Technology

One year into her tenure as SunTrust Banks' mortgage transformation officer, Sherry Graziano has put into motion several initiatives that are redefining the role of loan officers at the Atlanta-headquartered company.

The Federal Housing Administration and Ginnie Mae will use their lagging digital mortgage positions to their advantage as they put an emphasis on building their technology.

Mortgage technology company Ellie Mae, which was recently bought by private equity investor Thoma Bravo, underwent restructuring and reduced its staff by 10%.

Not only do Gen-Xers have the home buying power and technological insights and ability, but they also have more decision makers in the mortgage industry than millennials, and thereby possess supply power in the rising demand for e-closings.

First-quarter operating revenue in Equifax's Mortgage Solutions unit was the lowest it's been for the fiscal period since 2016, and the company anticipates declines in this division will remain a concern.

New legislation in Iowa that allows banks and credit unions to utilize electronic notaries could help local lenders compete with online competitors.

Zillow's mortgage division experienced better customer demand in the first quarter than it expected, but its revenue was outweighed by expenses that led to a pretax loss of $9.6 million.

Investors can now exchange certain existing Freddie Mac bonds for to-be-announced uniform mortgage-backed securities in preparation for the full launch of UMBS next month.

Regions Bank, like many lenders, has seen its refinancing volume shrink dramatically as a percentage of overall originations over the last few years, prompting it to refocus its mortgage bankers on very different purchase originations.

Customer retention for mortgage servicers hit an all-time low at the start of the year, and a sensitive mortgage rate environment is only creating more competition, according to Black Knight.