Category: News and Trends

Source: Office of Federal Student Aid; Mortgage Bankers Association. While the first-time homebuyer share of home sales has increased, it is still below typical levels, and many point to student …

The commercial mortgage-backed securities delinquency rate closed out 2016 down 21 percent by balance from year-end 2015, but late-pays could reverse course in 2017, reported Fitch Ratings, New York.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency on Wednesday requested public input on chattel loan pilot initiatives for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and its proposed Evaluation Guidance under the final rule on Duty to Serve Underserved Markets.

A white paper from Community Blight Solutions, Cleveland, Ohio, estimates that the typical foreclosed home imposes costs of more than $170,000 and that simple remedies can effectively mitigate declines in property values and increases in crime.

Reports from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University and the National Association of Home Builders forecast a strong and stable market for home improvement and repair in 2017.

CoreLogic, Irvine, Calif., said completed foreclosures in November fell to 26,000 and the foreclosure inventory fell by 30 percent from a year ago and by nearly 80 percent from its crisis peak.

HOPE NOW reported an increase in mortgage modification actions, as well as foreclosure actions, in November, but noted that serious delinquencies continued to fall toward pre-crisis levels.

First American Financial Corp., Santa Ana, Calif., said the recent Day 1 Certainty initiative from Fannie Mae and incorporation of similar automated verification tools by Freddie Mac will have a “significant positive impact” on mortgage loan application defect and misrepresentation risk this year.

The Mortgage Bankers Association and MBA Insights are accepting nominations for the MBA Insights 2017 Tech All-Star Awards. Nominations will be accepted through Friday, Jan. 27.

With a new year comes new opportunities to start fresh. As 2017 approaches, now is the time for lenders to formulate a plan for loan quality success, and that plan starts, oddly enough, with a plan–an integrated corrective action plan, that is.