Technology

When husband and wife Rick and Patty Arvielo set out to establish a strong corporate culture for their company, New American Funding, they turned to a leadership seminar from online retailer Zappos.

National Mortgage News is pleased to present the inaugural Best Mortgage Companies to Work For, a survey and awards program dedicated to identifying and recognizing the industry's best employers and providing organizations with valuable employee feedback.

The Best Mortgage Companies to Work For study is a collaboration between National Mortgage News and the Best Companies Group, which conducts extensive employee surveys and reviews employer reports on benefits and policies.

Mr. Cooper Group is buying servicing rights on $24 billion in mortgages, a subservicing contract for an additional $24 billion in home loans and the Seterus platform from IBM.

A new marketing tool lets consumers start the mortgage prequalification process by sending a text message, providing would-be borrowers with credit and loan program details and offering lenders a low-cost source of leads.

With its bolstered fundraising cache, the Mortgage Bankers Association Political Action Committee should hold an increased influence over the industry's policy and regulation issues in the coming year.

The expected decline in conventional mortgage volume may open the door for more non-qualified mortgage lending as secondary market investors seek new opportunities to deploy capital, says Tom Millon, CEO of Capital Markets Cooperative.

Mortgage technology is rapidly advancing, with incumbents and new entrants scrambling to take advantage of developments in artificial intelligence and automation. The goal? Beat the customer expectations set by Amazon and Uber, not just other lenders, says KPMG Managing Director Teresa Blake.

As the mortgage industry braces for even more market uncertainty in 2019, emerging technologies that improve the borrower experience and streamline back-office tasks may provide a glimmer of hope to beleaguered lenders.

The biggest question is whether new CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger will deviate from the pro-industry policies of her predecessor, or bring continuity.