Tag Archives: Urban Institute

We’ve had FICO Score 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and now 9, so why is FICO 4 still the GSE requirement for originators to use?

Alternative payment records could provide valuable routes to better credit for low-income people, and open up the path to a mortgage. Data from checking accounts rent, telecommunications, and utility accounts could all supplement the negative collections data. The problem is, very few consumer files have these types of data.

According to a report from the Urban Institute, the value of the housing market, housing affordability, and availability of credit are all on the rise.

Minorities are experiencing higher denial rates than their white counterparts when applying for loans. What measures can minorities take to improve their chances of approval?

Laurie Goodman and Alanna McCargo of the Urban Institute's Housing Finance Policy Center explain why increasing homeowership to minorities is critical to the economy—and what lenders can do to help.

Millions of Americans have a negative event on their credit record years after the crisis, which is preventing them from borrowing for a mortgage and hindering the housing market, according to one analysis.

Data shows that in the past quarter century, Americans are moving less. What factors are behind the decline, and how is it affecting mortgage originations?

Private mortgage insurance has overtaken the FHA for largest share in the U.S. mortgage insurance market. Will the FHA act to try and regain the highest market share?

When it comes to comparing market share of PMI vs. FHA, it is beginning to look a lot like 2014.

Borrowers in owner-occupied homes are sitting on trillions worth of accessible home equity by today’s lending standards—but not all of the country's housing wealth is equally distributed.