Print Features

How the Mortgage Insurance Industry Traded Its Unwieldy Paper System for Sleek Digital Processing. Editor's note: This select print feature appeared in the April 2015 edition of MReport magazine.

Here are the Top Five Questions You Need to Ask Yourself Today. This select print feature originally appeared in the March 2015 issue of MReport magazine.

Lenders who put eMortgages and eClosings on the back burner in 2008 find themselves racing into the future, where electronic mortgage processing is no longer a “have” but a “must.”

A whole generation of consumers has emerged from the Great Recession with varying degrees of damage to their personal finances and credit. With today's tighter underwriting and regulatory requirements, these families will need credit remediation and rehabilitation in order to re-enter the housing market.

In a market cycle where the purchase loan is king and prospects are few, lenders must tailor their marketing strategies toward tech-savvy homebuyers who'd prefer to work through the process themselves. The old adage "fish where the fish are" has never been truer. But now the fish—so to speak—have gone digital.

What once was a vibrant industry that thrived on creativity and differentiation from one’s competitors, the mortgage servicing industry is now relatively homogenous as servicers attempt to play it safe while adapting to myriad new regulations.

The U.S. market for originations remains the ugly stepchild of the mortgage industry as it constantly faces the uncertainty of future growth, while simultaneously experiencing stalls and starts during certain parts of the past year.

It has never been more en vogue to be a critic of the GSEs. From politicians to private citizens to watchdogs within the federal government, if you want to score political points or push an agenda, calling for an end to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac or just castigating the conservatorship itself as somehow unfair is a popular way to get there.

The subprime meltdown was like a waterspout on the ocean—breaking masts and sending ships crashing onto the rocks. When the winds finally settled, changes were instituted to protect consumers who ventured into mortgage waters and also to protect communities from housing bubbles that burst and could lead to waves of foreclosures.

what happens when your new mortgage applicant gets declined for the loan they want? Is that money spent getting them to contact you wasted? Do you send them packing? Contributors Jim Ryan and Greg Holmes explore other possibilities for turning "almost there" applicants into happy homeowners.