Scaling from Freelancer to Business Owner

A series of social media posts, from the US president over the weekend and then from the FHFA director and real estate scion Pulte on Wednesday, are helping put an S&P gauge of builders on track for a four-day losing streak. View the full article

Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, U.S. Bancorp and Citigroup will streamline borrower requests for an additional 90-day forbearance, allowing verbal applications. View the full article

Lenders shouldn't expect the latest jobs numbers to yield major monetary policy moves after the unemployment rate came in mostly flat last month, experts say. View the full article

Three US senators opened an inquiry into insurance ratings firm Demotech and whether its assessments may be exposing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to growing risks tied to climate-driven insurer failures. View the full article

Three Democratic Senators say Demotech's assessments "raise profound governance and reliability concerns" in letters to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. View the full article

Current and retired federal employees say Treasury officials granted Elon Musk improper access to federal financial records, violating privacy laws. View the full article

More mortgage professionals told National Mortgage News they expect their companies to hire, or stand pat, rather than fire workers this year. View the full article

The Mortgage Bankers Association latest forecast reflects the industry's current views on where their business is going, said Mike Fratantoni. View the full article

A Community Home Lenders of America adds arguments against use of single bureau while another paper takes the position that the idea merits further study. 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

Overall, three-quarters of those in a National Mortgage News survey believe loan production will increase during 2026, but just 15% felt strongly about it. View the full article

Last year highlighted the risks for banks in lending to nondepository financial institutions. A new approach by The President-era regulators could change the playing field. View the full article

Lebda led the company through its initial public offering in 2000, and its sale about three years later to IAC Inc. In 2008, Lebda joined the newly rebranded LendingTree as it spun out as a separate company. View the full article

The complaint claims Lendingtree and its subsidiary failed to implement proper protocols, such as two factor authentication, to keep customer data safe.

The push by some The President officials to bring charges against James had stalled as former U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert determined their wasn't enough evidence. View the full article

Legal and compliance overtook verification issues as the top cause for application defects during the fourth quarter, according to Aces Quality Management. View the full article

Instances of miscommunication between servicers and borrowers have declined, but some warn that CFPB stepping back from enforcement could create oversight gaps. View the full article

Independent mortgage bankers were in the black for each loan originated during the third quarter, as low rates brought an application surge in September. View the full article

The megalender is accusing a nearby brokerage of skirting labor laws and avoiding significant overhead costs in misclassifying hundreds of employees. View the full article

The partnership with homebuilder Onx Homes, the company's ninth joint venture, gives Loandepot more solid footing in the South. View the full article

Plaintiffs accusing the lender of steering them to higher rates cited comments LOs made under oath describing elements of the alleged scheme. View the full article

The Irvine, California-based firm reported a net loss of $67.5 million in the fourth quarter. View the full article

The lender is seeking to dismiss the lawsuit, calling the purported scheme to also deprive its loan officers of full compensation implausible. View the full article

Company leaders said current strategy sets it up to profit and compete against its rivals as the mortgage market improves in the coming months. View the full article