Technology

Freddie Mac plans this year to start regularly issuing the credit-linked notes it began using as a form of risk-sharing last year.

Acquiring the mortgage analytics vendor Interthinx would give First American more products and services to match its rival title insurer Fidelity National — and former subsidiary CoreLogic, spun off in 2010.

Housing boom-era mortgage securitizations, written off as "toxic waste" during the financial crisis, are performing better than investors once expected, thanks to the rebound in home prices.

The appraisal industry has seen many changes within the past few years, and with greater oversight and scrutiny coming from every direction—appraisers are under the microscope.

Mortgage rates for 30-year loans fell for a fifth week as stock market volatility and weaker-than-expected economic reports drove investors to the safety of the government bonds.

First American Financial Corp. signed a definitive agreement to acquire Interthinx for $155 million from its parent company, Verisk Analytics.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are not properly using a web portal developed to collect and screen appraisal information in order to minimize losses, according to an audit released Thursday.

The Federal Housing Administration's long-awaited decision to start accepting electronic signatures on mortgage documents will cut down on costs and streamline operations for banks and other mortgage lenders. But the industry still faces several hurdles before it can reap the benefits of this technology upgrade.

The contest, as it were, is not really over when the big game ends.

Mortgage applications volume increased 0.4% on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending Jan. 31, according to the MBA.