News

A title company that operates in 48 states through numerous subsidiaries has appointed a new chief operating officer. Read on for more details.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Kathy Kraninger has assured a Republican senator that the bureau will examine concerns regarding Dodd Frank’s TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure rule (TRID). Read on to learn more of what Kraninger had to say about TRID.

Radian Group Inc. has acquired a developer of proprietary software, data analytics and predictive models which leverage artificial intelligence, machine learning and traditional econometric techniques. Read on to learn who will oversee the day-to-day operations of the acquired company.

Stewart Title Insurance Co. has selected a company veteran to join its underwriting team as underwriting counsel. Read on for more details.

The frequency of defects, fraud and misrepresentation in mortgage loan applications increased during November. Read on to learn what First American believes attributed to the increase.

Wire transfer fraud and cyberattacks are top of mind for most title company owners. According to the FBI, there has been a 1,100 percent rise in these crimes from 2015-2017. However, only 58 percent of title companies nationwide have cyber liability insurance policies, according to a nationally representative survey conducted...

More than 95 percent of title companies have errors and omissions (E&O) insurance coverage, according to a nationally representative survey conducted last year by ALTA’s Data & Analytics Work Group. Additionally, almost a quarter have made claims on that insurance over the past five years. (see chart below) The survey...

Cynthia Durham Blair NTP always desired to be a professional singer. After high school, she hoped to go to New York City and try her luck on Broadway. “My dad put the kibosh on that and told me I had to get a college degree first,” she said. Broadway’s loss...

Marriott International says that a breach of its Starwood guest reservation database exposed the personal information of up to 500 million people. According to the Federal Trade Commission, there are steps you can take to help guard against misuse of your information if it was exposed. According to Marriott, the...

Ever heard of SpoofCard? It’s a scammer’s dream and a nightmare for title and settlement agents. The technology isn’t new, but the application offers the ability to change what someone sees on their caller ID display when they receive a phone call. To spoof a call, a criminal will dial...

Although housing inventory is increasing, affordability for the typical middle class household is retreating, according to new data from Redfin. Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather said over the last few years builders have focused on luxury homes and there hasn’t been enough construction of affordable starter homes.

The government shutdown has now been going on for more than a month, but newly introduced legislation, if passed, could prevent this from ever happening again. The partial government shutdown is having the highest impact on America’s most vulnerable citizens – an impact that this bill seeks to prevent in the future.

Home prices rose in November, inching forward 0.4% from October according to the latest monthly House Price Index from the Federal Housing Finance Agency. According to FHFA, from November 2017 to November 2018, house prices rose 5.8%.

Last year, Redwood Trust, a real estate investment trust that specializes in buying and securitizing jumbo mortgages, grew its real estate investor loan business when it acquired a 20% stake in 5 Arches, an originator and asset manager of investor-focused loans. As part of the deal, Redwood Trust had the right to purchase the remaining […]

In December, home sales climbed 1.2% year-over-year, marking the smallest increase since March 2012, according to new data from Redfin. Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather said December may feel like a foot on the brake, but the housing market was going over the speed limit.

Millions of sensitive mortgage documents were left exposed on the internet for two weeks in a massive data breach that could affect an unknown number of people. According to a report from TechCrunch, more than 24 million mortgage and banking documents were found online in an unprotected database. Click the headline for the full story.

The National Association of Mortgage Brokers recently announced the availability of its a point-of-sale, cloud-based origination system NAMB All-In. NAMB Board President Richard Bettencourt said the organization is overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for the product.

The Federal Reserve will leave rates unchanged when it concludes its January meeting next week, likely referencing its "patient" stance when it comes to rate hikes, Capital Economics said in a report released Wednesday. But while a hike in March is likely off the table, the group predicted that one more hike is yet to […]

As the government shutdown stretches on, lenders and others in the housing industry are beginning to step up to help those most affected by the inability of the president and Congress to fund the government. Here’s what they are doing to help.

Anthony Casa, chairman of the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts (AIME), has announced that an FNM 3.2 export will be available on the new ARIVE mortgage platform. ARIVE offers a complete platform for independent mortgage brokers, a single portal to bring together lenders, loan originators, third-party vendors and consumers. ARIVE is exclusively partnered with AIME, […]

Last year, Redwood Trust, a real estate investment trust that specializes in buying and securitizing jumbo mortgages, grew its real estate investor loan business when it acquired a 20% stake in 5 Arches, an originator and asset manager of investor-focused loans. As part of the deal, Redwood Trust had the right to purchase the remaining […]

Freddie Mac, which re-entered the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit market last year after nearly 10 years away, is partnering with RBC to provide more than $180 million for affordable rental housing. The fund has already closed 10 transactions, including two in Puerto Rico and eight more in five states: New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, […]

In December, potential existing-home sales moderately increased from the previous month and inched forward from 2018 levels, according to First American’s Potential Home Sales Model. First American Chief Economist Mark Fleming said that stock market volatility is aiding potential homebuyers.

Calls for government-sponsored enterprise reform have gone on for years – but now that reform could be just weeks away from becoming a reality. FHFA Acting Director Joseph Otting is said to be just weeks away from releasing a plan.

Home improvement and repair activity is going to slow considerably by the end of 2019, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. Flat home sales, slowing home-price growth and rising rates will bring spending back to average levels in the year ahead.