News
Southern Title showcases real estate news and information, company updates, interesting articles and much more…
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Title Insurance News
- Homebuilder launches title, mortgage services July 15, 2019A leading homebuilder in the West has formed a financial group that will provide title, settlement and mortgage services. Read on for more details about the new company.
- Title Alliance announces C-Suite additions July 15, 2019Title Alliance, Ltd. recently announced several additions to its C-Suite, including a chief strategy officer, a chief human resources officer and a general counsel and compliance officer.
- ATA National opens suburban Chicago office July 15, 2019Farmington Hills, Mich.-based ATA National Title Group, LLC. has opened a new office near Chicago. Read on to learn the location of ATA’s new office.
- NATIC hires state agency manager July 15, 2019North American Title Insurance Co. has hired a state agency manager for Maryland and the District of Columbia. Read on for more details.
- FormFree integrates with FundingShield July 15, 2019FormFree has integrated FundingShield’s loan-level verification services into its platform. Read on for more details.
ALTA NEWS
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- iTitle Agent: Automation and Artificial Intelligence Can Reduce Costs, Improve Efficiency July 10, 2019By Jeremy Yohe Discussions around artificial intelligence (AI) and automation often range from apocalypse to utopia. The truth lies somewhere in between. According to the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, the power and prospect of these technologies initially alarmed experts, fearing that machine advancements would destroy jobs. The conversation now...ALTA Blog
- Wisconsin Title Industry Veteran Going Strong at the Age of 90 July 9, 2019No matter what the industry, a full-time job can be stressful, exhausting, frustrating, and can cause even the most optimistic of employees to dream of retirement. Many count down the days until they are finally free of the seemingly endless cycle of work weeks that eventually start to blend together...ALTA Blog
- How Has the Housing Market Changed Since the End of the Great Recession? July 9, 2019By Odeta Kushi June marked the 10-year anniversary of the end of the Great Recession. Amid Independence Day celebrations, assessing how the American dream of homeownership has fared since the recession can provide helpful context for the health of today’s housing market. We have assembled a set of housing metrics...ALTA Blog
- Zealous Gen Z: Many in This Group Saving Early to be Homebuyers by Age 25 July 2, 2019Generation Z is ambitious about homeownership, and it shows through their savings habits. According to realtor.com, Gen Z-ers (ages 18 to 24) interested in homeownership are two times more likely than previous generations to be saving or plan to be saving for a home by age 25—and two of five...ALTA Blog
- The Benefits of E-Recording July 2, 2019In 2018, the U.S. Treasury offered several recommendations to improve the electronic closing and recording process. Among them, the Treasury said that recording jurisdictions that don’t recognize and accept electronic records should implement the necessary technology updates to process and record these documents and pursue digitization of existing property records...ALTA Blog
Real Estate News
- Fannie Mae lowers mortgage rate forecast and says home-price growth will accelerate July 16, 2019Fannie Mae issued a new forecast that predicts the average U.S. rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage will be 3.7% in the second half of 2019, down from the 3.9% the mortgage financier called for a month ago. Unemployment probably will average 3.7% this year and 4% in 2020.
- MoxiWorks hires two new directors of business development July 16, 2019Real estate technology company MoxiWorks has taken on two new recruits with extensive backgrounds in the mortgage and housing industry. Kirsten “Kiki” Wanshura and Heather Glass are the two new directors of business development at MoxiWorks.
- Former Freddie Mac CEO says GSEs should be regulated like utilities July 16, 2019Two weeks into his new gig as a senior fellow at Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, Donald Layton, who was the CEO of Freddie Mac until the end of June, is speaking out – in favor of utility-style regulation of the GSEs. He also states the mortgage giants were “lazy competitors” before the […]
- Homebuilder confidence rises slightly, but cost concerns threaten future growth July 16, 2019Although homebuilder confidence inched forward one point to 65 in July, many builders still report rising construction costs as a major cause of concern, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index. NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz said while the current low mortgage interest rate environment should be getting more buyers […]
- Americans spent an average of $9,081 on home improvements in 2018 alone July 15, 2019Digital marketplace HomeAdvisor indicates that consumer spending on home improvement projects has increased by 17% since last year. According to the company’s State of Home Spending Report, American homeowners are now spending more money on home improvements than home maintenance.
Lending News
- Waterstone Mortgage promotes Chris Fleming to senior vice president July 16, 2019Waterstone Mortgage Corporation has promoted Chris Fleming to senior vice president of national sales. Fleming has 20 years of experience in the mortgage industry, and 10 years with Waterstone Mortgage.
- Fannie Mae lowers mortgage rate forecast and says home-price growth will accelerate July 16, 2019Fannie Mae issued a new forecast that predicts the average U.S. rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage will be 3.7% in the second half of 2019, down from the 3.9% the mortgage financier called for a month ago. Unemployment probably will average 3.7% this year and 4% in 2020.
- MoxiWorks hires two new directors of business development July 16, 2019Real estate technology company MoxiWorks has taken on two new recruits with extensive backgrounds in the mortgage and housing industry. Kirsten “Kiki” Wanshura and Heather Glass are the two new directors of business development at MoxiWorks.
- Former Freddie Mac CEO says GSEs should be regulated like utilities July 16, 2019Two weeks into his new gig as a senior fellow at Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, Donald Layton, who was the CEO of Freddie Mac until the end of June, is speaking out – in favor of utility-style regulation of the GSEs. He also states the mortgage giants were “lazy competitors” before the […]
- Did the mortgage business have a good second quarter? Big bank originations may tell the tale July 16, 2019Thanks in large part to interest rates that have fallen throughout much of the year, it appears that the mortgage business had quite a solid second quarter, at least at some of the nation’s largest lenders.
Investments News
- Nomura to pay $25 million for mortgage bond traders' lies to customers July 16, 2019Nomura Securities International will pay a fine of $25 million after the Securities and Exchange Commission accused several of the company’s former mortgage bond traders of lying to customers about the nature of the trades. According to the SEC, several Nomura RMBS and CMBS traders made “false and misleading statements” to customers while negotiating the […]
- Kanye West investing in Star Wars-themed low-income housing July 15, 2019Now that he’s got the sneaker market thoroughly cornered, Kanye West is apparently moving on to his next project: affordable housing. A recent profile of the rapper-turned-designer revealed that West is working on designing prefabricated, low-income housing with a Star War's aesthetic, shopping the idea to investors as a potential housing solution for the homeless.
- Trump administration reportedly souring on sweeping Fannie, Freddie reform prior to 2020 election July 12, 2019Despite momentum towards actually ending the conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac seemingly growing by the day, the Trump administration is reportedly concerned about the impact of widespread housing finance reform in advance of the 2020 election. And because of that concern, the administration may be considering holding off on significant reforms to the […]
- Who buys a vacation home? July 11, 2019You might think people who buy vacation homes are older, high-net-worth individuals, but a recent survey from Vacasa proves this is not necessarily the case. In fact, a number of older Millennials and young Gen Xers are looking to buy vacations homes, drawn to their investment potential, with one quarter of prospective buyers in their […]
- Manhattan developer Penny Ann Bradley charged with mortgage fraud July 11, 2019Manhattan real estate developer Penny Ann Bradley was arrested and charged with mortgage fraud Wednesday, accused of falsifying documents to secure more than $12 million in loans and then using that cash to fund a lavish lifestyle.
