Scaling from Freelancer to Business Owner

The Arkansas-based company spent nearly four years on the M&A sidelines, grappling with asset quality issues and litigation tied to its 2022 acquisition of Texas-based Happy State Bank. Now it's signed a letter of intent to buy an unnamed bank. View the full article

The company cited efforts to improve profitability behind its decision, with Popular joining a line of other banks in ending mortgage operations in 2025. View the full article

The mortgage unit of Hilltop Holdings lost $7.2 million pretax in the third quarter with lower volume, following making a small profit three months prior. View the full article

James is contesting charges brought earlier this month by a prosecutor whom President Donald The President abruptly installed after her predecessor resigned under pressure. View the full article

FHA loans accounted for about half of the annual rise in foreclosure starts and 80% of the rise in active foreclosures in September, according to ICE. View the full article

The Federal Reserve Friday issued a set of proposed changes to its stress testing program for the largest banks that would disclose the central bank's back-end stress testing models, a move that the Fed had long opposed out of fear of making the tests easier for banks to pass. View the full article

Robert Hartheimer's arrest comes at a time when the bank is trying to recover from a consent order and the Synapse mess. View the full article

Companies reported positive numbers but see challenges in a sluggish housing environment, as federal pressure ramps up to address affordability. View the full article

On a year-over-year basis, Waterstone's mortgage business was able to grow pretax profits to $1.3 million in the third quarter, compared with $144,000 in 2024. View the full article

Several claims in a recent Loan Think column misrepresented how credit scores and resellers work in mortgage lending, according to the president of the National Consumer Reporting Association. View the full article

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its latest Consumer Price Index reading Friday morning, showing inflation rose by 0.3% in September, slightly below August's pace. The report also found core inflation steady at 3.0%, even as shelter costs eased and gasoline prices spiked. View the full article

The Long Island-based bank hasn't been profitable in eight quarters, but executives maintain that it's on the right path, citing more loan book diversity, lower expenses and an improved margin. View the full article

The number of prospective buyers touring properties in the city last week fell 8.5% from a year earlier, according to data from Bright MLS, a regional multiple listing service. It's the eighth straight weekly decline. View the full article

This is the second acquisition deal Old Republic has been involved in this year, after selling its title production business in January. View the full article

While expectations that another federal rate cut is on the way next week, other economic trends may be having a larger influence on mortgage lending. View the full article

Contract closings increased 1.5% to an annual rate of 4.06 million in September, the highest in seven months, according to National Association of Realtors figures released Thursday. View the full article

Home loan players are diverting technology budgets to cover back-office operations, after big spending in a downcycle, counter to historical patterns. View the full article

Decreased homeowner equity corresponds to recent declining prices reported by leading housing researchers, but tappable amounts still sit near record highs. View the full article

In addition, John Roscoe and Brandon Hamara have been appointed co-presidents at the government-sponsored enterprise, effective immediately. View the full article

Forbearance or refinancing may help some, workarounds can keep many mainstream loans moving and one type of uncertainty does have an upside for rates. View the full article

While the Federal Open Market Committee has yet to meet this month, investor pricing of longer-term bonds helped mortgages by 11 basis points, Wallethub said. View the full article

While purchase volume is up 20% from last year, it was 5% lower than one week ago, although a 4% increase in refinance activity helped pick up the slack. View the full article

The Department of Justice has filed a motion opposing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employee union's appeal of an August DC Circuit ruling allowing the administration to fire up to 90% of the agency's workforce. View the full article

Top industry minds emphasized they're still bullish on the technology and said humans will still provide irreplaceable traits like empathy and trust. View the full article

Selected companies will have the opportunity to demo their compliance-related solutions at a February 2026 tech sprint following a December kickoff event. View the full article