As the real estate market continues to make a comeback, CUs are turning to a credit union service organization to help them book more loans.

Foreclosure inventory is down 31% nationally from one year ago, but this rate remains elevated relative to the pre-crisis level, says a CoreLogic economist.

Higher new home sales may involve discounts to entice buyers.

Small lenders have reduced their payrolls by 11,000 workers since June.

The real estate brokerage adds that when compared with 2012, the drop-off is not as severe.

These firms believe they will continue to grow their businesses.

Investors are anticipating the Federal Reserve to start its taper program soon and that impacted interest rates during a short week.

There was strong homebuyer demand in all four regions tracked in a government report, surprising many economists who had predicted a slight decline overall.

Independent mortgage bankers’ net income declined 60 basis points between the second and third quarters, Richey May data show. Some penny pinching is in order.

The percentage of U.S. commercial real estate loans that are 30 or more days late has dropped 268 basis points since reaching an all-time high of 10.3% in the summer of 2012.

Appreciation will slow going forward as seasonal factors come into play.

Since the fall of 2011, national property values are up 17%. But in November, quarterly growth was 1.8%, down from the previous quarter’s 3.3% uptick.

An outsourcing services provider is buying a capital markets consultancy for $75 million, and separately a mortgage company is outfitting its new servicing unit with lien-release technology.

I am thankful for the best of the hunters among us, the professional loan officer, who is good for the industry.

Commitments to buy new mortgages unexpectedly increased in October.

Website comments aren’t readers’ only venue for telling us how smart or dumb we are at NMN.

Despite existing home transactions being low and recent construction activity remaining below normal levels, all 42 counties tracked by DataQuick reported an increase in property values.

Regulatory pressure is expected to be as strong as ever next year when mortgage lenders and servicers will test new waters in compliance implementation, process improvements and business strategies. Market veterans find regulatory compliance risks are higher almost in every area of the business.

Shrinking origination volumes and margins have reduced lenders’ training efforts, but they are willing to invest in programs and systems that ensure compliance or payoff.

Even though home price appreciation was up 5.2% on a yearly basis, it still is a much slower pace than the 7% figure that was seen over the summer.