Mark P. Dangelo: Are Bankers Necessary? Part 2

At a time when the world is dealing with COVID-19—economic, political, social, medical, personal and even spiritual—it is up to financial services organization leadership to look forward to the lasting impacts on banking and finance. Innovation breadth during times of great crisis will not be challenged, and the operating result will be a very foreign landscape to those anticipating minimal post-crisis adjustments.

Mortgage Vendor News & Views with Scott Roller

In this ongoing article series, we report on mortgage and credit union vendor marketplace events and trends, and we then share our viewpoints. The theme for today’s article is vendor innovations that are driving speed, quality and cost saves – a select few vendors that really don’t look much like their contemporaries.

Michael Steer: Coronavirus Highlights Need for Pandemic Planning

With concerns surrounding coronavirus sending shockwaves throughout the U.S. and global economies, mortgage companies would be well advised to add pandemics to their list of events that could disrupt normal operations, as this specific type of incident poses unique challenges.

Jennifer Henry: In an Uncertain Market, Servicers Are Leveraging Data, Technology to Drive Efficiency

While the falling home loan rates mean a booming business for the mortgage industry and a sign the housing market may help the U.S. economy avoid a true recession, it could also pose a challenge for those trying to process the influx of applications and requests. The digital mortgage servicing journey must focus on streamlining the process through technology and data-enabled solutions.

Industry Briefs

Appraisal Logistics, Annapolis, Md., launched Property Vision, an appraisal inspection tool to provide appraisers with consumer-provided photographic data.

ATTOM: 2019 Property Taxes Rise to $306 Billion

ATTOM Data Solutions, Irvine, Calif., reported property taxes levied on more than 86 million single-family homes in 2019 totaled $306.4 billion, up 1 percent from $304.6 billion in 2018—the smallest increase in three years.

Dealmaker: IPA Sells L.A. County Apartment Property for $32M

Institutional Property Advisors, a division of Marcus & Millichap, sold South Hills Apartments, an 85-unit apartment property in West Covina, Calif. The $31.95 million sales price equates to $375,882 per unit.

Jennifer Henry: In an Uncertain Market, Servicers Are Leveraging Data, Technology to Drive Efficiency

While the falling home loan rates mean a booming business for the mortgage industry and a sign the housing market may help the U.S. economy avoid a true recession, it could also pose a challenge for those trying to process the influx of applications and requests. The digital mortgage servicing journey must focus on streamlining the process through technology and data-enabled solutions.

Round 3: Initial Unemployment Claims Pile Up 3rd Week in a Row

Nearly 6.6 million Americans filed new applications for unemployment benefits during the first week of April, the Labor Department reported yesterday, bringing the total number over the past three weeks to nearly 17 million.