When interest rates began skyrocketing more than two years ago, mortgage companies faced a pivotal decision regarding a crucial part of their business: the servicing portfolio. This period was a windfall for servicers. Rising rates typically slow down borrower prepayments, increase the fair value of mortgage servicing rights (MSRs), and enable companies to earn more […]
Montana’s unique Reverse Annuity Mortgage (RAM) program is a state-sponsored reverse mortgage, with lower interest rates and proceeds along with a higher minimum qualifying age that distinguishes it from the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). Cheryl Cohen, division administrator for the housing division at the Montana Department of […]
Aging in place is seen as a leading “social barrier“ to healthy aging in America in 2024, according to a new survey conducted by Alignment Health. The survey was first reported by McKnights Senior Living. “As more seniors choose to live independently and longer in their own homes, aging in place brings its own set […]
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Friday that “the time has come for policy to adjust,” signaling a cut in the federal funds rate at the September meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) as expected by monetary policy watchers. “The direction of travel is clear, and the timing and pace of rate […]
On Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris will formally accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for president in this fall’s general election. In July, former President Donald Trump accepted the Republican nomination for the third time, and both candidates will square off in a campaign that is sure to focus on major hot-button issues heading into November. […]
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Thursday announced the awarding of $3.7 million to a pair of nonprofit organizations and a low-income housing authority to provide low-income seniors with home renovations for the purposes of aging in place. These projects are described as “low-cost, low barrier, high impact home modifications,” they […]
Credit education advocate Sue Buswell, known widely in the mortgage industry for her “Sue Knows the Score” initiative, died unexpectedly this week. Buswell, a business development executive for Gridavate, was 58. Friends and former colleagues all described her as a warm, caring and generous person who genuinely loved helping educate people about credit, which she […]
A California bill that would allow home loans for illegal immigrants faces strong opposition from state Republicans. Assembly Bill (AB) 1840, which passed in the Senate Appropriations Committee last week, faces a floor vote in the state Senate and potentially a signature by Gov. Gavin Newsom to become law. Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula (D) introduced the […]
loanDepot added a first-lien home equity line of credit (HELOC) to its product suite that will enable homeowners without a mortgage to borrow from their home equity. The first-lien HELOC program will allow borrowers to access the equity in their homes with flexible terms that include a three-year draw period, an interest-only payment period of […]
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has settled a case with Florida-based Fay Servicing over illegal conduct in foreclosures. The deal includes a $2 million fine and potential limitations to the CEO’s compensation. A company spokesperson wrote to HousingWire that “Fay continues to strongly disagree with the CFPB’s claims in this matter, but we made a […]
David Heilman, principal for HomeGrown Financial in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, didn’t feel like he had to shake up his approach to working with seniors when he became involved in the reverse mortgage industry. Having experience in the health care field prior to entering the mortgage business, it mainly meant reorienting himself from serving the […]
Mortgage rates have been on a declining trend, but demand slowed down last week largely due to fewer refinance applications, an indication that the industry should not expect a mini refi boom yet. Mortgage applications dropped 10.1% for the week ending Aug. 16 compared to the previous week, according to data released Wednesday by the […]
Source: Fannie Mae Fannie Mae calls for mortgage rates to average 6.4% by the end of this year and 5.9% by the end of next year. At HousingWire‘s Mortgage Rates Center on Wednesday, 30-year conventional loan rates averaged 6.68%. In a continuation of an ongoing trend, Fannie economists believe that new-home sales will continue to […]
A coalition of interest groups oriented around climate issues has launched a social media campaign designed to pressure the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) into adopting up-to-date energy-efficiency standards for homes backed by the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Campaign for Lower Home Energy Costs launched its effort on Tuesday. The […]
In the newest episode of the Power House podcast, HousingWire CEO Clayton Collins chats with Randell Gillespie, the chief production officer at Lower and a 2023 recipient of the HousingWire Vanguard Award. The duo dive into several topics, including Lower’s transformed culture and leadership structure following its acquisitions of Thrive Mortgage and Universal Lending. They […]
