General World News

ReverseVision acquired by Constellation Software

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Reverse mortgage software solutions and loan origination system (LOS) provider ReverseVision announced on Thursday morning that it has been acquired by a division of Toronto-based Constellation Software, a holding company that bought another mortgage LOS in 2019. Staff at San Diego-based ReverseVision was informed of the sale this morning. Terms of the deal were not […]

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Freddie Mac posts $12.1B income in 2021

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Freddie Mac reported a net income of $12.1 billion for 2021, a 65% increase from 2020. The government-sponsored enterprise saw a 20% growth in its single-family mortgage portfolio from 2020 to 2021, driven by soaring home prices and an increase in the average size of loans it acquired. Freddie Mac’s net worth is now $28 […]

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Redwood Trust puts red ink in the rearview mirror  

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Mill Valley, California-based Redwood Trust Inc. (NYSE: RWT) on Wednesday reported fourth-quarter 2021 net income of $44 million, or $0.34 per diluted share, matching the Zacks consensus EPS estimate for the quarter. The earnings were off the company’s fourth-quarter 2020 mark of $54.3 million and down from third-quarter 2021 earnings of $88.3 million. Still, the Mill Valley-California real estate investment […]

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Mortgage rates jump to 3.69% as economy normalizes

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The average 30-year-fixed rate mortgage climbed to 3.69% for the week ending Feb. 3, up eight basis points from the previous week. It’s the highest level since the start of the pandemic, according to the latest Freddie Mac PMMS Mortgage Survey. Before the uptick, the rates remained flat at 3.55% for three weeks, reflecting the impact of […]

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Why is our industry still transferring money with paper checks?

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While the real estate industry has witnessed the introduction of a number of spectacular and innovative developments in recent years, we still (sometimes unfairly) get tagged as “old fashioned” or “conservative.” This is especially true on the financial services side when it comes to transferring money for real estate. There’s really no experience quite like […]

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Refi interest is down 52% from last year

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Mortgage applications decreased 8.1% from the previous week, a response to an uptick in mortgage rates, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) survey for the week ending Feb. 4. The seasonally adjusted refi index fell 7.3% while the purchase index dropped 9.6%. Compared to the same week one year ago, mortgage apps overall dropped 39.6%, with a sharp decline in […]

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Fannie Mae cues up a $1.3B reperforming loan sale 

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Fannie Mae this week unveiled its 24th sale of reperforming loans since its first offering in 2016. The current deal is composed of more than 8,000 mortgages with an aggregate unpaid principal balance of $1.3 billion. The sale of reperforming loans (RPLs) is being marketed in collaboration with Citigroup Global Markets, with bids due by […]

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Like it or not, desktop appraisals are here to stay

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Desktop appraisals arrived in March of 2020, allowing the housing market to keep humming while many stayed indoors to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Allowing appraisals without a walk-through was one of several flexibilities the Federal Housing Finance Agency allowed in light of the pandemic. Use of desktop or exterior-only appraisals peaked in April 2020, […]

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NewRez lays off 386 following Caliber acquisition

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Powerhouse lender and servicer New Residential Investment Corp. has reduced hundreds of job positions in its mortgage division, less than a year after acquiring the multichannel lender Caliber Home Loans. In total, NewRez LLC, the publicly traded company’s mortgage arm, is laying off 386 employees, about 3% of the division’s workforce, a company spokesperson confirmed […]

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When borrowers ‘ghost’ their servicers

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Larry Goldstone is tired of being ghosted. He is used to it by now, but the problem has only gotten worse since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Goldstone has tried contact via phone calls and emails consistently. If necessary, he even knocks on doors — without success. He has talked openly about it but […]

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Home-equity investment pioneer Unison taps the secondary market

