cities in the first quarter, fewer than a year earlier, as the nation’s housing rebound cools.

D.R. Horton said it paid $210 million for the homebuilding operations of Crown Communities, the largest residential developer in the Atlanta area, where new-home demand is still recovering from the recession.

Mortgage originators have been slow to adopt this tool which can assist in educating potential clients about your products and services.

HSH.com, a New Jersey-based publisher of consumer loan information, released an online tool to help consumers calculate the cost of a mortgage.

Mortgage rates for 30-year loans fell to a six-month low, reducing borrowing costs for homebuyers as the property market cools amid a slow economic recovery.

Mortgage debt held by the elderly has soared over the past decade, driven in part by the foreclosure crisis, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said in a report.

Mortgage applications increased 5.3% for the week ending May 2, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Commercial and multifamily mortgage loan originations fell by 45% in the first quarter from the previous quarter, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The title giant is betting it can capitalize on growing demand for technologies that will help lenders stay competitive. The challenge will be doing so without getting stung itself by the industry's regulatory and volume problems.

The Federal Housing Administration's new electronic signature policy contains confusing language that could stifle lender adoption, despite its good intentions, paperless-mortgage advocates warn.

Lenders do not necessarily have to work with AMCs. However, in reviewing all they take on and manage, it is clear where the benefit of an external partner comes into play.

The quarter's revenue and profits could have been worse, according to CEO Sig Anderman, especially since "following the outage we experienced on March 31, we incurred forensic and consulting fees."