Ryan Ogata has been leading the reverse mortgage division at Rate — recently rebranded from Guaranteed Rate — for roughly a year, but the division has seen notable growth during that time. According to Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) endorsement data compiled by Reverse Market Insight (RMI), the company grew its endorsement volume by roughly […]
The American Bankers Association (ABA) last week submitted a letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in which it expressed “significant concerns” about a proposed rule that would ban medical debt from appearing on consumer credit reports. The proposal would bar credit agencies from sharing such debt with mortgage lenders, who in turn would […]
After dropping significantly during the first two weeks of August, mortgage rates have plateaued ahead of a key economic announcement on Friday. That’s when Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is set to speak at the annual Jackson Hole Economic Symposium in Wyoming. Powell is expected to deliver an update on U.S. monetary policy to central […]
Independent mortgage banks (IMBs) are finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel after two grueling, profitless years in the mortgage industry. IMBs and mortgage subsidiaries of chartered banks on average reported a pre-tax net profit of $693 on each loan they originated in the second quarter of 2024, an increase from a loss […]
Wells Fargo has agreed to sell most of its commercial mortgage servicing portfolio to Atlanta-based Trimont. The deal is expected to make Trimont the largest servicer of multifamily and commercial loans in the U.S. The transaction includes only Wells Fargo’s non-agency, third-party commercial mortgage servicing (CMS) business. The bank will keep its agency and government-sponsored […]
The state of Montana has been more heavily promoting its state-based Reverse Annuity Mortgage (RAM) program for seniors. Unspent funds allocated to the program can be put to use by assisting the state’s older residents with reverse mortgage financing at a relatively low interest rate when compared to either Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-backed Home Equity […]
A majority of Americans are seriously concerned that their retirement will be negatively impacted by the rising costs and uncertainty associated with sudden, unexpected and more frequent extreme weather events taking place across the country. This is according to the 2024 Annual Retirement Study from Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America. More than half […]
Severe storms, winds and flooding in South Dakota earlier this summer has led President Joe Biden to issue an official disaster declaration for the state, which includes assistance for borrowers of government-insured mortgage financing from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The president declared a state of emergency in South Dakota on […]
When mortgage rates logged their sharpest decline of the year last week following an underwhelming jobs report, data showed that refinance demand surged. Despite what seems like welcome news for loan originators, who have suffered through thinning margins for two years, refinance business has yet to go up much, LOs told HousingWire. “I was going […]
As discussed in previous reverse mortgage rate updates, the federally insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) is the dominant reverse mortgage in America. As a result, HECM has become synonymous with reverse mortgages. But did you know that nearly all HECMs originated today are variable-rate loans? This is in stark contrast to the traditional forward […]
In my work, I talk with many seniors. Many are reluctant to leave their homes even when those homes are no longer suitable for their needs. Sometimes, the concern is emotional, but more often than not, it’s financial. What happens if they sell their current home but can’t cover the costs of a new place, […]
For seniors who live alone and may not have easy access to public transportation, relatively simple tasks such as grocery shopping or medical appointments become much more difficult to complete. Volunteer and nonprofit groups can often step in to fill the void in these situations. Two examples are happening in the Pittsburgh metro area, where […]
Toronto-based Bank of Nova Scotia, which operates as Scotiabank, has hired a group of JPMorgan Chase Bank executives to lead a new mortgage capital markets business that expects to launch this fall. Industry veteran Thanh Roettele, who spent more than 28 years at JPMorgan and was the managing director of its mortgage warehouse finance business, […]
Attorneys for the U.S. government, working on behalf of Ginnie Mae and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), last week filed a slew of new documents in their court case against Texas Capital Bank (TCB). These were primarily in response to the bank’s prior motion for a partial summary judgment and offer […]
Sky-high home prices and elevated mortgage rates are putting increasing strain on homeowners. That’s the takeaway from two reports released this week showing that foreclosure activity and mortgage delinquencies are rising. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), the second-quarter 2024 delinquency rate for mortgages on one- to four-unit residential properties increased to 3.97% on […]
