Kathleen “Kathy” Martinez, a reverse mortgage industry veteran and account executive who most recently served with Mutual of Omaha Mortgage’s reverse division, died last week in her community in Florida. She was 60 years old. Martinez’s career in the reverse mortgage industry goes back more than two decades and included time working for former industry […]
Having telegraphed its impending end last month, the Veteran Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) program — which attempts to prevent foreclosure actions against military members who may be experiencing financial hardship due to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic — is officially over as of Thursday. In early April, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), […]
Sagent, a Warburg Pincus-backed fintech firm, on Thursday announced the launch of its Dara Attorney Portal to enhance efficiency between servicers and their attorney partners. The launch this week builds upon the original launch of Sagent’s mortgage software platform, Dara, in February 2024 at the MBA servicing conference. Since the 2024 conference, parts of Dara — the […]
Recognizing the rising prevalence of phishing scams — where a bad actor will seek to trick a target into revealing sensitive personal or financial information through fake websites, emails or text messages — the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has announced it is implementing anti-phishing multifactor authentication (MFA) into FHA Catalyst (FHAC). FHAC provides FHA-approved lenders […]
Mark McArdle, who left the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) in February, will lead regulatory and public policy efforts at Newrez, the multichannel mortgage lender owned by Rithm Capital. The announcement, made on Thursday, comes amid a court battle to decide the future of the CFPB’s mass workforce reduction announced on April 17. That action […]
In a solid debt market for mortgage companies, PennyMac Financial Services announced on Thursday the issuance of $650 million in debt maturing in 2032, primarily to facilitate the redemption of notes that are due in October. “Proceeds from the offering, together with cash on hand, will be used for the redemption of the Company’s 5.375% […]
Gone are the days when speed and precision were simply nice-to-haves — they’re now the foundation of a lender’s survival. In a market shaped by rising borrower expectations, economic pressure, and the need for faster, more intelligent decision-making, innovation is no longer optional. In this exclusive docuseries series, we sit down with forward-looking mortgage leaders […]
In an industry where fractured technology stacks and rising operational costs are the norm, Remarkable Mortgage — powered by Oconee State Bank, an FDIC-insured institution — is setting a new standard by leveraging CANDID’s industry-leading sales and mortgage marketing operating system. With a 30% increase in business from 2023 to 2024 and ambitious plans for […]
Despite an overall reduction in its reverse mortgage servicing portfolio when compared to the prior year, the parent company of one of the nation’s largest reverse mortgage lenders continues to tout the overall performance and profitability of the division in a high mortgage rate environment. Onity Group, the parent of PHH Mortgage Corp. and its […]
United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) is facing a class-action lawsuit alleging misuse and misallocation of assets within its 401(k) retirement plan. The company has called the suit a “baseless claim.” Filed Monday in a Michigan district court, the lawsuit accuses UWM of violating the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) by using plan assets to reduce […]
Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), has been tight-lipped with the media about his plans for the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). Pulte has used the social media platform X over the past few weeks to post announcements such as leadership changes at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Since taking the helm at […]
Kind Lending recently announced the appointment of Jennifer Folk as its chief operating officer. Folk most recently held the role of VP, fulfillment operations at Tri Pointe Connect, the affiliated mortgage company of Tri Pointe Homes. She’s also held a variety of roles from loan officer to COO at places like Minute Mortgage, Sierra Pacific […]
United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) is taking its mortgage servicing operations in-house, following the decision to end its relationship with Mr. Cooper Group in the wake of the latter’s $9.4 billion deal to sell to rival Rocket Mortgage. The Pontiac, Michigan-based wholesale lender also announced it has selected ICE Mortgage Technology’s MSP loan servicing system as […]
If the mortgage industry had a mantra at the start of last year, it was something like: Just survive to get to 2025. With high rates keeping volume low, everyone was cinching their belts and feeling the pain but yet, hope remained, fueled by predictions of pending interest rate cuts that would bring welcome relief […]
The federal trigger leads bill advanced in the U.S. House of Representatives after being officially noticed during a hearing of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions on Tuesday. The Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act is expected to be considered during a markup session on May 20 — a process that determines whether a bill should be recommended […]
Kicking off the first 2025 event held by the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA) Tuesday morning in Irvine, Calif., the association’s co-chairs offered an update on the industry’s advocacy efforts. Mike Kent and Jim Cory – SVP of corporate development and industry relations at Liberty Reverse Mortgage and managing director of reverse at Guild […]
