Cash sales accounted for 34.8 percent of total home sales, CoreLogic reported, down from 37.2 percent in September 2013. The share of cash sales has fallen annually every month since January 2013. Before the start of the housing crisis, the cash sales share of total homes averaged nearly 25 percent.
Read More »RoundPoint Upgrades Consumer Ombudsman Program
RoundPoint Mortgage Servicing customers concerned about any issues surrounding their loan can now access the company's Consumer Ombudsman online, thanks to an upgrade introduced this week.
Read More »Homeowners, Appraisers Come Closer on Value Estimates
Quicken Loans' Home Price Perception Index, a measure of the gap between appraiser and homeowner opinions of home values, shows appraisers' home value estimates were on average 1.56 percent higher than homeowners nationally.
Read More »Mortgage Applications Pull Up from Latest Decline
Total mortgage application volumes increased 7.3 percent for the week ending December 5, according to survey data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). The jump, which includes seasonal adjustments, followed a drop of the same amount the week prior.
Read More »Indecomm-Mortgage U Launches Integrated Disclosure Training Package
Indecomm-Mortgage U, a full-service training company serving the mortgage industry, announced the development of a new suite of training tools designed to help bring lenders in compliance with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) soon to be implemented integrated mortgage disclosure rule.
Read More »Report: Buying a Home Twice as Affordable as Renting
Looking at trends in incomes, home values, and rental prices in the third quarter, Zillow estimates that U.S. homeowners spend on average 15.3 percent of their income on monthly mortgage payments. For younger homebuyers, who typically make smaller down payments, that figure is only slightly higher: 17.4 percent.
Read More »2015 Forecast Calls for Bounce in Home Sales
In keeping with other recently released predictions, the latest housing forecast from market research firm IHS Global Insight calls for modest growth in home sales in 2015 following what's been a disappointing year. In her outlook, IHS economist Stephanie Karol focuses on two major trends that have shaped the housing market in 2014.
Read More »Mortgage Business Conditions Expected to Improve: Survey
According to survey results released by the Collingwood Group this week, 33 percent of mortgage lenders, servicers, and other industry professionals believe business conditions are "a little better" than they were last year. That compares to 31 percent of respondents who said the same thing in October.
Read More »Lenders Boost Credit Availability for Jumbo Loans
The Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Mortgage Credit Availability Index nudged up 1.2 percent in November, totaling 114.6 for the month. MBA's chief economist, Mike Fratantoni, said last month's uptick mostly came from the addition of jumbo loan programs that allow cash-out refinancing.
Read More »National MI Announces Changes to Executive Leadership
NMI Holdings, parent company of National Mortgage Insurance Corporation, announced a shakeup in its executive ranks, starting with the promotion of Jay Sherwood to the role of president.
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