The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's crackdown on mortgage servicers' operations will increase the pressure on lenders to improve their processes, paperwork and communications with borrowers. National Mortgage News journalists discuss how both banks and nonbank servicers can get ahead of the new regulatory scrutiny.

Sales of previously owned homes dropped in January to the lowest level in more than a year as harsh winter weather combined with a lack of supply, tight credit and declining affordability slowed demand.

Lower volumes and increased regulation are leading more lenders to consider outsourcing. But the savings and compliance improvements must outweigh increased liability for contractors and a rise in offshore prices.

Once written off as an endangered species, nonbank home lenders are making a comeback in the third-party origination businesses abandoned by banks since the financial crisis.

Mortgage rates for 30-year loans climbed for a second week, cutting into affordability as the housing recovery shows signs of cooling.

The rate of new foreclosures dropped to the lowest level in eight years as rising property prices erased negative equity and allowed more delinquent homeowners to sell without losing money.

There are many conversations that take place during the mortgage process, and a lot of them are conversations between players in the industry.

A trend of fewer homeowners refinancing their mortgages as interest rates climb is helping to curb sales of home-loan bonds without government backing.

The pace of home construction declined more than forecast in January, indicating an unusually harsh winter probably played a role in slowing projects.

Platinum Data Solutions has completed an initial round of accuracy testing on the 18 automated valuation models that it resells to lenders and servicers.

Thousands of lenders post oceans of data each year to meet Home Mortgage Disclosure Act obligations. There may be more reporting requirements coming. Will the value of the new transparency outweigh the added compliance burden to lenders?

Confidence among homebuilders plunged in February by the most on record as bad weather limited prospective buyer traffic and depressed sales.

Ben Anderson is the early leader among survey respondents, with volume of $201 million in 2013.

• CFPB Servicing Standards
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The mortgage tech vendor is trying to maintain profits by signing and upgrading customers. The headwinds it faces reflect broader industrywide challenges: lower origination volume and new compliance requirements.

The mortgage industry has always been an adrenaline junkie, getting its thrills by riding the highest roller coaster it can find and hoping the landing will be soft this time. What if you could smooth out the highs and the lows?

Mortgage software firm Ellie Mae posted higher year-over-year revenue growth in the fourth quarter of 2013, but reported a dip in net income as operating expenses rose.

A New York startup vows to reduce risk and bring transparency and regulatory oversight to a much-hyped investment class.

The MBA builder survey points to a strong start for the spring selling season.

Luxury-apartment owners in New York are listing a record amount of properties for sale, testing the upper limits of what buyers are willing to pay even as median prices remain off their peak set almost six years ago.