Mortgage market conditions have improved slightly as the calendar is set to flip to May, but anyone expecting sub-6% rates at the start of the year will be disappointed. Data at HousingWire’s Mortgage Rates Center on Tuesday showed that 30-year and 15-year conforming rates were averaging 6.95% and 6.82%, respectively. These figures were down slightly […]
A U.S. appeals court on Monday restored a temporary block on mass layoffs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, allowing employees to keep their jobs for the time being despite the Trump administration’s plan to cut the agency’s staff by 90%. On Monday, Judges Cornelia Pillard and Gregory Katsas reinstated the ban on mass firings, […]
The state of New Mexico’s latest dedicated aging plan includes an expansion of initiatives designed to help these people maintain their autonomy while supporting their dedicated caregivers, which could boost the aging in place rate. The plan details three goals it says can help support seniors’ desires to age in place and their caregivers, according […]
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 […]
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 […]
It’s a busy time to be in the proprietary reverse mortgage space, with new and relaunched products hitting the market and other additional features being added to existing product catalogs. Earlier this month, Longbridge Financial announced the addition of Platinum Peak, a new variation of its private fixed-rate reverse mortgage offering. The Platinum Peak product […]
In an effort to provide options for older Americans who want to avoid costly congregate care facilities and intend to age in place, social work researchers at the University of South Carolina will use federal grant dollars to assess the effectiveness of remote home monitoring systems for people who may have more limited aging support […]
In walking back policies designed to boost participation in foreclosed property sales for nonprofit and government bodies, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) said that policies put in place in 2022 that restrict certain sales to these entities for a 30-day period have produced “mixed results at best” and will now be rescinded. Mortgagee Letter (ML) […]
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 […]
Over a month after Rocket Companies announced its $1.75 billion deal to acquire digital real estate brokerage firm Redfin, industry observers are still trying to understand the future of one key asset: Bay Equity Home Loans. While the companies remain quiet on their plans, some Bay Equity employees aren’t waiting for answers—they’re already looking for […]
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 […]
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 […]
Reverse mortgage professionals are preparing to travel to Irvine, California, for the industry’s first event of the year, hosted by the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA). The association’s Western Regional Meeting is a one-day affair on Tuesday, April 29, that will aim to offer attendees a closer look at the current dynamics of the […]
Home purchase and refinance activity hasn’t exactly been brisk in the opening months of 2025 as prospective borrowers contend with a variety of headwinds. But mortgage origination volumes among the country’s largest lenders are mostly up in the past year. Inside Mortgage Finance (IMF) data for the first quarter of 2025 was released this week. […]
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 […]
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 […]
The HECM Tool — a software platform designed to serve as a reverse mortgage sales conversion tool — announced this week that it has integrated the proprietary reverse mortgage offering from Smartfi Home Loans into the platform’s existing visualization and comparison capabilities. The platform was developed by reverse mortgage industry veteran Tane Cabe. It’s designed […]
Following news earlier this month that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is moving to end the Veteran Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) program, the agency this week published a circular to outline the timeline for its closure. It features additional information about the planned end to VASP, including maintaining the previously reported end date […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The mortgage industry would benefit from an increase in multifamily loan volume for Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-backed loans, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) would be able to facilitate that by ditching rules and requirements without upping the risk for lenders. This is according to a letter submitted to HUD Secretary […]
In their first earnings call since being acquired by Rocket Companies for $9.4 billion, Mr. Cooper executives did not take questions from analysts. But they did provide a glimpse of the opportunities the deal represents for companies in the mortgage space — or how it intends to power the “Apple of homeownership” flywheel. “This transaction is […]
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 […]
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 […]
As it aims to appeal to potential clients who may be taking a closer look at tapping into home equity, reverse mortgage lender Finance of America (FOA) has debuted a new marketing campaign in concert with its new creative agency to illustrate the lifestyle impacts of its products. The campaign, called “A Better Way with […]
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 […]