Technology

From a housing market in turmoil and the technology to save it to the myriad new faces in both the industry and Washington, here's a look back at some of the biggest and most read mortgage and housing stories of 2018.

Consumers traditionally pick the lender with the best rate and the lowest payment, but in a competitive marketplace, the customer's digital mortgage experience is often the first tiebreaker.

Maria Vullo is stepping down as head of New York's banking and insurance regulator after three years in which she created a national model for cybersecurity regulations at banks and fought back against federal attempts to chip away at payday-lending rules.

Class Valuation, a Troy, Mich.-based appraisal management company, acquired Landmark Network, which specializes in providing valuation services for reverse mortgages.

Texas Capital Bank, which already provides warehouse financing for e-mortgages, will now purchase these loans off those lines as it looks to increase liquidity for this product.

Plaid, which moves consumer data between financial institutions and fintechs, could expand overseas as part of a broad growth plan, according to a venture investor.

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee concluded that last year’s massive data breach at Equifax was fully preventable, but stopped short of recommending new laws aimed at averting future hacks. Democrats called the final report a “missed opportunity.”

Executives urged the consumer bureau at a public meeting to keep a closer eye on artificial intelligence innovations developed by fintech firms that are subject to less regulation.

Wire fraud is considered a consumer and title agent issue, but the millions of dollars it's diverting from home purchase transactions make it an issue mortgage lenders need to address, too.

Consolidation is coming in the mortgage industry, but a protracted timetable will continue to constrict industry profits.