CoreLogic Updates AutomatIQ VOE/I

CoreLogic and Experian Verification Solutions have teamed up to enhance CoreLogic’s AutomatIQ Borrower Verification of Employment and Income. Four different verification options are now available, allowing lenders to create custom waterfall verification solutions with individual objectives. “People are at the heart of every mortgage transaction, and we want to ensure lenders are equipped with the most comprehensive solutions to bring clients a positive experience,” said Jay Kingsley, President of Mortgage Solutions, CoreLogic. AutomatIQ now includes Experian Verify, giving lenders instant access to income and employment information, and Borrower Assisted Payroll, which lets borrowers submit their information on a vendor website for quick verification. These are in addition to The Work Number and manual verification, both of which were previously offered…

Mortgage-Free Living: Are Americans Paying Off Their Houses?

By CHUCK GREEN Okay, you’ve undoubtedly heard of those who play with house money. Yeah, that rocks. By the same token, you’re probably similarly familiar with those who don’t owe money on their house. No mortgage. Zippo. That not only rocks – and thunderously, at that — it brings the house down. C’mon, who doesn’t dream of having a mortgage-burning party and being free of that debt? But home mortgage burnings are nearly unheard of in present-day America as the country is now more of a mortgage-ownership society than a home-ownership society. Mortgage balances were at $12.04 trillion at the end of March, according to officials at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Center for Microeconomic Data. The free…

Mortgage Fee Changes Under Fire As Critics Cite Fairness

By KIMBERLEY HAAS Changes to fees for loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are under scrutiny after recent reports that homebuyers with good credit scores and substantial down payments will pay more starting May 1. Last week, The Washington Times published an article with the headline “Biden to hike payments for good-credit homebuyers to subsidize high-risk mortgages.” Author Dave Boyer, a White House correspondent, wrote that although the changes are part of the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s push to make housing more affordable, they will negatively impact traditional borrowers. “Mortgage industry specialists say homebuyers with credit scores of 680 or higher will pay, for example, about $40 per month more on a home loan of $400,000. Homebuyers who…

Forget Student Loans, How About Forgiving Our Mortgage Loans?

By CHUCK GREEN and KIMBERLEY HAAS The U.S. Supreme Court will be hearing two cases challenging the legality of President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan on Feb. 28 and The Mortgage Note is asking the question, why not mortgage debt relief when that is a bigger burden to average Americans? Mortgage balances rose by $282 billion in the third quarter of 2022 and were at $11.67 trillion by the end of September. According to a press release issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, student loan balances slightly declined to $1.57 trillion. Total household debt reached $16.51 trillion in Q3. That includes mortgages, credit cards, auto loans, and student loans. Sarah Paulson, a certified financial planner at Valkyrie Financial…