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#2022 ” data-image-caption=” Home equity, property value ” data-medium-file=”https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/newsroom-template_homeequity.png?w=300″ data-large-file=”https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/newsroom-template_homeequity.png?w=1024″ width=”1200″ height=”700″ src=”https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/newsroom-template_homeequity.png?w=1024″ alt=”2022 Home equity” class=”wp-image-335167″ srcset=”https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/newsroom-template_homeequity.png 1200w, https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/newsroom-template_homeequity.png?resize=150,88 150w, https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/newsroom-template_homeequity.png?resize=300,175 300w, https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/newsroom-template_homeequity.png?resize=768,448 768w, https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/newsroom-template_homeequity.png?resize=1024,597 1024w, https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/newsroom-template_homeequity.png?resize=600,350 600w” sizes=”(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px”>San Francisco-based fintech firm Unison plans several securitization deals to market in 2022, with private label offerings backed by home-equity assets. San Francisco-based […]

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Santander to begin laying off mortgage employees

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Pink slips will start arriving for Santander Bank’s employees working in the mortgage and home equity businesses following the bank’s announcement to stop originating such loans in the United States. In Pennsylvania, the company announced 53 permanent layoffs with effective date on April 8, according to a Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification (WARN) sent to the […]

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The fate of HUD

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Few things terrify lenders more than the arrival of a manila envelope from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) containing a redlining allegation. In recent months, HUD investigators have made redlining cases a departmental priority, according to interviews with attorneys who have reviewed the complaints, and lenders who declined to comment on the […]

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UWM sues broker shop for sending loans to Rocket, Fairway

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United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) is making good on its threat to take legal action against partnering broker shops that also send business to Rocket Mortgage and Fairway Independent Mortgage, a violation of the wholesaler’s controversial broker agreement. UWM filed a lawsuit in Michigan federal court late Thursday that claims America’s MoneyLine, a high-volume mortgage brokerage […]

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Pennymac Financial Services’ profit sinks 31% in Q4

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California-based nonbank mortgage lender Pennymac Financial Services posted record loan production last year, but a significant decline in net profits. Reflecting the higher rate landscape, in the last three months of 2021, the servicing segment brought more returns to the company than production.   The company reported a net income of $1 billion in 2021, […]

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Freddie Mac opens 2022 with two large CRT offerings

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Freddie Mac recently announced that its credit-risk transfer (CRT) program is projecting note-issuance volume of at least $25 billion in 2022. The government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) has made its first down-payment on that projection by issuing two single-family CRT note offerings totaling $3.3 billion so far this year that are secured by reference loan pools valued […]

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Here are 4 macro trends impacting the 2022 housing market

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MSR ” data-image-caption=”” data-medium-file=”https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/HW-money-house-balance.png?w=300″ data-large-file=”https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/HW-money-house-balance.png?w=1024″ width=”1200″ height=”778″ src=”https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/HW-money-house-balance.png?w=1024″ alt=”HW+ money house balance” class=”wp-image-330483″ srcset=”https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/HW-money-house-balance.png 1200w, https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/HW-money-house-balance.png?resize=150,97 150w, https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/HW-money-house-balance.png?resize=300,195 300w, https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/HW-money-house-balance.png?resize=768,498 768w, https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/HW-money-house-balance.png?resize=1024,664 1024w, https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/HW-money-house-balance.png?resize=600,389 600w” sizes=”(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px”> This article is part of our HousingWire 2022 forecast series. After the series wraps, join us on February 8 for the HW+ Virtual 2022 Forecast Event. […]

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Mortgage stocks are in free fall. So what’s next?

