National Mortgage News - March 2017

At a time when mortgage companies are adding both staff and automation to cater to borrowers' changing needs, one lender has developed a distinctive compensation plan that leverages servicing revenue to encourage retention and recruitment of top producing loan officers.

Dramatic shifts in borrower expectations and a growing purchase market have elevated consumer-direct mortgages from a refi-driven channel to an alternative for staff-heavy lending to homebuyers.

A startup lender is catering to tech-savvy, do-it-yourself borrowers by using online and mobile tools to replace the upfront sales and marketing work of salespeople.

With the countdown of the 2017 Top Producers rankings now complete, National Mortgage News is pleased to publish the entire list of this year's best loan officers and brokers.

A shortage of appraisers, combined with soaring demand for housing, is causing lengthy delays in Seattle and surrounding markets.

The rise in home values is good news for homeowners looking to tap the equity in their homes to pay down debt or make big purchases, but some consumer groups fear it could lead to a new wave of loan defaults.

The Mortgage Bankers Association is trying to jump-start discussions around housing finance reform even as political dysfunction on Capitol Hill is reaching new lows.

While lenders support the intent of a proposal to encourage the growth of private flood insurance, they claim a regulatory proposal doesn't give lenders enough flexibility and remains too complicated.

Some experts say President Trump is being advised to hold off on firing CFPB's Richard Cordray to get the Supreme Court to rule on the extent of the president's executive powers.

The newly installed chairman of the Federal Communications Commission voted against 2015 rules that largely rejected the banking industry's entreaties.

The federal government needs to recognize Ginnie Mae's importance to the housing industry and divorce its funding and oversight from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

An explicit government guarantee of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is imperative to reform the secondary market, but needs be carefully circumscribed — covering only the securities and invoked only after multiple, significant layers of private capital have been exhausted.

Donald Trump's election sent interest rates higher, and the mortgage industry is waiting to see what other effects he will have. Here's a look at how the housing market performed during the first years of recent presidencies.