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Mortgage applications rise slightly as rates move closer to 6%

Data & Visuals, HWmember, Mortgage, Mortgage applications, Mortgage Bankers Association, Mortgage Rates, Origination, Purchase Applications, Refinancing, Xactus /

Mortgage applications increased 0.4% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s weekly mortgage applications survey for the week ending Feb. 20. On an unadjusted basis, the index increased 2% compared with the previous week. The seasonally adjusted purchase index decreased 5% from one week earlier. The unadjusted purchase index […]

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Let’s be real. We can do better when it comes to using AI in marketing.

Artificial Intelligence, Contributors, HWmember, Marketing, Mortgage, Opinion, Origination, Real Estate Marketing /

So, you finally discovered ChatGPT, Claude or whatever shiny AI toy your nephew told you about. Congrats! You’re officially part of the future of marketing! Ok. Not really. Not the way you’re doing it. Here’s a scene being played out way too often lately. Someone types “write me a LinkedIn post about title insurance” into

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California-based LenderMac to acquire Direct Mortgage

HWmember, Lenders, Mergers and Acquisitions, Mortgage, Origination, Retail Lending, Wholesale Lending /

Cypress, California-based LenderMac Holdco LLC has agreed to acquire Direct Mortgage Corp. in a move aimed at expanding its geographic footprint and building a multichannel mortgage platform, the companies announced Tuesday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. “This acquisition represents an important step in our long-term growth strategy,” Kenneth Jo, CEO of LenderMAC,

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Kiavi closes $350M RTL securitization, nears $7B in total issuance

Fix and Flip, HWmember, Investors, Kiavi, Mortgage, Origination, Real Estate Investing, Secondary market, Securitization /

Kiavi, a digital nonbank lender for residential real estate investors, announced Thursday that it closed a $350 million rated securitization of residential transition loans (RTLs). The transaction marks Kiavi’s sixth rated securitization and 24th deal under its LHOME shelf, bringing its total offered notes to more than $6.8 billion since inception, the company said. The

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Study reveals bureau score gaps, fueling tri-merge credit debate

Credit Score, Equifax, Experian, HWmember, Mortgage, Origination, TransUnion, Underwriting, VantageScore /

A study by Andrew Davidson & Co. found meaningful credit score discrepancies among the three major bureaus — a key data point for those arguing in favor of maintaining the tri-merge standard rather than shifting to a bi-merge or single-report model. According to the paper, released Friday, 35% of the 245 million scored consumers in

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Huntington Bank’s Carolyn Gorman on expanded mortgage footprint with Cadence, Veritex partnerships

Banking, HWmember, Loan Officer, Mergers and Acquisitions, Mortgage, Origination, Partnerships, Texas /

Huntington Bank — which is poised to become a $280 billion institution after its acquisitions of Cadence Bank and Veritex Bank — is aggressively expanding its mortgage footprint across Texas and the Southeast while emphasizing a “partnership” culture over a traditional acquisition model. That’s according to Carolyn Gorman, the bank’s senior vice president and mortgage

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Mortgage demand rises 2.8%, fueled by 7% leap for refis

HWmember, Mortgage, Mortgage applications, Mortgage Bankers Association, Mortgage Rates, Origination, Purchase Applications, Refinancing, Xactus /

Mortgage applications rose 2.8% last week as lower borrowing costs spurred a pickup in refinancing activity, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s weekly mortgage applications survey for the week ending Feb. 13. On an unadjusted basis, the index rose 5% compared with the previous week. Refinance applications led the gain, climbing 7% from the

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Union Home Mortgage brings on M&A veteran Renee Hildebrand

Mergers and Acquisitions, Mortgage, Origination, People Movers, Retail Lending, Team Leaders, Union Home Mortgage /

Union Home Mortgage (UHM) indicated a strong appetite for mergers and acquisitions by hiring Renee Hildebrand from Guild Mortgage to seek new opportunities, the company announced Tuesday. ​​The move comes a few years after the Strongsville, Ohio–based UHM, led by CEO Bill Cosgrove, acquired Amerifirst Home Mortgage. It also follows two additional acquisitions in 2025

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How upfront income accuracy transforms lending

Contributors, HWmember, Income verification, Mortgage, Opinion, Origination /

Mortgage lending has a Day 28 problem. Borrowers engage with lenders on Day Zero. Expectations get set. Loan options get discussed. Confidence gets built. Then income finally receives scrutiny on Day 28—deep in underwriting, after time, money, and operational effort have already been spent. The result? Income surprises kill deals. Borrowers wait, frustrated. Lenders scramble

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When cheaper rates make homes less affordable: What Zillow, Redfin, and Realtor.com data reveals

Affordability, Contributors, Homebuying, HWmember, Mortgage, Mortgage Rates, Opinion, Origination /

Most buyers are conditioned to believe: wait for interest rates to fall and homes will finally be affordable again. It sounds logical; that lower rates should mean lower monthly payments and that is affordability, right? Except history shows something very different, something counter to what we have been led to believe; that when interest rates

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