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#2022 ” data-image-caption=” mortgage rates, mortgage rates decrease, lower mortgage rates ” data-medium-file=”https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/newsroom-template_mortgagerates.png?w=300″ data-large-file=”https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/newsroom-template_mortgagerates.png?w=1024″ width=”1200″ height=”700″ src=”https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/newsroom-template_mortgagerates.png?w=1024″ alt=”Mortgage rates” class=”wp-image-335013″ srcset=”https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/newsroom-template_mortgagerates.png 1200w, https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/newsroom-template_mortgagerates.png?resize=150,88 150w, https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/newsroom-template_mortgagerates.png?resize=300,175 300w, https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/newsroom-template_mortgagerates.png?resize=768,448 768w, https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/newsroom-template_mortgagerates.png?resize=1024,597 1024w, https://www.housingwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/newsroom-template_mortgagerates.png?resize=600,350 600w” sizes=”(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px”>Investors have largely shunned nonbank mortgage stocks, and analysts believe the hard times are still ahead. Driven by a desire […]

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Mortgage rates hold steady at 3.55%

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The average 30-year-fixed rate mortgage remained flat for the third consecutive week at 3.55% for the week ending Feb. 3, reflecting the impacts of the Omicron variant in the economy, according to the latest Freddie Mac PMMS Mortgage Survey. A year ago, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.73%. The PMMS report is focused on conventional, conforming, fully amortizing […]

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Rising interest rates trigger an exuberant MSR market 

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Incenter Mortgage Advisors was flooded with a surge of mortgage-servicing rights business in January — with bulk MSR sales approaching in one month what the firm normally tallies in an entire year. Denver-based Incenter’s managing director, Tom Piercy, said he expects the rising tide of business to continue for the foreseeable future, so long as the […]

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ConsumerDirect Mortgage rebrands as Real Genius, introduces new tech platform

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ConsumerDirect Mortgage rebranded itself to Real Genius and announced the launch of a modern mortgage application platform to simplify a borrower’s experience. Real Genius, a division of FirstBank, one of Tennessee’s largest community banks, said that its application platform will provide borrowers with rate and cost transparency. Additionally, the lender promises borrowers a “personalized approach” […]

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MBA’s Mike Fratantoni on measuring mortgage competition

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Mortgage industry participants may disagree a great deal on several different topics. However, I expect that you would find no argument with the following statement: Mortgage lending is a highly competitive business. While the scope of the market, which totaled roughly $4 trillion in volume each of the past two years, might suggest abundant opportunities, […]

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Mortgage apps climb 12% on spike in refi demand

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Mortgage applications increased 12% from the previous week due to a surprising uptick in demand for “refis” as borrowers try to secure a lower rate, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) survey for the week ending Jan. 28. The seasonally adjusted Refinance Index rose 18.4% in the same period. Meanwhile, the Purchase Index increased 4%. Compared to the same week one […]

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CoreLogic: home price appreciation will cool in 2022

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Home prices across the nation climbed 18.5% year-over-year in December, according to a monthly report published by CoreLogic. On a month-over-month basis, home price gains rose by 1.3% in December 2021 compared to November. Consumer desire for homeownership paired with a low supply of for-sale homes were the main contributors to a red-hot housing market […]

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Fannie Mae launches another CRT offering

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Fannie Mae has unveiled its second credit-risk transfer (CRT) deal of 2002, a $1.2 billion note offering through its Connecticut Avenue Securities real estate mortgage investment conduit, or REMIC.  The recent offering, CAS Series 2022-R02, involves transferring loan-portfolio risk to private investors via a $1.2 billion note offering backed by a reference pool of 149,393 residential mortgage […]

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LoanDepot’s profit in Q4 drops 91% to $14.7M

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California-based loanDepot greatly increased loan origination volume in 2021, which guaranteed gains in marketshare compared to its competitors. But the multichannel lender’s gain-on-sale margin and net income fell significantly in the fourth quarter, reflecting changing market conditions. Overall, net income for the mortgage lender decreased all the way down to $623.1 million in 2021, compared […]

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Private-label market wraps up January with a roar

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J.P. Morgan Mortgage Trust, the securitization conduit for financial giant JPMorgan, recently issued a $2 billion offering backed by a pool of jumbo loans — capping off a vibrant first month of 2022 for the overall private-label market. At least 25 transactions collateralized by more than 27,000 mortgages valued at $14.3 billion hit the market in […]

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HousingWire Magazine: February 2022

