Contracts, Invoices & Legal

Loans will continue to be originated and closed in the name of Firstrust Bank but the MortgageCountry will oversee lending end-to-end and provide its leadership. View the full article

Some market sectors face growing challenges related to a K-shaped economy as servicers play an increasingly important role in keeping customers. View the full article

Toll Brothers' purchase of Buffington Homes of Arkansas will extend its national outreach with a strong presence in northwest Arkansas, the company said. View the full article

The government guarantor aims to distinguish delinquencies reported as a result of a Federal Housing Administration rule change from broader market trends. View the full article

The Long Island-based regional bank, which has been in turnaround mode for two years, reduced its earnings per share guidance for 2026 and 2027. It cited an expected decrease in net interest income due to higher levels of payoffs and paydowns in commercial real estate. View the full article

Delinquencies also showed signs of overall improvement in March, despite an increase in foreclosure numbers, ICE Mortgage Technology said. View the full article

But in its earnings release, parent company Hilltop Holdings warned its full year 2026 results are going to be impacted by things outside of its control. View the full article

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said in a social media post Friday morning that the Justice Department is closing its investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, clearing a path for Kevin Warsh to be confirmed as Powell's replacement. View the full article

The bank denied Black, Latino and Asian mortgage applicants roughly twice as frequently as white applicants in North Carolina, according to a study from the Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund. View the full article

A proposed update to Basel III capital rules from federal banking regulators does not specifically include mortgage insurance as a factor in determining the risk weight for a mortgage loan held on a bank's balance sheet. Industry experts say it should. View the full article

The Mortgage Bankers Association is recommending the option for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac borrowers with strong credit with a tri-merge for others. Here's why. View the full article

Foreclosure auctions available jumped on both a quarterly and yearly basis, but the sales rate did not move in tandem, according to a new report. View the full article

More than a third of sellers have mortgage rates below 5%, yet still plan to list their homes this spring, according to a survey from Coldwell Banker. View the full article

The 30-year fixed is still over 20 basis points higher than its February bottom, but fell 7 basis points this past week on Iran peace hopes, Freddie Mac said. View the full article

An uptick in problem loans within the heavily scrutinized office sector pushed down share prices at Rhode Island-based Washington Trust and Bank OZK in Little Rock, Arkansas, even though both banks reported solid profits. View the full article

Credit risk transfers, a means by which banks can move risk off their balance sheets, earned considerable bipartisan support in a House Financial Services subcommittee hearing Wednesday. View the full article

The addition of HELOCs at SoFi comes alongside the launch of a new advisory group, as the company heightens its focus on real estate lending. View the full article

The enterprises also still plan to add FICO 10T but the release of the historical data stakeholders in their market can use to assess it has taken longer. View the full article

Builder mortgage units saw Q1 profit slides (NVR down 17%) despite an 11% rise in new home loan applications. Overall homebuilder net income dropped, and sales incentives remain high. View the full article

Equifax Inc. said the Iran war prompted more caution about the outlook for the rest of the year, even after a surge in mortgage applications drove first-quarter revenue growth to the fastest in more than four years. View the full article

The Chicago-based homeowners received a $41,000 check to pay down a portion of their existing mortgage, freeing them from the lock-in effect, DREAM product provider Takara said. View the full article

March home sales increased 31.6% from February, the largest month-over-month jump since 37.4% in 2023, according to Remax's latest national housing report. View the full article

More than 21% of reverse mortgage clients entered counseling with a deficit in their monthly budget last year, almost double the 12.2% of clients in 2024. View the full article