Tag Archives: mortgage

After undergoing an extensive testing process, a mortgage document preparation vendor announced its Uniform Closing Dataset XML file has been certified by the GSEs. This new way of submitting documents will be required by Fannie and Freddie starting in the fall for all lenders selling to them. The company trusts this will bring consistency, transparency and clarity to the mortgage industry.

Out-of-sync technologies are holding businesses back, according to a recent report. Additionally, make it hard to serve the millennial homebuyer, who expects a more seamless, digitized solution when purchasing a home. This is largely because tech solutions in today’s post-crisis, highly-regulated industry are product-specific, which creates a “complex ecosystem made up of siloed disparate systems.”

Alterra Home Loans, a minority-owned mortgage bank based in Las Vegas and with a presence in 26 states, announced Monday the addition of Tom Middleton as SVP of Business Development and National Expansion.

Nationstar Holdings reported declining income in Q1. The market overall saw declines in mortgage revenue with PNC Financial Services Group, Wells Fargo, and JPMorgan Chase all reporting reductions in mortgage revenue in the quarter, but what drove Nationstar in Q1 was its strong servicing segment.

A new report shows foreclosure filings are down 23 percent since last year, hitting their lowest point since November 2005. Foreclosure starts and completions are also down over the year, though repeat foreclosures have seen an increase. The only places to see jumps in foreclosure activity were New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and D.C.

Reflecting promises made on the campaign trail, President Trump’s tax reform proposal appears to be an effort to reduce tax burdens for Americans as well as simplify the nation’s tax structure. Based on the outline presented this week, we now have a clearer picture of the administration’s primary goals for tax reform, but those goals will need to be formalized in detailed legislation.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will now enjoy the nine standard exemptions of the Freedom of Information Act, thanks to a recent amendment to HR 1694. According to the amendment's sponsor, it will help ensure privacy and transparency at the entities. Passed in April, HR 1694 requires the GSEs to adhere to the FOIA for the first time since entering conservatorship.

On Thursday, VantageScore Solutions, LLC and TransUnion released the VantageScore Default Risk Index (DRI) for Q4 2016. According to the DRI, when it comes to default risk, mortgages pose a lower threat than auto loans, student loans, and bankcards with the DRI for these four categories came in at 85.4 (mortgage) , 89.3 (auto), 90.0 (student loans), and 96.8 (bankcards) respectively. Despite the lower default risk compared to other debt categories, mortgage risk is up quarter-over-quarter.

The number of seriously underwater properties is on the decline, according to a recent home equity report. Approximately 5.5 million U.S. homes were seriously underwater for the quarter—a drop from last year’s 6.7 million. As a percentage of all mortgages, seriously underwater loans also dropped, accounting for 9.7 percent of all loans versus the 12 percent of Q1 2016.

The Federal Open Market Committee opted to keep the federal funds rate as-is during its May meeting. The FOMC raised the rate in March from 0.75 to 1 percent. It was largely expected that the FOMC would raise rates at least two more times over the course of 2017.