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Brena NathHW+ Managing Editor I never thought I would see the day when the housing industry and the dating industry shared a common struggle — getting ghosted. The term is not so fondly used in the dating world when someone suddenly and without explanation withdraws from communication. In similar sentiment, the word is used in […]

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PennyMac expands consumer direct business

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California-based PennyMac Financial Services will invest $3.9 million to open a new mortgage origination center in Franklin, Tennessee. The nonbank mortgage lender is expanding its consumer direct lending business while some competitors are laying off employees with the expectation that the channel cools down with higher mortgage rates. PennyMac’s new project will create 325 jobs […]

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Groups blast FHA draft defect taxonomy in joint letter

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Consumer advocates, fair housing groups, banks and mortgage lenders don’t always play on the same team, but today they joined forces to critique the Federal Housing Administration’s proposed servicing defect taxonomy. In a joint letter to Lopa Kolluri, FHA’s principal deputy assistant secretary, the American Bankers Association, Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund, Center for […]

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Opinion: The changing landscape of the IMB

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There are some interesting trends that have come out of the boom years of 2020 and 2021. The realignment of the mortgage industry should make us all rethink how we look at lenders by category. Rather than looking at bank-owned mortgage companies and independent mortgage companies, perhaps we should think of new categories. For example, […]

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Fannie Mae and NAR at odds over flood-risk disclosures

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Two of the most powerful U.S. housing entities are at odds over the future of the federal government’s cash-strapped flood insurance program. The National Association of Realtors, which represents real estate agents, brokerages and consumers, wants the Federal Emergency Management Agency to carve out a privacy law exception, and require that the history of a […]

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Mortgage origination tech startup Vesta raises $30M

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San Francisco-based startup Vesta, which provides a software-as-a-service platform for mortgage loan originators, announced on Thursday that it raised $30 million through a Series A funding round. The new capital will be invested in an “aggressive” hiring plan and technology expansion. The round is led by the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from […]

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GSEs’ cash window loses some luster

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Use of the cash window for delivering mortgages to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac was disrupted in a big way over the course of last year as lenders reacted to expectations that a cap on cash transactions was slated to go into effect by the start of 2022. Even though the cap was suspended in September of […]

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Mortgage rates fall slowly after a month-long rise

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The average 30-year-fixed rate mortgage declined one basis point from the week prior to 3.55% during the week ending Jan. 27, according to the latest Freddie Mac PMMS Mortgage Survey. A year ago, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.77%. Most economists believe rates will continue to climb in the weeks and months ahead. “Following a month-long rise, […]

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Mortgage Coach and Sales Boomerang snag new investor

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Philadelphia-based private equity firm LLR Partners announced Tuesday its investment in Sales Boomerang and Mortgage Coach, two fintechs focused on attracting and retaining mortgage borrowers and making loan originators more efficient. Both firms will maintain their existing brands and teams. The investment comes at a pivotal time for the mortgage industry, which has seen record […]

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FOMC indicates taper end in March, rate hike soon

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High inflation and a strong labor market has convinced Federal Reserve officials of the need to raise interest rates “soon,” though an exact timetable has not yet been disclosed. “With inflation well above 2% and a strong labor market, the Committee expects it will soon be appropriate to raise the target range for the federal […]

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Fintech startup Tomo breaks into jumbo mortgages

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Tomo, a fintech mortgage startup run by former Zillow executives, is expanding its presence, announcing this week that it will now serve borrowers in Florida, Connecticut and Colorado. And they’re looking to capitalize on higher home prices and the market for jumbo mortgages. Founded in October 2020 by former Zillow executives Greg Schwartz and Carey […]

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Rate pressure pushes down mortgage applications

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Mortgage applications fell 7.1% from the previous week, following an increase in rates to the highest level since the pandemic onset, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) survey for the week ending Jan. 21. The seasonally adjusted Refinance Index decreased 12.6% in the same period, with applications falling for the fourth straight week. Meanwhile, the Purchase Index declined […]