Contracts, Invoices & Legal

Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr said in a speech Tuesday that rapidly changing trade policies and conflict in the Middle East are straining rural communities by raising business operating costs. View the full article

Both Chase and Wells Fargo had a 15% reduction quarter-to-quarter in mortgage originations, more than the industry forecast for a 6% drop-off, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods noted. View the full article

Company team members, including those in affiliated business arrangements, will be eligible; real estate and joint venture agent partners will not be. View the full article

Lending for new single-family homes jumped 11% from a year ago and 26% from February, the Mortgage Bankers Association said. View the full article

Financial institutions that are members could gain access to expedited funding through a Fed partnership and advances secured by a broader range of collateral. View the full article

Adjustable rate mortgages accounted for 12% of total home loan volume in March, reaching its highest share of the market since October 2022. View the full article

Being a diversified global bank, Goldman Sachs was "broadly seen favorably as a relatively safe haven type of credit," said Tony Trzcinka, an investment grade portfolio manager at Impax Asset Management. View the full article

Sheer luck kept all but one hurricane from U.S. shores in 2025; one landfall in 2026 could devastate servicers. View the full article

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which has dismissed scores of enforcement attorneys early in President Donald The President's second term, is staffing up its litigation arm in anticipation of defending its rules in court. View the full article

The integration allows servicers on ICE's MSP platform to deploy Kastle's AI agents without building custom infrastructure, Kastle said. View the full article

In an update to its seller and servicer guide, Fannie Mae laid out details on responsibilities for vendor oversight and the need for transparent AI policy. View the full article

Remodeling sentiment dipped slightly in Q1 but stayed well above the neutral mark, as the lock-in effect of elevated mortgage rates kept homeowners investing in their current homes. View the full article

The president of an affiliate mortgage securitization guarantor is taking on the responsibilities associated with the Federal Housing Administration role. View the full article

Contract closings decreased 3.6% to an annualized 3.98 million, according to National Association of Realtors data out Monday. View the full article

Newly minted doctors want to buy homes but because of student debt and job history, likely can't even meet the wider jumbo underwriting criteria without help. View the full article

Bills in Congress, capital rules, GSE reform and credit modernization hold a mix of benefits and risks for Independent Community Banker of America members, Senior Vice President Ron Haynie says. View the full article

Former Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Randal Quarles, who served during President The President's first term, said members of the Fed board should be removable by the president, but that the decentralized structure of the Fed will ensure that monetary policy decisions remain sound. View the full article

The setback pared a weekly gain for US government bonds sparked by an April 8 ceasefire agreement, which caused oil prices to tumble from near multiyear highs. View the full article

The industry reported $275 million in losses from internet crimes last year, a 59% annual increase as losses nationwide surpassed $20 billion. View the full article

A Colorado couple filed suit after realizing they might owe as much as $279,000 on a home equity investment contract used to obtain $88,000 in 2018. View the full article

Economists surveyed by Wolters Kluwer are scaling back rate cut expectations as Iran conflict-driven energy costs push inflation higher, complicating the Fed's path forward. View the full article

"Wildfire risk is not just an occasional catastrophe, but a recurring cost embedded in the state's economy," said the report issued this week by the California Earthquake Authority. View the full article

A 21.2% spike in the price of gasoline was the biggest contributor to a 0.9% increase in the Consumer Price Index in March, according to a Friday report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The agency said other price increases were largely contained. View the full article

Jumbo loans demand more scrutiny and documentation, but automation is streamlining the process — and lenders who master the product stand to gain in a moderately bullish market. View the full article

LoanDepot will integrate Figure's proprietary credit and loan underwriting engine into its own proprietary mello technology platform and point of sale system. View the full article