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AmeriHome, Snapdocs partner to expand eNote adoption

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AmeriHome Correspondent, the country’s largest bank-owned correspondent mortgage investor, has partnered with Snapdocs to facilitate broader adoption of eNotes across its lending network, which includes independent mortgage banks, credit unions and commercial banks. As part of the partnership, AmeriHome will begin accepting eNotes through Snapdocs’ eVault platform. Leaders said the decision is a response to […]

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AI in mortgage is about evolution, not revolution

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AI is everywhere—dominating headlines, conference agendas, and maybe even your smart refrigerator. And yes, it’s reshaping industries, including mortgages. But if you’re expecting AI to magically transform your business into a fully automated mortgage utopia while you sip your latte, it’s time for a reality check. AI isn’t a magic wand. Its real value (at […]

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LENDEM Solutions hires Krish Dhokia as CMO

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Krish Dhokia Dhokia was named a 2023 HousingWire Marketing Leader during his time at California-based Kind Lending, a top 50 U.S. lender. He joined that company as its CMO in March 2022 following a stint at Fairway as vice president of Texas-based analytics and decision management company LENDEM Solutions announced that Krish Dhokia, a former […]

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Staying the course on compliance: Why lenders can’t afford to let their guard down

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With federal oversight shifting under the current administration, some mortgage lenders may feel less pressure to prioritize compliance and loan quality. But, according to industry experts Amanda Phillips, General Counsel and EVP of Compliance at ACES Quality Management, and Richard J. Andreano, Jr., Practice Leader of the Mortgage Banking Group at Ballard Spahr LLP, loosening […]

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ESG team at Fannie Mae has been terminated: sources

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The environmental, social, and governance (ESG) team at Fannie Mae has reportedly been dismissed in its entirety, according to multiple sources who spoke with HousingWire. Laurel Davis, who served as a senior vice president and head of the company’s mission and impact, was reportedly included in the cuts, alongside the rest of the ESG team’s […]

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Rithm eyes M&A, but won’t sacrifice earnings

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Executives at Rithm Capital, the parent of multichannel mortgage lender Newrez, said on Friday that the firm will not sacrifice earnings for growth, even amid the mortgage industry wave of consolidation represented by the Rocket Companies’ acquisition of Mr. Cooper Group.   That doesn’t mean Rithm is sitting on the sidelines. New York-based Rithm plans to […]

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Former loanDepot CFO Patrick Flanagan lands at Rate

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Former loanDepot chief financial officer Patrick Flanagan announced on LinkedIn on Thursday that he’s starting a new position as executive vice president of financial strategy at Rate. Flanagan was one of four senior executives brought on during Anthony Hsieh’s tenure at loanDepot who left the company just two months after its founder was ousted from […]

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Economic jitters are stressing out LOs and their clients

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Jordan Bernbaum has been feeling anxious these last few weeks. “On the client end, they’re seeing the news and understanding the situation pretty well,” the NEXA Mortgage senior loan officer said. “On my end, it’s a stress-inducing emotional roller coaster of always worrying when I should be locking. I haven’t lost any deals from it […]

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Dark Matter launches Developer Portal for an open API ecosystem

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Dark Matter Technologies unveiled a new Developer Portal Thursday during its second annual Horizon user conference. The Developer Portal marks an evolution for Dark Matter’s Empower loan origination system (LOS), moving from API access to “a fully open API ecosystem.” The portal also provides external developers with self-service access to documentation, code samples and integration […]

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Better, Biz2Credit partner to offer small biz financing via home equity products

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Better.com today announced a new partnership with Biz2Credit, which will provide Biz2Credit’s customers the option to receive $50,000 to $500,000 in additional financing options through Better.com’s Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) and Home Equity Loan (HELOAN) products. As a part of the partnership, Biz2Credit customers will be offered a $250 price concession when funding […]

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Smarter subservicing: Elevating efficiency & customer experience

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Lenders face constant pressures to scale their operations while maintaining profitability. Growing and retaining a servicing portfolio helps to maintain and diversify the revenue of a mortgage company, but it isn’t always the sole way to increase productivity. That’s where mortgage subservicers come in. Subservicers take over administrative tasks, leaving you and your organization time […]

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PHH’s Liberty Reverse Mortgage relaunches EquityIQ proprietary product

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A proprietary reverse mortgage product first made available prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and before its discontinuation is now making a return, according to an announcement this week by Onity Group. EquityIQ, the proprietary reverse mortgage product from Onity subsidiary PHH Mortgage Corp.’s reverse mortgage brand Liberty Reverse Mortgage, is now available through the company’s […]

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Mortgage demand sinks 13% as rates soar

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Mortgage applications decreased 12.7% from a week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending April 18, 2025.  The index decreased 11% on an unadjusted basis compared with the previous week. The refinance index decreased 20% from the previous week, but was still 43% higher than […]

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Pennymac’s profits shrink, but its servicing portfolio now stands at a massive $680B