Swiss bank UBS Group AG has decided to sell Credit Suisse’s mortgage servicing company, Select Portfolio Servicing (SPS), to a group of investors led by Sixth Street, HousingWire has learned. Investment firm Davidson Kempner Capital Management is a co-investor. Representatives at Credit Suisse, Davidson Kempner and Sixth Street declined to comment. Bloomberg first reported on […]
The recent declines in mortgage rates have been good news for mortgage professionals and consumers alike. But the industry is not yet out of the woods, said Todd Sheinin, the Maryland-based vice president of strategy and development at Primary Residential Mortgage Inc. “As you talk to more people across all aspects of our business, from […]
U.S. workers are feeling more confident about their ability to meet retirement savings goals as inflation has weakened, according to a new consumer survey conducted by Charles Schwab. “[A]nxiety around inflation and market volatility has come down since last year,” according to the online survey of 1,000 Americans who hold 401(k) retirement accounts. “43% of […]
Executives at Swiss bank UBS said on Wednesday that they’ve struck a deal to sell Credit Suisse’s U.S. servicing business. They did not provide information related to the buyers’ names or the financial details. In the U.S., Credit Suisse owns Select Portfolio Servicing (SPS). According to Inside Mortgage Finance (IMF), SPS was the 20th-largest U.S. […]
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) on Wednesday published a new proposed Mortgagee Letter (ML) that offers an early look at policies designed to expand contact options with mortgage borrowers who are in default. Published on FHA’s Single Family Drafting Table — an online portal where proposed U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) single-family […]
Planet Home Lending confirmed on Tuesday the acquisition of certain retail assets from Axia Home Loans, describing the transaction as an opportunity to expand its operations in the Western, Northwestern, and Midwestern markets. HousingWire broke the news in early August. Axia is also winding down its wholesale division as a result of the retail asset […]
Non-QM wholesale lender Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions (AOMS) has promoted longtime production head Tom Hutchens to president. The Atlanta-based company, which is part of the larger family of Angel Oak mortgage entities, said John Jeanmonod, formerly Angel Oak’s regional vice president of sales, would replace Hutchens as executive VP of production. Tom Hutchens of Angel […]
Onity Group, parent company of top five reverse mortgage lender and servicer Liberty Reverse Mortgage, will acquire reverse mortgage assets from Mortgage Assets Management, LLC (MAM), a subsidiary of investment funds managed by Waterfall Asset Management. The deal, initially announced by Onity during its Q2 earnings call, suggests that Waterfall is committed to the reverse […]
As many as half of surveyed U.S. adults said that retiring at age 65 is “unrealistic,” instead saying that age 74 is a more attainable goal to reach full retirement. This is according to a survey conducted by Equitable, a financial services provider. “Equitable’s survey revealed that nearly half of consumers (47%) believe it is […]
Kiavi, a San Francisco-based lender for residential real estate investors, announced on Tuesday the closing of a $400 million rated securitization of residential transition loans (RTLs) in an “oversubscribed” transaction. The deal marked Kiavi’s 19th securitization, elevating its total issuance to over $5 billion since it launched its securitization program in 2019, including $1.4 billion […]
Refinance activity last week hit its highest level since August 2022, when mortgage rates were closer to 5%. But it’s far too early to celebrate. Refinance activity received a major boost last week as mortgage rates declined on the back of expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates and a possible recession looms. The […]
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on Tuesday released an advisory opinion stating that contracts for deed are under federal home lending rules and should provide consumer protections. In these contracts – also known as “land contracts” or “bond for deed” –the seller retains the legal title to a home until the borrower completes all […]
California-based HighTechLending, a top-10 lender in the reverse mortgage industry, recently announced that it was rebranding its wholesale channel to American Senior Lending Wholesale Division in an effort to better align its identity with key business lines designed to serve older borrowers. One of the ways the company aims to continue making a name for […]
Rural parts of the U.S. have roughly 35% fewer home health aides to assist their aging populations than urban areas do. This is according to research from the University of Minnesota as cited by the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), a private nonprofit research organization that receives funding from the U.S. Census Bureau. Researchers found that […]
Open Mortgage on Friday shut down its distributed retail channel and laid off more than two dozen employees. The divisional closure comes 1.5 years after the Texas-based lender changed ownership and nine months after it exited the reverse mortgage business. The company will focus on the third-party origination (TPO) space going forward. Employees told HousingWire, […]