Mortgage lenders are constantly working to make the borrowing process painless for their customers. But one in five borrowers still encounters an issue with their transaction, according to new research from Snapdocs and STRATMOR Group. The “State of Borrower Experience” report surveyed 7,000 Americans who completed a mortgage transaction in the last nine months. The researchers found that borrowers are typically happy with the application process. Data suggests this is the result of dedicated efforts by mortgage lenders in the last decade, and that effort has paid off: 67% of respondents rated the experience of filling out a loan application an 8 or above on a 10-point scale, where 10 represents a “very easy” process. “Lenders have made significant strides…
Nearly half of mortgaged homes in the U.S. were equity-rich in Q2, with the most equity gains concentrated in the South, according to ATTOM’s Q2 2022 U.S. Home Equity & Underwater Report. The report found that 48.1% of mortgaged residential properties had an estimated worth that topped their loan balances by 50% or more. That’s up from 44.9% in Q1 2022 and 34.4% YOY. At least half of all mortgagees in 18 states were equity-rich, up from just 3 states at the same time last year. It’s the ninth consecutive quarter in which the number of equity-rich homes increased. ATTOM also found that only 2.9% of mortgaged homes were considered seriously underwater in Q2, down from 3.2% in Q1 and…
Multiple new executives have joined Better.com to bolster its leadership team and forge long-term growth, the company announced in a press release. Better’s biggest pulls are Sushil Sharma as Chief Growth Officer, the first for the company, and Steve Riddell as Head of Sales. Sharma is an industry veteran with two decades of experience in product management and software engineering. Prior to Better, he served as Chief Product Officer at both LendingTree and Match. “Better’s mission to make homeownership simpler, faster, and more affordable instantly drew me in,” said Sharma. “A home is much more than a place to live: it provides stability to raise a family and is one of the biggest financial assets an individual can own. I…
Overall residential lending activity dropped 32% YOY, the fastest decline in eight years, according to ATTOM’s Q1 U.S. Residential Property Mortgage Origination Report. The report found that 2.71 million mortgages secured by residential property were originated in Q1 2022. This is a drop from Q4 and the fourth consecutive quarter of declines. Refinances were down 22% and purchase mortgages fell 18% quarter-over-quarter. Lenders originated $892.4 billion in loans in Q1, down 17% from Q4 and 27% YOY. The quarterly dip in dollar volume was the largest in five years, and the annual dip was the largest in eight years. Declining refis drove the declines, with only 1.45 million residential loans refinanced during Q1 2022, down 22% from Q4 and a…
Mortgage lending dropped at its fastest pace in almost three years in Q4 2021, down for the third quarter in a row and the largest decrease since late 2018, according to ATTOM’s Q4 2021 U.S. Residential Property Mortgage Origination Report. The report found that 3.27 million mortgages were originated in Q4 2021, or $1.06 trillion worth of mortgages. This is down 11% from Q3 2021 and 13% from Q4 2020. All three categories of conventional loans– purchase, refi, and home equity– saw quarterly declines, with only purchases remaining up year-over-year (YOY). Refis were down 11% from Q3 2021 and 23% YOY, with 1.81 million home loans refinanced. Q4 was the third straight quarter of refi declines. The dollar volume of…
Mortgage lending is a hot target for fraudsters in the U.S., and the situation has grown worse since the pandemic began, according to a new report from LexisNexis. The LexisNexis True Cost of Fraud Study: Financial Services and Lending examines fraud trends in North American financial services and lending sectors. The 2021 edition is based on responses from August and September 2021. The report revealed that U.S. banks and mortgage lenders saw an increase in fraud costs and attack volumes compared to before the pandemic. Every $1 of fraud loss now costs financial service firms $4, compared to $3.25 in 2019 and $3.64 in 2020. For mortgage lenders, fraud costs $4.40 for every $1, 23.5% higher than before the pandemic…
Mortgage lending declined in both Q2 and Q3 2021, the first consecutive decline in two years and the first time since 2000 that lending fell in Q2 and Q3, according to ATTOM’s Q3 2021 U.S. Residential Property Mortgage Origination Report. The report showed that 3.59 million mortgages secured by residential property originated in Q3, up 3% YOY but down 8% from Q2. It is the largest quarterly drop in more than a year, and a surprise considering the second and third quarters are usually peak buying season. Lenders overall issued $1.15 trillion in mortgages in Q3, up 11% YOY but down 6% from Q2, the first quarterly drop since early 2020. Both refinance and purchase lending fell, with refinancing taking…
