Technology

Lennar Corp. closed its first fully electronic digital mortgage with a remote notary, just a few months after the homebuilder made an equity investment in digital mortgage vendor Notarize.

Future reductions in loan application defect risk are likely because of mortgage lenders' fintech investments, even as the purchase origination share grows, said First American Financial.

The vast majority of consumers start the mortgage process with internet research, but when it comes time to initiate contact with a lender, borrowers are nearly as likely to pick up the phone as they are to connect online.

Wire fraud committed through business email compromise schemes has emerged as a serious threat to mortgage and real estate transactions. Defending against these scams requires a comprehensive strategy that includes technology, training and nonstop vigilance.

Fraudsters can track a home sale from the moment it goes on the market until the deal closes, make these transactions a ripe target for business email compromise scams that seek to intercept wire transfers and steal from legitimate participants in a deal.

Moody's Investors Service downgraded JPMorgan Chase's prime jumbo mortgage originator assessment to its second-highest rating, citing the bank's growing reliance on correspondents with delegated underwriting authority and shortcomings in its technology infrastructure.

Post-crisis measures made it harder for rogue borrowers and employees to commit fraud. Now, a new threat has emerged from scammers posing as title agents, real estate professionals and more.

Private-label versions of the Federal Housing Administration's Home Equity Conversion Mortgage have spread to the point where a widely-used loan origination system has added technology to handle the product.

Tech-focused startups are knocking on the door of a $15 billion industry that's dominated by just four companies: Title insurance.

Several states pledged to compensate for a slowdown in enforcement at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under Mick Mulvaney, but their efforts have been complicated by tight budgets and doubts over whether such initiatives are necessary.