Wholesale lenders

Many big banks are backing away from the retail channel and FHA lending due to rising compliance costs. But U.S. Bank Home Mortgage President Tom Wind sees an opportunity to leverage those challenges to improve efficiency and transparency.

First Community Mortgage has added six loan products to its menu, each targeted to borrowers who are not eligible for a conforming or government mortgage.

Ellie Mae and Black Knight Financial Services offer mortgage lenders different value propositions so the competitive dynamic between the two companies hasn't changed, said Ellie Mae CEO Jonathan Corr.

Ellie Mae has launched the Encompass Lending Platform, allowing customers to integrate external systems and data, and build custom applications in the cloud.

A desire to own their own businesses led many loan officers to become mortgage brokers during the industry's growth period. As brokering regains its footing, that entrepreneurial spirit is making a comeback.

David Schneider, who became Ditech Financial's president in February, is no longer with the lender as parent company Walter Investment Management streamlines leadership under its new CEO, Anthony Renzi.

United Wholesale Mortgage has rolled out a new tool that allows mortgage brokers to receive automated income verification.

The National Association of Mortgage Brokers has created a new grant program that is designed to expand the mortgage broker channel by helping mortgage professionals open their own wholesale shops.

Impac Mortgage Holdings has released the pricing of an upcoming follow-on stock offering.

It's no secret that subprime lending played a heavy role in the demise of the mortgage broker. But to truly understand how brokers rose to prominence, it is helpful to look back to the channel's beginnings. Here's a look at three data points that sum up the rise and fall of the mortgage broker.