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PennyMac Financial Services Inc. (PFSI) on Tuesday reported net income of $76.3 million for the first quarter of 2025 after it posted revenue of $430.9 million. These numbers were down from the previous quarter’s figures of $104.5 million and $470.1 million, respectively. The California-based lender’s pretax income was $104.2 million, which was down from $129.4 […]

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CHLA urges congressional restraint on mortgage fees in budget bill

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Lawmakers in Congress are about to embark on deliberations that will shape government spending, aiming to balance political priorities with the realities of narrow Republican majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate. But if any conversation turns to imposing larger fees on homeownership transactions, they should be handily rejected. This is according to […]

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Mortgage rates bolt back toward 7%

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Mortgage rates had been trending downward for much of 2025, but that’s changed in the past week as markets digest the impacts of a global trade war and investors speculate that the Federal Reserve could lose its independence. At HousingWire’s Mortgage Rates Center on Tuesday, 30-year conforming rates averaged 6.98% — up 20 basis points […]

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Randell Gillespie named president of LeaderOne

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Veteran mortgage executive Randell Gillespie has been named president of Kansas City-based mortgage shop LeaderOne. Gillespie joins LeaderOne following a long stint at Thrive Mortgage and Lower, which merged in early 2024. He most recently served as chief production officer at the combined company before his departure in February 2025. “This company was built for […]

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Closing costs for the typical home purchase now top $4,600

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Homebuyers paid an average of $4,661 in closing costs on purchase mortgages last year, according to a new report from LodeStar Software Solutions. The company released its first-ever purchase mortgage closing cost report. The findings showed that, on average, closing costs represented 1.06% of home sale prices at the national level. The median percentage came […]

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Prudent AI promotes Paul Gigliotti to chief growth officer

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Mortgage technology platform Prudent AI on Monday announced the promotion of Paul Gigliotti to the role of chief growth officer. Gigliotti has more than 20 years of experience in the mortgage lending and fintech realms, and he will oversee the company’s revenue, sales and marketing strategies. “Paul’s exceptional ability to identify strategic opportunities and forge […]

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Pulte says he’s done making leadership changes at the GSEs

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Following several months of leadership shakeups, program cuts and administrative announcements regarding the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, FHFA Director Bill Pulte took to social media platform X on Monday morning to confirm that he does “not forsee” any more executive leadership changes at the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). Pulte’s post […]

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CrossCountry, Blend announce partnership to drive IMB growth

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CrossCountry Mortgage and digital banking platform Blend on Monday announced an expanded partnership to drive innovation for independent mortgage banks (IMBs). The partnership brings together CrossCountry‘s 7,000-plus employees across more than 700 branches and Blend‘s technology platform that powered nearly $1.2 trillion in loan applications in 2024. As part of this collaboration, the two companies […]

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Assessing the reverse mortgage technology landscape

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Reverse mortgages have a minimum age requirement that serves as a key differentiator for the product. But it also leads to questions about how much — or how little — technology tools can or should interact with the business. But things seemed to take a step forward last week when one of the leading lenders […]

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NRMLA announces 2025 western, annual meeting details

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Less than two weeks ahead of its first in-person meeting of the year, the premiere trade association for the reverse mortgage industry has announced preliminary details for both its upcoming regional meeting and its annual meeting and expo slated for later this year. The National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA) announced in a member update […]

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With CFPB gutted, what’s next for mortgage compliance?

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Mortgage lenders shouldn’t interpret the downsizing of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) as a green light to ease compliance, despite potential mass layoffs and a shift in priorities, industry experts told HousingWire. As part of the Trump administration’s latest moves, more than 1,400 employees, out of 1,700 total, were told they were laid off […]

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FundingShield: Wire, title fraud risk hits record high

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Nearly half of real estate transactions reviewed in the first quarter of 2025 showed signs of potential wire and title fraud, according to a report from FundingShield. The company analyzed a portfolio of residential, commercial and business-purpose loans totaling approximately $80 billion. It found that 46.8% of these transactions contained issues that could lead to […]

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March new home mortgage applications increased 5.5%

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The Mortgage Bankers Association‘s (MBA) Builder Application Survey (BAS) data for March 2025 revealed that mortgage applications for new home purchases increased 5.5% compared to a year ago. Compared to last month, applications increased by 14%. By product type, conventional loans composed 49.0% of loan applications, FHA loans composed 37.0%, RHS/USDA loans composed 0.9% and […]

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The CFPB announces sweeping job cuts: up to 90% gone

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More than 1,400 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) workers were terminated from their positions on Thursday, sources told WIRED. There were around 1,700 employees in total at the CFPB. Fox Business reports that around 1,500 workers will receive RIF notices across core functions, based on an unnamed source. This move is the latest in the Trump […]

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HUD makes it official — it will seek new headquarters

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Following speculation about whether it would actively seek a new home base, an announcement made Thursday by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has made it official. HUD is coordinating with the General Services Administration (GSA) to add the current HUD headquarters “to the accelerated disposition list in order to engage the […]