The leader of an analytics business that provides technology for companies in the mortgage space says they are on a mission to set a new standard for data integrity and trusted automation.
According to Steve Smith, CEO and co-founder of BaseCap Analytics, there is a need industry-wide for clean, accurate records. By leveraging validation technology, companies can streamline internal processes and let their employees focus on activities that enhance productivity.
BaseCap Analytics can also help companies with regulatory reporting and compliance. The company recently announced a pilot with Cenlar FSB, the nation’s leading residential mortgage subservicer.
“We are pleased to pilot BaseCap’s solutions in an effort to strengthen our ability to comply with an increasingly complex web of mortgage servicing…
By PATRICK LAVERY
Saying the economy has surprised even the experts since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic nearly four years ago, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell on Wednesday announced that the Fed would hold its ground for now and keep its policy interest rate unchanged at its current range of 5.25% to 5.5%.
“We believe that our policy rate is likely at its peak for this tightening cycle and that, if the economy evolves broadly as expected, it will likely be appropriate to begin dialing back policy restraint at some point this year,” Powell said in prepared remarks following the first two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting of 2024.
The decision by the FOMC was not unexpected, and…
By ERIN FLYNN JAY and KIMBERLEY HAAS
A recent report from Redfin shows that Baby Boomers with empty nests own double the amount of large homes compared to Millennials with kids. So what if Grandma and Grandpa moved into an accessory dwelling unit and the three generations lived together so everyone could have some space?
According to the report, Millennials with kids own 14% of the nation’s large homes, which are defined as having three or more bedrooms. Baby Boomers living by themselves or with one other person own 28% of these properties.
Partially to blame is affordability. 2023 was the least affordable year for homebuying on record, with median-priced homes costing about $410,000, according to Redfin. Additionally, 54% of…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS
The co-founder and CEO of a platform that provides cash flow based financing to real estate entrepreneurs says there are opportunities arising for commercial property owners and managers.
Derrick Barker said in a recent interview with The Mortgage Note that he predicts there will be a deleveraging throughout the nation in 2024, explaining that there were people who bought assets in 2021 and 2022 at the top of the market with aggressive assumptions in terms of occupancy, price appreciation, and rent growth.
Many of the loans were for three years so with expectations not panning out, that is putting pressure on those commercial and rental real estate owners, Barker said.
“A lot of these people are going…
By ERIN FLYNN JAY and KIMBERLEY HAAS
As business models continue to change in the post-Covid economy, some market experts are predicting a commercial real estate crash while others are saying there could be a revival in investment opportunities.
Desmond Lachman, an American Enterprise Institute senior fellow, recently wrote that high vacancy rates have already caused commercial property prices to decline. At the same time, property owners need to roll over around $500 billion in maturing loans at higher interest rates.
Lachman said this spells trouble for the banking sector in general and the regional banks in particular. He predicted commercial real estate troubles could lead to the failure of 385 regional banks.
“With as much as 18% of their…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS
A National Labor Relations Board judge has found that portions of a mandatory employment agreement between United Wholesale Mortgage and its workers should be rescinded.
“Having found that the respondent engaged in certain unfair labor practices, I find that the respondent must be ordered to rescind the unlawful portions of its current employment agreement and print and distribute a revised employee agreement that does not contain the unlawful portions,” Administrative Law Judge Susannah Merritt wrote.
Merritt found that leaders at UWM violated federal labor laws because the company’s employment agreement contained overly broad, ambiguous, and/or discriminatory work rules about proprietary and confidential information as well as the return of property and information. Rules about employee communications, including…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS
Federal officials and members of the mortgage industry are mourning the loss of David Stevens, who helped the country navigate the aftermath of the 2008 housing crisis before serving as president and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association for seven years.
Stevens worked as the Federal Housing Administration Commissioner at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under former President Barack Obama. There from 2009 to 2011, he focused on restoring the administration to fiscal health and was a key player in drafting housing policy, according to an article by Reuters.
HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge said on Wednesday in a statement, “This country is better because of David’s service and contributions.”
“Over the course of his…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS
Motivated millennials and the power of technology will shape the mortgage market in 2024, according to industry leaders who gathered this week to reflect on 2023 and strategize for the year ahead.
During a “2024 Lender Strategies: What (Another) Unprecedented Year in Mortgage Taught Us” webinar hosted by Snapdocs, Michael Fratantoni, chief economist and senior vice president of research and industry technology at the Mortgage Bankers Association, said volume is predicted to increase by loan count to over five million this year.
At the same time, total mortgage origination volume is expected to increase from $1.6 trillion to more than $2 trillion.
Demographics will help contribute to a market rebound after a tough year in 2023. That’s…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS
Wells Fargo released its fourth quarter 2023 financial results on Jan. 12 and leaders there say as they continue to streamline their home lending business profitability will improve.
The company reported a net income of $3.4 billion, or $0.86 per diluted share.
CEO Charlie Scharf said in his comments that the continued execution of their more focused home lending strategy should produce higher returns and earnings over the next several years.
“As we look forward, our business performance remains sensitive to interest rates and the health of the U.S. economy, but we are confident that the actions we are taking will drive stronger returns over the cycle,” he said.
Scharf said their new credit card products have…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS
A hotline that will give brokers the ability to make changes to approval letters at any time was announced by leaders at Rocket Pro TPO this week, and it is powered by artificial intelligence.
Executive Vice President Mike Fawaz unveiled the new technology during an Ignite: Live! session on Monday afternoon. He demonstrated that to use the new AI system, all brokers have to do is make a call to provide the loan number, client name, and financing request.
If approved, the system will update the appropriate documents.
“This is a win for you. This is a win for us to be able to deliver to the broker community something that you can use that gives you…
