Provider of fully-compliant loan document preparation, compliance, eSign and eDelivery solutions, DocMagic, Inc., recently announced it has begun allowing a group of clients to test the features and functionality available within its new Collaborative Closing Portal, SmartCLOSE to prepare for upcoming TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) regulation.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has announced a proposed amendment to the Know Before You Owe mortgage rule, commonly known as the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) rule, which would move the effective date of the rule to Saturday, October 3, 2015. According to CFPB, the Bureau is issuing the proposed amendment to correct an "administrative error" that would have pushed the TRID effective date back at least two weeks from its original effective date of August 1, 2015.

Carrington Mortgage Services, LLC (Carrington) recently announced in a press release the appointment of Tom O’Leary as regional sales manager for its Wholesale Lending Division. Carrington’s Wholesale operation will now run under O’Leary’s direction and remain focused on continued growth, providing expanded product offerings, and producing faster turn times to effectively meet market demands.

Earlier this month, Freddie Mac announced that it would offer its Loan Prospector underwriter system free of charge as of June 1, 2015. Today, Fannie Mae matched Freddie Mac’s offer and announced that it will eliminate fees on its Desktop Underwriter automated underwriting system and Desktop Originator tool.

The housing market is showing no signs of slowing down as new single-family home sales in May 2015 rose 2.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 546,000, the highest rate since February 2008, according to new residential sales data released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and HUD.

In order to provide transparency, reduce risks to consumers, and comply with Federal consumer financial law, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently shared its eighth Supervisory Highlights report. The report covers the illegal practices that the Bureau uncovers in areas such as consumer reporting, debt collection, student loan servicing, mortgage origination, mortgage servicing, and fair lending for the first four months of the year.

CoreLogic recently announced the release of its LoanSafe Compliance Manager, a new solution to help lenders comply with a broad array of federal, state, and local residential mortgage lending regulations, including the upcoming TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) rule.

After a decline in economic activity in the first quarter, research has shown that a complete turnaround is expected for the second quarter. Fannie Mae’s Economic & Strategic Research (ESR) Group found indicators of the U.S. experiencing a moderate rebound in economic growth for the current quarter.

In today’s environment, all retail lenders should be asking themselves, “What value am I truly offering a borrower?” We know that more and more consumers use an online, self-service option when making any retail purchase —mortgages included. When such convenience is available, why would a customer pay more to get a home loan from a retail lender instead? When faced with these questions, it is important to evolve your retail business model to stay ahead of the curve. Editor's note: This select print feature appeared in the June 2015 edition of MReport magazine, available now.

With the housing market still in recovery from the recession, homeownership is not a commodity that everyone can afford. In fact, it is a luxury. Forbes writer, Erin Carlyle pointed out a housing forecast titled "What to Expect in the Second Half of 2015" that the homeownership rate in 2005 was 69.1 percent, while today, it’s 63.7 percent, the lowest level the nation has seen since 1993. The forecast highlights that sellers are in an ideal market as the demand for housing is back, but for buyers, home prices are not very favorable and continue to rise.